Communication is certainly one of the most important business skills anyone needs to master, regardless of your industry, however, not everyone is gifted when it comes to communicating with co-workers and clients. It may just sound so simple to say what you mean but there are times when the things that we communicate gets lost in translation despite the best of our intention; that even if we say one thing, the other person understands something else and it can lead to misunderstanding and conflict which can be detrimental to our careers and business.
According to Help Guide, an effective communication means more than just the words we use, because it involves nonverbal communication, engaged listening and the ability to understand both your emotions and the emotions of the person you are communicating with.
As Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business, would put it, leverage structures is the key to managing different types of communications, which he shared with Business Insider. Here is the break down.
"What?"
The first step is to describe your key ideas and arguments in a clear, logical and concise manner whilte trying to avoid jargons. Think about the ideas and information you want to convey.
"So what?"
This is now the time for you to think about the importance of your ideas to your audience or the people you are communicating with. If you want your ideas to be remembered, focus on what your audience needs to hear, that is what you need to address.
"Now what?"
Now this is the part where you highlight the reaction you wish your audience to hold and influenced by your tone as to whether it conveys excitement, sense of urgency, etc.
This "What, So what, Now what" structure will serve as your guide so that you can focus on the details of what you wish to say and convey your messages while overcoming the barriers of communication.
