My Review of the book “Make Your Point”
Weak communication can cause you lose a HONDA CRV every week. Communication is crucial for success.
Take me for example. I have 10 meetings every day on average. Sometimes it is 14. Let’s make it a humble number. Take 5 meetings. Most of them have around 5 people on average and last for about an hour. Let’s take the 80$ per hour rate. 5 people, 5 hours, 80$ per hour for 5 days make 10.000 USD. You can purchase a second-hand Honda CRV SVU with that money.
Weak communication can make you and your company lose a HONDA CRV every week. That’s how deep the problem is. With very simple techniques, you can transform your communication into something useful.
People attend many meetings every single day. With every meeting, they do context switches. Their minds must be ready for digesting new types of information. Most of the time, you cannot consume this much information in this short amount of time. Their brains tap out after a while. It is your duty to make it easier for them to understand.
First, know your audience. What are their expectations? What is their expertise on the subject? What do they think about you and your department? Knowing your audience helps you craft your message.
Keep it simple. Simplicity beats complexity. Simplicity is the common denominator in every conversation. Everyone can understand a simple topic, and you can let them ask for further details. Do not overload them with lots of details.
Answer the most important question upfront: What’s in it for them? Why are all these people here meeting you for an hour?
The book suggests their own framework for communication called Diamond. There are simpler ones out there. The one military uses “BLUF”: Bottom line up front. Regardless of the technique, always make your point in a short amount of time.