6 January 2011 | Paul Jackson
In business, it is essential to convey your message efficiently and effectively to the stakeholder. But how can you ensure it doesn’t get lost in translation? Paul Jackson explains
How often have we seen good ideas fail, or sales lost, through poor presentation? The aim is to be clear and get the message delivered effectively so that it is remembered and understood.
We want the recipient to understand and use the information for the benefit of the organisation. But so often business cases, sales pitches and conference speeches do not land their message. Fail to excite the audience for those few key moments, and your good idea may be lost forever.
Fortunately, there is a mnemonic to help you get to the POINT.
Remember the old adage: ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’ Preparation is key to good communication. You need to prepare, structure and plan your approach. Using templates or standard structures can help.
Perhaps your boss asks you a question in a meeting that you have not prepared for. Try using the PREP approach:
Buy yourself a few seconds to help you formulate your response. Open by making a point. Follow up by giving a reason for it. Give an example to highlight and justify the reason. Conclude by repeating the point.
Produce your business case on one page only. One effective page will be read – a small book will be skimmed. Use diagrams and graphs to highlight key points. You could try splitting the page into quarters: cost, benefits, risks and net contribution. The brain will focus on each quarter, find one message there, and remember it more easily.
Make the content interesting to the key stakeholder. Interest will trigger the decision. If it is about cost reduction, say so. Give a percentage or value, and capture the interest of the stakeholder. Show how value is added to the organisation.
Make the content newsworthy, reflecting up-to-date issues, in line with the prevailing business or market focus. Follow the trend, catch the mood of the moment. Use topical headlines, but don’t regurgitate volumes of text. If the content truly is newsworthy, the reader will know about it.
The human brain has trouble taking in complicated messages and retaining them in their entirety, so help it. ‘Never more than three’ is the secret.
The brain can take in up to three things well; after that it gets confused and becomes inefficient at remembering the detail. So only use three colours, for example. Stick to a maximum of three types or sizes of text. Don’t justify your text, as it adds variable spacing (usually more than three types) into the text, again making it difficult for the brain to take in the detail. And remember: say what you’re going to say; say it; and then say what you’ve told them.
Key points
- Use the PREP approach:
Point > Reason > Example > Point.
- Stick to one page when producing your business case
and use diagrams and graphs.
- The brain responds to the ‘power of three’, so don’t confuse it.
* Paul Jackson is the owner of procurement and project management consultancy Profit Through Change
