Resources to Become
Your Own Marketing Guru

Changing How You Communicate

Someone saying “I need more information.” or “Give me more detail.” can be REALLY ANNOYING to hear. What other information do they need or want? Why are they asking? 

 

To answer those questions, here are some things to think about that will help change how you communicate and make the most out of the messages or information you send:

 

To start, here’s a good example of an everyday question “Where would you like to meet?”. This is a great one to start with because even a question as simple as this is open for a lot of miscommunication and that’s okay! Now’s the time to practice your answer. 

You could reply with “At the mall.” which is actually only part of the answer. Instead, you could reply with “At the mall, entrance B sound good?”. This is the full answer to the question. You’re pinpointing exactly where you’ll be meeting with the other party.

Let’s say your boss asks you for your opinion on the new pen you just bought. This is your opinion, but you’re still communicating information. “It’s okay, I like the colour.” is an okay answer, but to really give your boss more information, try to think of what you like about it:

 

-Is it smooth when you write?

-Is it light or heavy when you pick it up?

-Can it be easily refilled?

-Key features of the pen that sold you on it

 

With these questions in mind, you could tell your boss “It’s great! The ink rolls smoothly on paper. It has a great weight to it and the grip on it is perfect for when I’m taking notes or writing long documents. Refilling it is easy too, I can find the ink refills anywhere and they’re not that expensive. Also, it’s blue and I love blue.”

You’ve basically just given your boss a short review of the pen in question which is what they were looking for.

Changing how you communicate is about giving more information. If you’re asked a question, try to take a moment to ask yourself “If I was asking someone this question, what information would I need from the other person in order to have a satisfactory answer?” And that’s all there is to it. It shouldn’t leave you feeling stressed, it should leave you feeling relieved because you know that you’ve given every important detail!

Keep in mind, these tips can go a long way with social media too! It’s even easier to have miscommunication in messages on social media platforms, so it’s a good idea to remember these tips when chatting!