The Four Foundations of Compelling Communication are the principles which will guide you through any presentation, report, blog, email, even social media post.
With all due fanfare, here they are:
1. Clarity of communication
If you’re not clear what you’re trying to say, no one else will be either.
For clarity, you have to be able sum up your story in just one line.
If you can’t, then it’s not defined enough for an audience to understand in an instant, remember, and act upon.
And that’s vital in our busy modern world.
In essence, you need to capture the why?
The value of listening to what you’ve got to say, why anyone should give you their precious time…
And do so in short, sharp and simple style.
The tech gods of Apple are masters of communication.
So for a case study in the power of clarity, we’ll take the iconic iPod.
You could describe what it offers like this:
Innovative and beautiful technology which slips into a pocket, integrated with iTunes for easy music uploading, long life battery, novel yet simple design, robustly engineered for durability, low weight for portability.
Or like this:
1000 songs in your pocket.
Both are true. But which did Apple use?
And – critically – how well did that iconic sentence work?
That’s a no brainer, right?!
So to the big question – why is the second version so much more effective?
It’s because the first is a mess of mixed messages. And never forget this:
– Mixed messages make a muddle.
Whereas the second answers the big Why? question, and makes the value of the iPod clear in an instant.
Who wouldn’t want to have a thousand of their favourite songs in their pocket?
For another example, we’ll take this article. I could say:
Attain comprehension of the essentials of communicative competencies — encompassing oratory, authorship, and narrative — designed to optimise professional influence, maximise stakeholder engagement, and catalyse transformative outcomes across diverse business and indeed social ecosystems.
Or I could put it like this:
If you want to influence, impress, and inspire with your writing, public speaking, and storytelling, use these Four Foundations of Compelling Communication.
Which works best in tempting you to read?
– That’s the power of clarity.
Tattoo this onto your memory:
Clarity should be your starting point for any form of communication.
You’ve got to be able to sum up what you’re trying to say, and in just a handful of words.
Only then can you get busy creating.
Which brings us to our next foundation of compelling communication.
2. Simplicity of communication
Now you know what you’re talking about in your content, you’ve got to make sure everyone can understand what you’re saying.
That requires simplicity.
It’s often a surprise, but in communication always remember this:
– Simple isn’t stupid. Simple is smart.
For example, what would you make of what I’m saying here?
– We should use the inverted pyramid and Orwell rules to inculcate comprehension.
That’s the danger of using long words, as well as the jargon – industry specific way of talking – of my trade, communication.
It doesn’t work for a mass audience, because they don’t speak my particular language.
So you have to keep everything simple and translate anything which might be an obstacle to understanding.
In which case, try this version of what I was trying to say instead:
– We should put the most important information first, and keep it brief and simple, to ensure understanding.
See how much easier that is to get what I mean?
Which illustrates the power of simplicity.
For another example, go back to the way I could have described this article, when we were talking about clarity:
– Attain comprehension of the essentials of communicative competencies — encompassing oratory, authorship, and narrative etc…
It’s a legacy of our school and college days that we often think long words and even longer sentences show we’re smart.
No. Wrong. Far from it.
(See what I did there?!)
Look at any of the great communicators. They always keep it simple. Because:
– Simple isn’t stupid. Simple is smart.
Check what you’re writing, or saying, and make sure everyone can get it…
Without having to reach for a dictionary, or puzzle over a sentence that’s as complicated as a crossword clue.
If there are any big words, or jargon phrases, it’s time to translate.
Because, as I might just have mentioned:
– Simple isn’t stupid. Simple is smart.
3. Brevity of communication
How busy are you?
Don’t laugh, or growl. Just think about it for a moment.
So, when a briefing arrives in your inbox and it’s 12 pages along, how do you feel?
Now go through that painful experiment again. But this time, imagine the briefing is only two pages long.
Yet – critically – it still tells you everything you need to know.
Now how do you feel? Rather better, I suspect?!
That’s the power of brevity.
If you need another of my memory tricks, you could put the point like this:
– Brevity is beautiful and brilliant.
Brevity is particularly important in the modern world, where attention spans are short and everyone is under pressure.
You can make yourself very popular by just saying what you need to say, and thus saving precious time for your colleagues, teams, bosses, customers, and everyone else.
