The Holy Grail of Learning is to learn things that:
- Make a big difference
- Are easy to do
That way, you improve a lot, quickly.
And with communication, the two tips that help you ‘nail the Grail’ – in other words, that’ll help you improve a lot, quickly – are your START and END.
- START – must ENGAGE them
- END – must ask them to DO something
Example 1: want a child to go to bed? Say: "(ENGAGE) It’s time for your favourite story upstairs. (DO) Let’s go to your bedroom and read it"
This works brilliantly in my house!
Example 2: fed-up with chasing your sales team for their monthly figures? Say: "(ENGAGE) Let’s make sure you get paid all your commission as soon as possible. (DO) So please send me your figures immediately"
This works brilliantly in… well, everywhere!
Does it work?
Well, I guess the title ENGAGED you, or we wouldn’t have got this far! So, now for the DO…
Action Point
In your next comms, improve the START (so it’s engaging) and the END (so you ask them to DO something).