Part 1– The Message by Matthew Hill
#communication #influence #effective #persuasion #writing #speaking #presenting
Mastering Effective Communication Techniques
What is Communication Anyway?
It is everything and not one thing. You are NEVER not communicating. In this series we are going to get to the heart of what is contained under the umbrella term, and put you on the right track to getting your communication to be optimal, competitive and super effective (E.g.- if it is not generating action, it is probably missing the mark!)
Message, Audience and Action
Message
Let’s start with a communication unit that is manageable – the MESSAGE. It has a structure that we recognise, resonates with our cultural norms (you can instantly tell when someone is writing in a second language). It has a surface architecture with rules, and it has a deeper structure that we will explore when we look at Audience.
Attention
Mumbling does not work. A scruffy note is not appealing. Waffle loses people before they even have the chance to engage, and irrelevance makes the speaker irrelevant. We must grab the attention of the audience in seconds in 2026 or we can forget it. There is so much atmospheric noise, echo, manipulation, propaganda, and reader/listener fatigue coming from the vast presence of magnetic funnels waiting to bait and switch us as we become distracted by and sign up to what we do not need. Attention is the most precious resource. It is communication gold.
Hell or Heaven
We are interested to move toward the nice and move away from the nasty. The latter is more powerful as an attention grabber and motivator. Human animals have a greater reaction to the presence of fear than to a moment of greed.
Content
This can appear in the form of facts, made up pseudofacts, emotional string pulls, opinions, narrative arcs, counternarratives and much more besides.
These atoms, cells and units are put together in structures, in a specific order, and when done well, they move us to feel, think, know and act. We deepen our dread, strengthen our resolve, activate moral choice, decide to be consequent and, MOVE to act. Such is the power of communication.
Mechanisms
There are many mechanisms that, when combined with appropriate content will mobilise or disgust the reader / listener. The decent writer / speaker unconsciously learns what works and what fails until they / you become consciously competent at communication (or not.)
Fit
A message is only as good as its fit with the audience. This will be the next piece of the communications puzzle.
Wrapping up the start
We have described the message though not yet expanded on how to put one together. More on that later. For now, what do you think?
Question
What communication gets your attention? What messages trigger fear or greed in you? Political slogans, Bitcoin movements, Starving children stories, Barking an screaming hyperbole? And, who programmed you to feel that way? Which role models lead the way? Finally, what part of your culture taught you your normal and programmed your automatic responses?
Next time – Communication Part 2 – Audience
About the Author
Matthew Hill is a Presentation Skills coach, facilitator, speaker and author.
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