Communications

In the beginning, sometimes I left messages in the street.
David Markson, Wittgenstein’s Mistress

Communications consulting

Communications consulting begins with analysis and dialogue.

The understanding leads to ideas about what to communicate, and how to create opportunities for it.

Good communications consulting means articulating connections in a way that produces the desired effects.

Effects of good communications

Communication aims to create four key effects: information, acceptance, participation, and enthusiasm.

Not all effects need to be achieved every time. But they build on each other. Acceptance is impossible without information, participation cannot happen without acceptance.

Information requires little more than clarity. Answers to the questions “Who are we?” and “What do we do?” are merely information.

For acceptance, the information must be related to the sender. Answers to the question “How do we do it?” create this context and thereby generate acceptance.

Participation is the first important effect. Without participation, there is no agreement, no signing of contracts. For participation to happen, the information must be related to the recipients. The information must be placed in their context. Answers to the question “Why do we do it this way?” are often a good step in that direction.

Enthusiasm is the highest level of effect. It doesn’t always require arguments. It doesn’t even require language. Pure resonance communication, which appeals to emotions, can be enough, whether in words, images, sounds, or gestures.

Contents of good communications

The content requirements of a communication are similar for all audiences. One key truth applies to everyone: they devote very little time to any message. We are always communicating with distracted people.

To achieve the desired effects, content can be guided by the following questions:

Relevance: Is it clear what the message is about?

Connection: Does the content relate to the situation being addressed?

Context: Does it relate to the situation the audience is in?

Usefulness: Is the content helpful or valuable to the audience?

Sales orientation: Does the message support the intended goals?

Credibility: Are the claims supported or substantiated?

Key forms of good communications

Unclear communication leads to reduced trustworthiness. Communication is meant to generate specific effects. Unclear communication creates unintended side effects.

Language filled with clichés, vague phrases, or jargon weakens your credibility and the overall effect. It also makes the message feel generic and interchangeable. This is not a matter of style. It’s a matter of empathy.

To achieve the desired effects, the form of communication can be guided by the following questions:

Appealing: Are the recipients addressed directly?

Efficiency: Are the key messages easy to find?

Simplicity: Is the language simple, are the sentences short?

Essential details: Are details used deliberately and meaningfully?

Necessary complexity: Is complexity only used where it’s truly needed?

Precision: Are the core messages clear—or hidden behind filler words, clichés, jargon, or generalities?

No distractions: Do images, graphics, and text boxes serve a clear purpose?

Audiences

Dividing audiences into groups is convenient. An AI can easily deliver a segmentation. The standard breakdown includes generic categories like shareholders, lenders, board members, colleagues, suppliers, distribution partners, customers and potential customers, regulators, interest groups, the public, and competitors.

But convenience doesn’t lead to effectiveness. Recipients often hold multiple roles. The resulting conflicts of interest can pose a serious challenge.

To achieve the desired effect, it’s more effective to group audiences based on the following questions:

Knowledge: What do the recipients already know about the topic?

Interest: What do they want to know?

Context: What connections exist between them and the content?

Channel: Through which medium can they best be reached?

We can safely assume that nobody wants to read or listen in detail anymore. Most recipients will skim the content, or only read the part they think concerns them.

And if they think it doesn’t concern them at all, they won’t read it at all.

Good communications consulting counters this kind of resistance.