PM* BLOG

When you see a red traffic sign on the road that in big white letters says STOP, you know what it means, don’t you? Immediately. Or do you ask yourselves unnecessary questions? Mull about its meaning? Oh come on, you know right there that you have to stop.

That’s what business communication should be like! You say what you need, I tell you what I can give you, we buy a few stamps, sign a dozen papers and that’s it.

Remember the Cs of successful communication:

1. Clarity. Say what you want to say in the simplest possible way. Don’t complicate. You have something I need? I have something you need? 1+1=2, so it’s ridiculous calling it 4 with 50% discount.

2. Conciseness. Moderate. Too much information – my brain will explode like popcorn in a microwave oven. Leave the additions for the waiter asking you what you want with your meal. On the other hand – too little info? Something seems fishy.

3. Concreteness. Keep to the subject! More commonly, this is how it goes: this horrid climate change is worrying me, people are such idiots to have brought it to this point. We will lose this blessing we have. Our seas are full of plastic, they are losing oxygen. What about when we lose oxygen? And what do you say about this social network plague? You can’t even lead a business today if you’re not active on there. Whatever I click, everyone is posting photos with their lips pursed, perfectly dressed and made up… When do they have time to lead a business if they are constantly dressing up, editing photos, preparing posts, analyzing likes and dislikes? Although, the networks are not so completely bad, for work, I mean.

4. Correctness. You lie, meander about or just have no clue about what you’re talking about? Google it and then talk to me.

5. Coherence. Shape it up, my friend. A lyric poem is always welcome, but not in business communication. Some people’s newsletter campaigns look more like War and Peace. Let’s talk about me and about me some more, why I’m the best, how I do what I do best… And what do you do? I couldn’t grasp it after all the scrolling and rolling.

Communication builds relationships. This is why communication is key in PR and every company has their public and wants to communicate with them.

So: listen, listen, listen! You have two ears and only one mouth!

Be assertive – say whyt you think, feel and want instead of expecting the other side has a crystal ball.

Use “I” messages by a simple key:

Address a person by their first name.

Say exactly what kind of behavior bother you (talk about the behavior instead of hurling insults!).

Say how it makes you feel and what you would like for them to do instead.

Ta - daaaah!

Remember the scene from The Little Mermaid – Ariel and Eric are walking down the beach and Max the dog is running around them. Ariel wonders how animals don’t talk in the human world but Eric convinces her that Max, although he doesn’t talk, understands everything and is able to express his wishes and needs simply. Ariel agrees but concludes that speech is the most wonderful gift after all.

So instead of fussing, communicate!

Or in the words of René Artois:

Keep It Simple, you Stupid woman!

Kissy, kissy!

by Sanja Lujić Pirc

* KISS, an acronym for keep it simple, stupid, is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. The principle most likely finds its origins in similar minimalist concepts, such as Occam's razor, Leonardo da Vinci's "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication", Shakespeare's "Brevity is the soul of wit", etc.