Effective communication speaks to both sides of the brain
In preparation for a speech I’m writing I needed to look up the meaning of the phrase “effective communication.” The most common definition I found described effective communication as “A two way information sharing process which involves one party sending a message that is easily understood by the receiving party.”
After seeing that same definition over and over again it occurred to me that there must be an awful lot of people think of effective communication as a very left brain, logical process. So, what about our right brain; where do our emotions fit into the process? It seems to me, if someone is communicating by appealing to only the left side of the brain they’re only communicating one half of their message. That’s not effective communication and, in the 21st Century, half a message just isn’t good enough. So, why, do people so often try to communicate that way?
Many people think effective communication is about the transference of data. In reality, effective communication is much more than that. Effective communication is about connecting with people and delivering a message that not only informs them but inspires them to action. If the listener isn’t engaged emotionally a portion of the message isn’t getting through and the portion that isn’t getting through may be the most important portion of all.
When we receive information we don’t only process it logically we also process it emotionally and, more often than not, our decision to accept or reject the message is an emotional one. It doesn’t matter how cogent or well argued our message may be; if our audience isn’t connected with us emotionally the message won’t be accepted and we haven’t delivered an effective communication.
As the century unfolds before us we find ourselves bombarded by more and more information and more and more demands for our attention. With that kind of competition we can’t afford to deliver only half a message. Our message must be clear, it must be concise and it must be compelling. Most of us handle clear and concise reasonably well, it’s the compelling that we stumble on.
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Weave your data or information into a story and you’ll find that people are much more receptive and willing to listen to you. Just like any story you need to introduce your characters, plan a structure, develop a plot-line, build to a climax and finish with a suitable epilogue. If you include those elements in all you presentations you’ll not only keep your audience’s interest you’ll leave them wanting to hear more and inspired to act on your words.
And that adds up… to effective communication.
Cheers, Patrick
(Originally posted on January 21, 2013. MLK Day)