This past week, I’ve delivered Masterclasses for a number of organisations, including to Nurses, Lawyers and Bankers.
There’s one message that has come through really clearly with all of them: If you want your communications to work, you must start and end well.
The start must engage. So, good titles and introductions are essential. But we don’t see these very often, do we? I mean, how often have you been excited by “FYI”, “update” and “ Q1 review”?
And the end must include a Call To Action. In other words, ask them to do something. Because, if you don’t, they won’t.
This is relevant to all of us. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Lawyer writing a critical email; a Banker hosting an internal meeting or a Nurse talking to a patient, unless the other person engages instantly and does what you want afterwards… well, it hasn’t worked.
Today, you’ll be communicating. How are you going to start and end it, so it works?