My rule, for myself and everyone I work with, is two pages maximum for any kind of communication.
If you think you need more, you need more clarity on what you’re trying to say.
And yes, before you doubt it, you CAN get everything you need to know into a couple of pages.
Just say what you need and stop.
Don’t be tempted by tangents. Never over elaborate.
That’s the discipline.
Our first foundation of compelling communication, clarity, is your best friend here.
If you’re clear on your story, you won’t deviate into any digressions, which helps to keep your content focused.
Answer the key questions – who, what, why, where, when, how – and you’ll have told a complete story.
Once again, this can be counter intuitive.
Want to impress? Go on and on, yes? Write load and loads, and then loads more.
No. Wrong. Remember:
– Brevity is beautiful and brilliant.
But don’t just take it from me.
In 1940, with the Second World War raging, the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, that master of words, wrote a memo appealing for brevity:
(Source: The National Archives)
Sir Winston also has excellent advice for how to achieve brevity:
Chiefly, use conversational writing and remove padding and waffle.
But if you still don’t believe me about the power of brevity, here’s the real clincher.
Look up the Gettysburg Address, that iconic speech by the revered American President, Abraham Lincoln.
How many words, how many pages…
Yet how much impact, given we still talk about it today, all these decades on.
So, just in case you need a final reminder:
– Brevity is beautiful and brilliant!
4. Authenticity of communication
This is the sparkle to go with the substance of your story.
Also known as your character, or unique voice, it’s every bit as important as the content because this is what makes a connection with your audience.
Ask yourself:
Why does Barack Obama mesmerise crowds?
Why does Jacinda Ardern leave people moved?
Why did the legendary Martin Luther King make our spines tingle?
Why did Winston Churchill make us feel so strong and stirred?
The answer, in each case, is their authenticity.
Their real selves, however different those four examples might be, emerging in their words:
Whether that’s passion, warmth, empathy, strength, vision or whatever.
I hope you’ve found this article useful. But I wonder if you’ve enjoyed it, as well?
If so, perhaps that’s because it’s laced with my character.
Which (hopefully) is a little humorous, straightforward, warm, approachable, upbeat, passionate about my subject, but also full of authority as well.
That helps to make the article engaging and readable…
And goes to show the importance of content and character working together in communication.
So be yourself when presenting, writing or storytelling.
Say it how you see it and feel it, and you’ll always connect much more strongly with an audience.
In fact, for a final treat of my aids of memory:
– Authenticity enchants audiences.
But here’s the problem:
Authenticity is also the hardest of our Four Foundations of Compelling Communication to master.
Yet it’s well worth the effort. Because:
– Authenticity enchants audiences.
To help, try this:
Write out a handful of adjectives which describe your character.
Whether they might include: funny, charming, determined, quirky, focused, steely, thoughtful, whatever.
Now keep that brief list with you, and check every time you create a presentation, report, or anything else.
Ask yourself this question:
– Are those qualities in your list apparent in your communication?
If not, get re-thinking and re-writing until they are.
And here’s the joy of the exercise.
It won’t take long until you don’t need that list anymore, because your character will have become a feature of your communication.
– And that is a very important and beautiful moment in becoming a truly compelling communicator.
A brief word about artificial intelligence here.
I’m not against it. I think AI can be very helpful in content creation.
But! And here’s the key point:
Only for ideas, structures, checking grammar and syntax, reviewing your content etc.
The actual presentation, report, blog, social media post, or whatever, should be YOUR OWN WORK
Because of the paramount importance of your own unique style in communication.
In fact, to quote a phrase you might find familiar:
– Authenticity enchants audiences.
So, now you’re equipped for any challenge of content creation.
Follow those four foundations, and in that order…
And whatever you’re writing, presenting, or even if you’re storytelling, you’ll always impress, influence and inspire.
By the way, if you need more help with public speaking, writing, storytelling, your online presence, dealing with the media, or any other area of communication…
There’s a rather fine book I might just recommend, courtesy of Cambridge University Press:
See here for more about Compelling Communication, by yours truly.
You can also find out more about my University of Cambridge online course, Compelling Communication Skills here.
That brief advert is the price for reading this article – I hope you think it’s a decent deal!
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