LESSON 1

 Communication
“To Share” - Latin word
 sharing of information between different individuals. It includes the sharing of ideas, concepts, imaginations,
behaviors and written content.
 Communication is simply defined as the transfer of information from one place to another.
 This transfer of information can be conducted in different ways.
 Communication is a simple process, yet showing complexity in some aspects. Different ways of communication
and the distances over which one is required to transfer the information make the process complicated.

3 Elements of Communication
1. Sender
2. A Medium (the platform over which information is conducted)
3. Receipient

• The sender is the most involved person with a full understanding of that matter which he wants to deliver.
• On the other hand, the receiver does not necessarily know about the sender and the subject of information which the
sender aims to deliver.

Effective Communication - is communication between two or more persons with the purpose of delivering, receiving,
and understanding the message successfully.
- It is the process of information sharing between team members in a way that keeps in mind
what you want to say, what you actually say, and what your audience interprets.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS

 The ability to communicate information accurately, clearly and as intended, is a vital life skill and
something that should not be overlooked. It’s never too late to work on your communication skills and by
doing so, you may well find that you improve your quality of life.

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

1. HAVE A GOAL -
•First, you need to determine what you want your audience to do or get out of your communication.
Are you positioning yourself as a thought leader or are you persuading them to take action?

Figuring out your ideal outcome at the start and intentionally crafting your communication to reach
for that goal will make it much more effective.

Decide which KPIs can best demonstrate that your goals have been met, whether it’s clicks, social
shares, sign ups or purchases.

2. LISTEN
• If you never listen to what your audience is saying or give them a chance to engage, you’ll struggle
to effectively connect with them. So, do your research, read what they’re writing, ask for their
feedback and incorporate what they’re looking for into what you’re trying to communicate.

3. ADJUST TO YOUR MEDIUM

• Once you decide the most appealing format to reach your audience, make sure your content
and messaging is tailored for that medium. If it’s for Twitter, you’ll want something that’s short,
visually appealing and will maybe start a conversation. But if it’s a blog post, you’ll want to go into
more detail on a mobile-optimized, easy-to-read page.

4. STAY ORGANIZED
•When starting out, create a cohesive, high-level outline that includes your goal, your main point(s) to
get across and the main ways you’re going to illustrate them for your audience. Stay focused on this
plan, be methodic in your research and avoid scope creep.
5. BE PERSUASIVE
• This is the whole reason you’re communicating, so do it well! Different people are persuaded
differently. So, if appropriate, appeal to their rational side with relevant facts to back up your main
argument. But, perhaps more importantly in many instances, you should also appeal to your
audience’s emotional side.

• Studies have shown that our emotional brain processes information five times faster than the logical
side of our brain. So, use images and stories that elicit happiness, hope, humor or surprise to get you
closer to your communication goal.

6. BE CLEAR
• Begone jargon! Farewell wordiness! Adios spelling mistakes! Keep your writing clear and concise.
Moreover, explicitly state what you’re arguing, keep it as short as possible, avoiding long words
when a short one will do and generally keep your sentences below 30 words. Usually, this just
requires going through a few rounds of editing to take out all that’s unnecessary

7. VISUALS ARE IMPORTANT

• When communicating with an audience, variety can go a long way. Humans comprehend new
information in a number of ways but many are primarily visual people. In fact, you can comprehend
visual data in as little as 13 milliseconds! Accordingly, you can more effectively connect with your
audience by using compelling visuals to draw in your audience and explain your point in addition to
just text. Visuals can also help you appeal to your audience’s emotional side.

8. USE STORIES
• Appealing to your audience’s more emotional side, stories are also more likely to be
remembered than the other elements of what you communicate. So, if you really want people to
understand and remember your point, add in a story that illustrates it.

9. LESS IS MORE
• Your audience is likely busy. So don’t waste your (or their) time with irrelevant tidbits, repeated
information or details that may be related but don’t help you with your main communication goal. It
will lead to disengagement, less information being retained and take away from the effectiveness of
your efforts. When in doubt, err on the side of clarity.

10. BE CURIOUS
• Finally, resolve to always be learning. While some things remain the same, the how and what we
communicate is constantly evolving. Read lots, talk to mentors and never assume you know
everything when it comes to good communication. For your individual efforts, test different formats
and styles to see what works best when connecting with your unique audience and always be open to
feedback.