3 Tips Because Communication is Hard

3 Tips Because Communication is Hard   Last week we shared some tips on demonstrating that you know communication is Critical. Continuing in this three-part series on communication, let’s talk about how hard it is.   It’s critical – if we don’t do it well, we can’t succeed. It’s hard – it takes more time, energy, effort, and work than most of us assume. It’s not about me – at the end of the day, it’s always about the receiver and what they need, not the sender and what I want!   Here are three tips to help prove you know that communication is hard.  1 - Plan: Communications are more effective when we go in with a plan!   If you are facing a “hard” meeting, or a “hard” project, you likely aren’t just going to wing it. There will likely be some planning and prep work ahead of time. So, if we know it’s hard, why would we skip out on planning our communication as well?   Plan for when you will talk to someone or how your message will sound from their point of view. Plan for a structure for your message (Especially if it’s long!) and cues to help the listener or reader stay awake and engaged for the high points. Plan for when you’ll give people advance notice on things and what the last “responsible” moment is for the information they need. Plan for any introduction, any specific turns of phrase you need, any specific situations or time and place when your intended audience will be more or less receptive to the message. Especially plan for anything that may make you uncomfortable or stressed out, since we tend to revert back to our natural tendencies under stress, which may not necessarily be what’s best for that given communication.   2 - Execute: Communications are more effective when we execute on the plan we made!   When you think of communicating, you’ll want to consider multiple options, rather than a single default. Communication is face to face, voice to voice, text, email, newsletter, bulletin boards, and more. Once you have your plan, you’ll want to practice and then actually do what you said you would do! Because you’ve spent time planning, there’s a decent chance you are closer to the communication than any audience member! It's easy to forget that they don’t know what’s going on inside your head, or to falsely assume that they’re as all-caught-up with the topic as you are! This stuff is hard. It requires deliberate, intentional patience and stick-to-it-iveness!     3 - Repeat: Communications are more effective when they hit the mark repeatedly!   When you think of “communicating”, you’ll want to remember the phrase 7 times 7 ways. Because communication is so critical, we have to make sure that our message is getting out and we have to make sure our audience is hearing it. Just saying something once – or bringing it up briefly in a meeting, or sending one quick email – is not enough to make new information stick! We need to say it seven times, seven ways, and that’s what makes it hard. A simple example is that if you want an action item completed from a given meeting: First, have a place to record action items. Then, don’t just mention it off-hand, but say it and make sure it gets assigned and recorded. Then, close the loop to make sure the person responsible for completing it has it on their own radar.     Communication is hard, that we won't deny. But with just a few simple steps, not only can we prove just how hard it is, but we might also make it a bit easier on ourselves.