Effective Business Communication - Say more with less

A quote by Albert Einstein

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough

Advantages of Effective Communication

• excellent relationship
• less conflict
• negotiate better

Pillars of Effective Communication

• Add clarity to your communication by making it Specific
• Present your message concisely and precisely

What is Effective Communication

• How well are you being understood
• Is the objective of lossless communication being fulfilled
• Effective communication is about exchanging information a way where it is understood specifically, clearly and without any doubts. This is achieved through precise communication.
• Business communication is objective driven. Precise communication is required for the objective go be met.
• Lack of clarity and specificity in communication can cause misunderstandings, lead to wasted time and effort and result in conflict.

Who is a Great Communicator

• 70% listener
• 30% speaker
• reception is as important as transmission
• when you receive well, you know what exactly you should say

Precise Communication

Specific

• Communicating specifically means making the receiver understand a piece of message exactly the way it was intended to be to be, leaving no room for ambiguity.
• Specific communication is extremely important since no one can get inside someone else's mind to determine what they are thinking and why.
• Being specific helps ensure there are no gaps in what is being said and what is understood

Rules

1. Add relevant and important details

   • 5W+H - Why, Who, What, When, Where and How
2. Anticipate any questions the receive may have
3. Quantify the communication, wherever possible

Example 1

1. I will get back to you.
2. I will get back to you ASAP
3. I will get back to you in this week.
4. I will get back to you tomorrow
5. I will get back to you EOD tomorrow
6. I will get back to you by 4 PM tomorrow
7. I will get back to you at 4 PM tomorrow

Example 2

• Make the revisions and share the document with me
• Make the discussed revisions on pages 4, 8, 19 & 22. Once done, share the document with me by 3 PM tomorrow.

Concise

1. Being concise means to be able to convey everything that you want to say in as few words as possible
2. It involves stating only the important and relevant information and avoiding irrelevant ones.
3. Too much of unnecessary information can lead to confusion

Check if you are concise

1. have you given any irrelevant details? If so, delete them.
2. Have you used any unnecessary sentences or words?
3. Have you repeated a point several times, in different ways?

Example

• My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Mumbai, recommends the daily intake of a megadose of Vitamin C.
• My sister, a nutritionist at the University of Mumbai, recommends daily

Clear and Simple Communication

1. Communicate using points or numbers

2. Simplify your language

   • Avoid jargon, short forms, acronyms that the other person may not understand
   • If you must use jargon, or can't find a better alternative, explain it when it first appears
   • Use common words and language
3. Share examples to elaborate on your message