Class Takeaways — Essentials of Strategic Communication

Summary

In this video, Matt Abrahams, a Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer, shares five key takeaways from his class on strategic communication. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the audience’s needs before delivering a message, setting clear communication goals that encompass information, emotion, and action, and structuring content for clarity. Abrahams also discusses techniques to engage audiences through physical, cognitive, and linguistic methods, and stresses the significance of authentic, confident presence in communication. By practicing repetition, reflection, and feedback, these strategies help individuals improve their communication effectiveness.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start by understanding your audience before crafting your message. Tailor your communication to their needs, knowledge, attitudes, and motivations.
• 😀 Communication should be goal-driven, focusing on what you want your audience to know, feel, and do after receiving your message.
• 😀 A clear communication goal should have three parts: information (what to convey), emotion (how to make the audience feel), and action (what you want them to do).
• 😀 Organize your communication with a structure that helps your audience follow along. A simple framework could be: What? So what? Now what?
• 😀 Ensure that the information you share is clear and concise by structuring it to help both you and your audience process it more effectively.
• 😀 Attention is a precious resource. Engage your audience through physical, cognitive, and linguistic techniques to maintain sustained attention.
• 😀 Physical engagement can include activities like polls or chat participation, while cognitive engagement involves asking questions or making them consider an analogy.
• 😀 Linguistic engagement can be achieved by addressing the audience directly (using 'you' or their names) and encouraging them to visualize or imagine scenarios.
• 😀 A strong, authentic presence is crucial for effective communication. Whether in speaking or writing, confidence and authenticity drive success.
• 😀 To improve your presence, record yourself while presenting, proofread your writing, and seek feedback from others to enhance your communication skills.

Q & A

What is the common mistake many people make when it comes to communication?

The common mistake is starting by focusing on what the speaker wants to say, rather than considering what the audience needs to hear.

Why is understanding the audience crucial in communication?

Understanding the audience's knowledge, attitudes, resistance points, expectations, and motivations helps ensure that the message resonates and is more likely to be remembered and acted upon.

What are the three parts of a communication goal?

The three parts of a communication goal are information, emotion, and action. This means deciding what the audience should know, how they should feel, and what they should do after receiving the message.

How does having a clear communication goal benefit the speaker?

A clear communication goal helps the speaker focus their message on the audience's needs and enables them to assess the success of their communication after it is delivered.

What is a good method for structuring information in a communication?

One effective method is using the three questions: 'What?', 'So what?', and 'Now what?'. This structure helps present the information clearly, explain its relevance, and suggest next steps.

How does structuring information help both the speaker and the audience?

For the speaker, structuring the information helps think more clearly and concisely. For the audience, it makes it easier to follow and process the information.

Why is attention considered the most precious commodity in communication?

Attention is crucial because we are constantly bombarded with information. To achieve communication goals, we must engage the audience and hold their attention.

What are the three types of engagement techniques that can help sustain audience attention?

The three types of engagement techniques are physical engagement (getting the audience to do something), cognitive engagement (encouraging critical thinking or answering questions), and linguistic engagement (using terms like 'you' or 'imagine' to draw in the audience).

How can a speaker improve their presence during communication?

A speaker can improve their presence by practicing authentic and confident delivery, recording themselves to review their performance, proofreading written communication, and seeking feedback from others.

What is the role of feedback in improving communication skills?

Feedback helps identify areas of improvement, allows for self-reflection, and enhances communication effectiveness through repetition, reflection, and continuous learning.