Getting Results from Your Writing & Speaking

When we communicate, we usually want something to happen. We want
results. And, when we're conscious of results, we're seeking effective
communication.

To put it another way, the effectiveness of communication can be
measured by the responses it gets. It's not measured by how well we
wrote or how eloquently we spoke, although those can help us get the
responses we want.

Good writing and speaking help us get a response because they help get
the message across. As I've argued in my book, A Manager's Guide to
Newsletters, a newsletter that doesn't get read cannot get a response
from readers.

So, writing, designing, speaking, and all those other creative
activities matter. But, in the end, responses are what count, and
effectiveness means getting the responses we want.

That's true for all types of communication, and not just marketing
campaigns. Managers who send messages to employees, for example, want
employees to respond in a particular way. Maybe they want the
employees to do something differently, or maybe they want to reinforce
existing behaviors.

For a couple of employee newsletters I published, effectiveness meant
greater awareness of health and safety issues. If the newsletter
worked, then they should have helped reduce the number of plant
accidents and helped employees lead healthier lifestyles.

One more point: Effectiveness cannot be achieved without articulated
objectives. As the old adage goes, "If you don't know where you're
going, any road with do." Or, as the inimitable Yogi Berra put it, "If
you don't know where you are going... You might end up someplace
else."

With that, let's create a quick and easy checklist that takes us
through the basic steps required for effective communication:

1. What is your objective, what do you want to happen? Do you want
more sales, reduced employee turnover, renewals by members? Be
specific about your objectives, and if you can attach time and dollar
values to them so much the better.

2. What response of readers or listeners is necessary? What action
should they take? What thoughts do you want them to keep in their
minds? Do you want to reinforce existing thinking or behaviors? What
do they need to do in terms of your objective?

3. Why would they respond to your message? It's all very well for you
to have objectives, but you'll also have to offer something that
provides value in their terms. Think of commercial broadcasting, which
combines free entertainment with advertising messages.

4. What message content will motivate them to act? What subjects will
provide that value to them?

5. How will you present that content? You can entertain, inform,
consult, challenge, solve problems, and more.

6. How often will you have to repeat the message? In many cases,
you'll need to make multiple contacts to get the response you want.
Stockbrokers making sales calls, for example, figure on an average of
five to seven contacts before a prospect becomes a potential client.

7. If you quantified your objectives, does the value of meeting the
objective exceed the cost of communicating? In a marketing context,
for example, how many sales do you have to make to pay the cost of
your advertising campaign?

Going through these steps will start us on the right foot, because it
pushes us to think about responses. And, when we're focused on
responses, we're much more likely to communicate effectively.