The Road to Reinvention: How to Drive Disruption and Accelerate Transformation by Josh Linkner

Author:Josh Linkner
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9781118910375
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2014-05-06T18:30:00+00:00

Keep it simple. Translate a concept into a simplified format. Go from “review the cross-functional data to ascertain the appropriate course of action” to “use the info to make smart decisions.” With growing complexity in the business world, your task is to make your communications dead-simple for anyone who reads it. Ditch the jargon, and focus on clarity.

Make it clear. If you’ve ever assembled a stroller or piece of furniture, you’re familiar with the cryptic and confusing language of instruction manuals. In your own writing, do the opposite. Make sure that you expunge vagueness, ambiguity, and imprecision, leaving behind a crystal-clear and easy-to-follow communication.

Speak to your audience, not yourself. I’ve been a jazz guitarist for more than thirty years and play frequently in smoky clubs. The other night when the group was taking rhythm changes up minor third, I took the fourth pass. I did a tritone substitution over the bridge, switched to a chromatic minor scale, and riffed out with a Parker phrase from “ornithology.” As we wrapped the tune, we traded fours and the bass player pedaled on five as we tagged the ending. If you happen to be an experienced jazz musician, this explanation was crystal clear to you. Chances are, however, you have absolutely no idea what I just said. Too often, communication is written in the context of the sender, not the receiver. Make sure you speak in a language that your audience understands, and realize that they don’t have the same context and point of references that you do. Start from the beginning and make sure every word will make sense to them, not just you.

Keep it brief. In our busy lives, we have neither the time nor the attention span to consume superfluous content. Make your message concise. There is an inverse correlation here: the lower your word count, the better your message will be understood and retained.

Make it memorable. People will remember stories and feelings far more than details and figures. Engage your audience with compelling and unique language, and make sure you’re saying something with enough creativity that people can’t forget it. Our venture capital meeting musts are memorable because of the humor and our irreverent approach. If a statistics professor wrote the same content in her own style, it probably wouldn’t have been as striking.

Activate with action. Start with the end goal in mind, and make sure your communications all lead to the desired outcome you seek. Lead your audience down a deliberate path with a specific action in mind, and make sure that next step is completely apparent.

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