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When you want to get things right first time
“Give me some Rules of Thumb about communication that I can follow every time. Without thinking.”
So said one of my customers recently. I asked what areas he was most interested in.
| Him: | Well, when I’m making a formal presentation, should I use PowerPoint or not? |
| Me: | I don’t know. It depends what your audience wants. Your best bet is to ask how they want you to deliver it. |
| Him: | OK, but if I do use PowerPoint, should I send the slides in advance, or take everything with me on the day? |
| Me: | It depends. I suggest you ask if they want to see something upfront. |
| Him: | And, should I start my presentation with background information, to set the scene? |
| Me: | It depends. Many people don’t care, but some do. I’d ask them if they want it. And, if so, ask which bits they’re most interested in. |
| Him: | And who should present it? The best presenters on my team? Me? The people who’ll be doing the work? |
| Me: | It depends. I suggest you ask . . . |
| Him (interrupting me): | This is exasperating. I’m looking for Rules of Thumb. And you keep saying it depends. |
| Me: | Can’t you hear the Rule of Thumb? Ask. |
The best way to give people the information they want is to ask what information they want. Contact them beforehand, and say:
Answers 1 and 2 tell you what to talk about.
Answer 3 – their positives – could well appear in your title/subtitle to grab attention early (so, if their answer was speed, your subtitle might be something like “A quick resolution to X”).
Answer 4 gives you vital information about their concerns, which you must address during your communication. If you don’t, they’ll still be concerned – no good for either of you (chapter 53 shows how to reduce concerns).
There are other questions you can ask too of course, but I find these first four are a great start. Others that uncover useful information include:
- Who else will see my communication? What will they want me to include?
- Does this topic relate to everyone, or just certain people?
- Would you prefer a formal PowerPoint presentation, or an informal discussion?
- How long would you like me to speak for?
- Will there be a Q&A session? If so, would you prefer questions during, or at the end?
- . . . and so on.
These questions will help. But get the balance right between getting guidance and getting on their nerves. If in doubt, it’s often worth asking one too many questions, rather than one too few. After all, if you don’t ask, you’re guessing, which can easily go spectacularly wrong.
To find lots of gold, dig deep
If you were digging for gold, and could use either a pneumatic drill or a spade, which would you choose?
The drill, right? It’s easier, and would hit gold more quickly.
The problem though is that the drill digs too quickly. So, yes, you’ll reach gold earlier, but you’ll then keep hurtling downwards, missing most of it. Contrast that with a spade. It’ll take longer but, when you hit gold, you’ll dig sideways along the vein. So, the spade is harder work, but you’ll get lots more value from using it.
It’s the same when asking questions. Treat their answers like gold. Don’t hurtle past with a speedy pneumatic drill, but use a spade to dig deeper into what they say, using:
- Questions – why, when, how, what; and/or
- Digging phrases – “tell me more”, “please expand on that”, “anything else?”
So, imagine you’re preparing a presentation for your Board. You call a Board member to ask for guidance. Your spade-digging may go something like this:
| You: | What would like me to cover? (This is the first question from earlier.) |
| Her: | Just give us a quick update. |
| You: | Sure. What in particular do you want updating on? |
| Her: | The impact when we move into Belgium. |
| You: | Why Belgium? |
| Her: | Because it’s our focus now. |
| You: | Why’s that? |
| Her: | Because it’s going to be our biggest market. |
| You: | Really? Why? |
| Her: | [more detail] |
| You: | So, what aspects of my initiative do you think are most relevant to your aims for Belgium? |
| Her: | [they reply] |
| You: | And, given all this, is there anything you don’t want me to cover at the Board meeting? (This is the second question from before.) |
This looks like a lot of work. But it isn’t. In fact, this interchange would only take a few minutes. But imagine if you hadn’t asked any questions. You just wouldn’t have known what was wanted.
Or, imagine you hadn’t used your spade to dig along the gold. You’d have thought she wanted an “update” and would have missed the key focus was Belgium.
(A useful aside: in media interviews/parliamentary questions, people often see the questions they’ll be asked in advance, so they prepare for them. But they don’t see the follow-up questions, which often provide the real challenge and insight.)
This chapter has led us to the following indisputable conclusions:
- Ask no questions – bad idea: it means you’re guessing everything.
- Asking 1–2 questions – bad idea: it means you’re guessing nearly everything. Even worse, you might feel you’ve done your research and are basing your content on “facts”, which you’re not.
- Spending time digging with your spade – great idea: it leads to better, shorter, more successful communications (the next chapter shows you how to ensure they’re interesting too).
