Increasing your relevance

How do we increase the relevance of what we say or write? How do you help ensure that what you say will be heard and understood by your colleague or coworker?

Let's start by considering how we listen to others. Whenever we are listening to someone, there is one universal question that everyone asks.  Whether we’re aware of it or not, the question is:

How can you help me? 

We like people who can help us. We pay attention to them, and we listen to them. We might say that they "speak my language", or that they "just make sense". People that can help us are relevant.

When seeking to speak or write in a relevant way, there are three common enemies that prevent a message from being heard – these are confusing, selling or preaching to others, and they each produce a negative emotion.

• Confusing comes from not giving one clear message or take-away. This may include using jargon that others don't understand. Confusing people causes frustration.

• Selling. Selling involves trying to persuade an audience by talking about features and benefits, rather than giving a straightforward description that allows people to make an informed choice. Selling creates suspicion.

• Preaching involves talking about what matters to you, not your audience. Preaching is generally accompanied by talking a lot more than listening. Preaching creates scepticism.

We increase our relevance and help others by being clear. Here are three things we can focus on in order to become more clear.

1. Be clear on what your audience’s pain points are
   Whoever you are talking to, one thing is for certain: they are trying to get something done. Maybe they are trying to cut through lengthy processes or bureaucracy. Perhaps they're overwhelmed and they're trying to adapt to yet another system. Or maybe they don't even know why they're part of this conversation. If that's the case, great – that's their pain point. Start by telling them why this matters to them.

2. Be clear on what you are offering
   One way to get clear on what you're offering is to consider what you're not offering. From there, you can work out what's not relevant. Honing your message will require being strict with anything that doesn't directly support your key message.

3. Be clear on what action they need to take
   The point of communicating something is generally that someone will take some kind of action. As a result of hearing you, they will think, act or speak differently. Help people take action by giving them clear next steps.

Your relevance is based on your ability to help the person you speak to. Help others understand you by avoiding common mistakes and taking the time to be clear.

Design Leadership Webinar

Each month, I run a free webinar on a different aspect of Design Leadership. Numbers are limited, so if you’d like to be part of the next event, see here to sign up.