3 Things to Improve Communication

1. Communicate in bullet points.

Sure, we can complain about the attention spans of people in today’s culture, but we also must take it into account when communicating. We need to make it easy for people to break down what we’re trying to say. To help them process the information we want them to know. Don’t intimidate people with long paragraphs and sentences…. Some won’t even begin to read if they large chunks of words without any ‘short cut’ to break it down. Remember, communication is the key, not grammar.

2. Choose clarity over creativity.

I believe in being creative. It’s essential that no matter what we’re doing, that we make room for creativity to improve the idea. creativity is essential in just about any context, but it can break down clarity if taken too far. Remember, if it’s worth communicating, it’s worth doing do clearly. Your message is what’s most important. Don’t sacrifice your message on the alter of being creative or making it look good.

3. When in doubt, say it again.

if you’re not sure that the person or people you are communicating with got the email or understood what you were trying to say to them, send it or say it again. Sure, you will end up repeating yourself at times, but I’d rather repeat myself than miss the message. A good way to tell in a face to face conversation if someone understood what you said is if they repeat it back to you.

Those are my 3 tips for communicating just about anything in just about any context. Have any to add?

[Read about the 4 consequences of failed communication here.]