Clear Communications: Sending Your Message

Miscommunication happens to everyone. You spend days working out your agenda, presentation, or speech, only to find no support or appreciate from your audience. You revise and re-craft your emails, memos, and letters multiple times before sending them out into the world.

Still, sometimes, it just doesn't feel like people are hearing you. Even worse, they may be hearing things you never meant to say. It doesn't have to be that way. Here are a few simple tips to keep your communications clear.

Avoid spelling and grammatical errors.

It may be tempting to think that people will know what you mean even if you misspell a word or two. The truth is, writing that is full of errors doesn't just present a less pleasant picture of the writer. It can be difficult to read, and the message you are communicating can get lost as the reader's attention focuses on the errors.

Consider your audience.

Don't lose your readers before they get to your message. Communication that is focused on the reader is usually more well-received than communication that isn't. Keep your readers in mind when selecting your format, your writing style, even your font.

Provide all pertinent information.

Keep your communications clear by allowing your readers to focus on your message. When your communications don't provide all the necessary information, your readers may be ill-prepared to respond. They may wait for more information, guess at the missing pieces, or try to find the answers they need.

When you anticipate what your readers will need to know and provide the information to them, they don't have to walk away from your writing to seek answers. They also get the message you were trying to send - which may not be the case if they fill in the missing pieces on their own.

Stick to the point.

In an effort to provide all necessary information, we sometimes go overboard. Trying to convey too many messages at one time makes our communication anything but clear. Keep your topic in mind as you write. When you proof-read, make sure everything in your writing is relevant and necessary to your message.

Be clear in requests.

Your audience has your message. It was a good, clear message, so your audience will naturally respond as you intended, right? Keep the focus on your message, and ensure you get the response you want, by staying clear right to the end.

Close your communication with a reference to any follow up activity you expect from your audience. Again, be sure to provide all of the information that your audience may need. Don't leave them guessing how or when to respond.

Effective communications provide a clear message. They offer the audience all of the necessary information in a format that is appropriate and easy to understand.