244 / UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Planning your approach
Choosing your approach
The choices you make, from the content of the message you send to
the medium you select, all have a direct impact on the outcome of your
communication. Whatever the situation, ask yourself about the following:
Getting people to listen to what you say, read what you write, or look at
what you show them isn’t easy. How do you persuade them that paying
attention to your message is in their best interest? The key to ensuring
that your communication hits the mark is detailed planning.
higher returns to
shareholders are
reported in companies
that are led by good
communicators
47%
QUESTION YOUR
OWN ROLE
Ask yourself whether you are
the right person to send the
message. Will your signature
compel people to action,
or might the message be
more effective coming
from your manager, or
someone closer to the
intended audience?
Tip
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PLANNING YOUR APPROACH / 245
GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
It’s all too easy to stereotype an audience,
especially when you are working against
the clock. Make sure you have collected
all the information available about
your audience, and refer to the key
characteristics as you prepare
your speech or document.
Tip
MESSAGE
What should your message contain? How should your message
impart the information? Should your message be broad
or detailed?
MEDIUM
What’s the best way to send this message? Is one medium quicker or
cheaper than another? Will one offer a better opportunity for feedback
or carry more detail?
CODE
Will your audience understand the words you’ve used? Will the words and
images mean the same thing to the audience as they mean to you? Do
these words and images have multiple meanings for various audiences?
FEEDBACK
How will you know if you’ve communicated successfully?
Will the audience response be delayed? Will it be filtered
through another source?
NOISE
How many other senders and messages are out there? Whose message
traffic are you competing with? Will others try to deflect, distort, or
disable your communication attempts?
Who will receive the
message? What is
your relationship
to them? What do
they need to know?
What action do you
want them to take?
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Understanding your audience
Who are these people you’re
communicating with? What do you
know about them? What do they know
about you or your subject? How do
they feel about it? When preparing
to communicate, ask a few simple
questions about the people in your
audience. Once you know more
about them, you can find ways to
motivate them to listen.
Audience backgrounds
When you’re assessing your audience,
look for any similarities in personal
backgrounds. For example, what is the
average age of audience members?
Consider whether they will be familiar
with the concepts you plan to speak
about, and the sort of life experiences
they may have had. Next, think about
the education level of your audience.
This will have a significant influence on
the content of your talk or document,
including its central themes and the
vocabulary you employ. The personal
beliefs of your audience are an important
factor to take into account when planning
what you will say. Are they liberal or
conservative? What is their political
affiliation? Are they committed
to a particular religious or social
point of view?
Considering ethnicity
The ethnic origin of members of your
audience may be worth knowing, but
don’t overestimate its value. The utility
of this information may lie in knowing
which issues and positions are of
greatest concern to members of a
particular ethnic group. The limitation
lies in knowing that you cannot
reasonably stereotype the views of all
members of such a group. Sensitivity to
ethnic issues and language styles should
be sufficient as you prepare a speech.
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of the average business
executive’s week is
spent in meetings
and presentations
37%
In focus
GENDER TRAITS
Gender refers to the social and
psychological expectations,
roles, and views of men and
women. Considerable evidence
now indicates that this may be
among the least useful pieces
of information to know about
your audience. Why? Because
study after study has shown
no statistically significant
difference in the responses of
professional men and women to
a wide range of stimuli. Clearly,
knowing that your audience might
be composed exclusively of one
sex or another might alter your
approach somewhat, but you
would be unwise to assume
that you should communicate
in one way for men and another
for women.
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248 / UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Socioeconomic factors
For certain forms of communication,
knowing the economic status and
lifestyle of your audience is especially
important. Gain as much information
as you can about the following:
•
Occupation Knowing how people
earn their living will tell you
something about their educational
background and their daily routines,
as well as their motivations
and interests.
•
Income Knowing how much money
an audience makes can give you
some idea of what their concerns
are. The less they make, the more
they will be driven by basic needs,
such as food and housing. American
psychologist Abraham Maslow
documented the hierarchy of
human needs, showing that
higher level needs—such as
Targeting your communication
self-actualization—are only
relevant to people once their
more basic needs have been met.
•
Socioeconomic status This term
describes where your audience
is located in the social/economic
spectrum. It is, of course, a
direct function of other factors,
such as income, education,
occupation, neighborhood,
friends, family, and more.
Think of this as a single
descriptor that explains
just how much prestige
your audience has in the
eyes of others in their
own society, and use
it to target your words
to address their
problems, hopes,
and needs.
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