This week I’d like to share with you a Forbes article that features important tips to help improve your workplace communication. It centers around advice from Anne Ricketts, a communication coach from the Bay Area. As I often tell my clients, connection is key. Slideshows and other visual aids may look nice and have a lot of useful information, but it’s your connection with the audience that’s really going to make them remember what you said.
Ms. Ricketts makes it easy to remember. Just follow the three C’s: Concision, Clarity, and Connection
1. Be concise. Being concise means starting with your point. Don’t start with background or context. Start with your point, tell a story, evolve the idea, and then bring it back to your point.
2. Be clear. Being clear with your audience means avoiding buzzwords or jargon. Avoid the fancy talk and use plain English. Tell stories and use analogies so that your audience is learning along the way.
3. Connect! Be in the room with your audience. It’s much more important to tap into their energy, bring them to your side, and invite them into your space than it is to try to impress them with fancy presentations and gimmickry.
These tips are easy to practice on a daily basis with any audience. Keep in mind Ms. Ricketts’ three C’s the next time you have an exchange with a colleague, provide an update at a team meeting, or deliver your next big presentation.
Guillermo Villar is principal coach with Cambio Coaching. He helps high-achieving individuals and teams communicate with intention to get the business results they want. If you’re interested in working with Guillermo, sign up for a free meeting to explore how he can help.