In this discussion, Tom Henschel, an internationally recognized expert in workplace communications, shares strategies for clearer messaging. He introduces a four-step approach: creating a headline, sorting information, labeling it, and transitioning smoothly. Tom elaborates on the power of clear headlines and common communication missteps, such as mismatched item counts and poor transitions. His insights are aimed at helping leaders enhance their communication for better audience engagement and understanding.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Receiver-Centric Communication
Structure your message to make sense to others.
Start by considering the receiver's needs and expectations.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start with a Headline
Begin by defining a clear headline for your message.
Condense your core idea into a concise statement.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Sort into Folders
Organize your message into distinct folders, like on a computer.
Decide how many key points you want to convey.
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Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership
Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership.
In this episode Tom and I discuss the common challenge of both making sense to others and making sense of what others say to you. Tom invites us to follow a four step approach of sorting and labeling so that it’s easier for listeners to follow our thinking. Finally, we explore some of the common missteps in communicating with more clarity.
Key Points
The why behind making sense: it’s better for both the sender and the receiver.
There are four key parts to the structure of making sense to others:
Create a headline
Sort into folders
Label each folder
Transition with precision
Tom shared an example of two different ways to communicate a message about presentation skills, one without sorting and labeling, and one with it.
Common mistakes in making sense include the espoused number of items not matching the number of actual items, explaining the folders first before setting the stage, and not transitioning well.
Resources Mentioned
Sorting & Labeling by Tom Henschel (PDF download)
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