The Value of Strategic, Effective Communication

We’ve all heard the old panda in a café joke:

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it.

“Why?” asks the confused, surviving waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit.

The panda responds, “I’m a panda. Look it up." The panda produces a poorly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. “Panda. Large black-and-white bear, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

The value of clear, concise and strategic communication cannot be emphasized enough. Too often, we send emails in a hurry, type up documents in a flash, or prepare materials for meetings, all without thinking twice about our language, style, flow, context and clarity.

Every single word you write or type should be evaluated. Any communication you send to clients, customers, bosses, colleagues and even friends, should be proofread. The more often you do something, the more habitual it becomes. Thus, poor communication skills only become worse if not corrected. Ask yourself the following to ensure you’re communicating as effectively as you possibly can:

1. Is there another, more concise way to make my point? Can I tighten up my sentences while still getting my message across?

2. Is my grammar perfect? Do all of my nouns and verbs agree? Have I included commas where appropriate?

3. Have I misspelled any names, titles or companies?
Tip: When typing a person’s or company’s name, perform a quick Google search to ensure that you’re spelling the name correctly.

4. Will my recipient understand the context of what I’m sending to him or her? Do I need to provide any additional background or information?
Tip: Remember to make your sentences clean and concise, but make your communication thorough.

5. Have I structured my sentences in the best way possible? Is there another way to order my words so my message is better communicated?

6. Am I using “power” words? Are there any words I can replace with a “power” word?
Tip: Check out these “power” words on CareerOwl.com: http://www.careerowlresources.ca/Resumes/Res_Frame.htm?res_power.htm~right

If you have more tips to offer, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll add them to this short list. And remember, your words are a direct representation of you. Make them the best they can possibly be.

Posted by: Caroline Callaway, caroline@boltpr.com