Communication succeeds most when it’s intentional, smartly prepared, research based, flexible, interesting, realistic and relevant.
As Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” asked a very provocative question, “Do you feel lucky?” While luck helps, it’s better to have a plan. So we ask:
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Why are you communicating? Ultimate End Goal
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Who are you trying to reach and why? Audience
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What do you know about them? Insight
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What reaction do you want them to have? Intent
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What tools do you have? Assessment
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What do we know about the environment in which we’re communicating? Landscape
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What does that mean for how we communicate? Application
The most successful organizations are deliberative but not slow, pro-active but not hasty, and thoughtful but not ponderous.
As championship coach John Wooden told his players: “Be quick but don’t hurry.”
The best organizations are intentional about all they do, act opportunistically and take advantage of good bounces when they happen. They study but also trust themselves to thin-slice a way to a decision when necessary. They take acceptable risks and realize that events are the result of either a strategy or an accident.
And, as Coach Wooden preached, they “never mistake activity for achievement.”
If this sounds like you, we’re a fit for each other.