Sandra Folk runs The Language Lab. She helps clients to communicate. In this podcast, Sandra provides the 3 P’s of Communication.
Before you start to write Sandra advises to think about 3 important things in your communication.
- The outcome – your destination. Where do you want to end up at? Think about how to get there by focusing on your goal or objective.
- Your audience – if you don’t know who you want to reach, then you’re not going to make it.
- Your words.
It’s a message to market match.
Sandra advises you focus on a problem to solve. Think meta-cognition. Think about thinking. Think before you speak.
She helps clients step-back. Think about what it is they need to do. Then, she figures out how to help clients. Then she helps people by focusing on the 3 P’s of communication. Before then, go through those 3 steps just outlined.
This is how you write your communication.
Be Powerful
You must use action oriented verbs. Don’t say “I’ll look at that tomorrow”, say “I’ll review that for you”. Or “I’ll take that into consideration” say “I’ll consider that”. Use VERBS not nouns.
Use the active voice. What YOU are going to do. “I’ll get it done by Monday” Avoid the passive voice, its non-committal. Use a thesaurus.
Always start with the doer of the action at the beginning of the sentence. Not develop a plan. Say, let’s plan that.
Sandra mentioned Josh Bernoff – Writing Without Bullshit (Boost Your Career by Saying What You Mean). http://withoutbullshit.com/book
Bernoff explains that people write so much, that whoever receives it, they don’t even want to look at it.
60% of people read only 50% of an email message. So, if it’s too long, you are finished.
Start your communication with the most important point first. Then persuade. Present the evidence.
Be Persuasive
If you want to be persuasive you must use words that appeal to your audience. It’s all about the words you choose.
Think about grabbing a person’s attention in short point-first subject lines on emails.
If you were doing a PowerPoint presentation. Use images. Cut the word count. Max 4 points on a slide.
Tell stories in presentations. Personalise the point.
Know you audience!
Be Precise
Don’t be verbose! Shorten your sentences. Forget about and or semi-colons.
Action oriented verbs. Choose the right word. Action-oriented and use the active voice. Use simple tenses. “I reviewed it yesterday, here’s what I found.” Use bullet points.
Max on an email is 3 short paragraphs.
So, be powerful, be persuasive and be precise.
How should we implement?
- Download Sandra’s PowerPoint Presentation from http://www.thenext100days.org/41download/.
- It has some great writing tips.
- Remind yourself.
- Don’t do ALL of the 3 P’s immediately. Get good at PRECISE. #1 Get rid of ands & semi-colons. #2 Use the active voice. #3 Forget the nouns and use active verbs.
If you want to contact Sandra directly with a question, her email address is sandrafolk@thelanguagelab.ca
You can also sign up for 3 weekly business tips from Sandra on her website home-page.