The other day I was playing with my kids, and my elder child asked me more about what I do at The Latimer Group. I gave him what I thought was a good answer… “we provide coaching and training to…” But my answer wasn’t super helpful to a nine-year old. So I took another stab at it, based on his quizzical look. “We help people say things in simple ways so that they do better at work.” That was better. He got that one.
It only took me two tries, but it reinforced the need to make things not only simple and clear, but also into a context that will work for that audience. So with that in mind, I started thinking about the most important messages that I want you, our readers, to be thinking about. As I reflected on all the teaching that I do, I started a list of messages that come up CONSTANTLY in our workshops. Here you go:
Message #1: Be more than a messenger. Don’t just think about transferring information to people. Think about how you can make that information interesting and valuable for them. Try to understand their context and see if you can connect your message to that context.
Message #2: Always have a goal. Be purposeful in your communication. Think about outcomes. Think about what you want your audience to think, do, remember or NOT do. Be “outcome oriented” in your communication.
Message #3: Being smart today is not about who knows the most. Being smart today is about who can make things simple and relatable. The person who can walk into a room or get on the phone and discuss things in a way that make it easier and simpler for the listener is a person with big competitive advantage. Saying the same thing in another way… the person who can synthesize information down into its simplest form and find a common denominator is a person in high demand in today’s world.
I hope this helps. Have a great day.
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