Rule #1 in communication

Rule #1 in communication: The audience is always right!
If they didn’t get it they didn’t get it. End of Story.

No, actually it’s not the end of the story. Because the story gets worse: Whatever they take home, we must live with it. The audience decides what sticks. It decides what it means. How they understand it.

It follows immediately that it’s our job to do the hard work of focus and clarity. If we don’t focus, we’re basically delegating that task to our audience. If we don’t speak with clarity, we’re basically asking our audience to figure it out for us. First, they might not be too eager to take the task. Worse, even if they do, we might not be happy with their choice.

Check out my new book
The PATH to Strategic Impact

Get The Art of Communicating in your inbox.
Short and actionable posts on how to find words that drive action.

I value your privacy. No spam. Just “Great stuff, brilliantly articulated” (to use the words of longtime reader David).

Read More

Founder mode

Last week, Paul Graham published an interesting article about what he called “founder mode” vs. “manager mode”. Manager mode, essentially, means: “Hire good people and

Read »