Let Your Message Come Through

The ability to clearly communicate sets excellent leaders apart from the others. One way to ensure poor communication is by medicating people with boring, run-on, predictable presentations.

You’ve got something important to say. How do you say what you mean and increase retention of what was said?

Here are a few tips:

• The greatest teacher the world has ever known used three time-proven methods. He told stories, asked questions, and practiced what he preached.

• Give me a word picture, or a great image. Unless you’re training someone for a very specific task, avoid powerpoints with lots of small bullets.

• Read this FastCompany article on good presentations.

• Make it Stick. Consider reading Made To Stick by Chip & Dan Heath. They help us communicate SUCCESsfully by exploring six qualities that make ideas easily memorable. Keep things:
  

1. Simple
2. Unexpected
3. Concrete
4. Credible
5. Emotional
6. Stories

I think I can remember those.