How to Structure your Communication, so People will Listen

Do you struggle to get your message across?

Do you find it difficult to engage your audience?

Do you start to speak and forget what you wanted to say?

Do you think your communication lacks impact and influence?

This blog post has the solution for you.

While most non-native speakers focus on the linguistic side of communication, it’s also important to consider the cognitive, emotional and behavioural aspects. And though that might seem more complicated, with a good structure, it’s easier than you might think.

For non-native (and native!) speakers, it’s always useful to have one reliable tool up your sleeve to use in any context, that will ensure you stay on track and have impact. Whether it’s making a presentation, giving feedback, introducing yourself or making small talk, getting the structure right is crucial.

Structure Scaffolds.

Structure provides a frame for our messages. You could say that a good structure is like a reliable vehicle, that helps transport your message to your desired location: your audience. Without a reliable vehicle, we can never be sure that our message reaches the destination; we can never be sure the message really “lands”.

It’s hard to know where to start

Writing a speech or presentation can be daunting – especially when it’s not your mother tongue. So too, is making small talk in a second language or providing feedback to your international colleague. Where do you start? Try this:

What?

So what?

Now what?

This model was researched and developed by Rolfe et al. in 2001, but is also attributed to Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless. No matter the context, this is a simple framework that works. Rather than remembering lots of information with no order, by simply remembering the framework, it helps you to speak with fluency, structure and ease.

The Benefits of the Technique explained

Structured language is easier to process. Using the “What? So what? Now what?” technique, you establish what is critical, ensure that your message is heard and made relevant to the listener. If your message is heard and personalised, you are far more likely to have impact, influence and to inspire action in others. That’s what communication is all about, right?

The Technique broken down

While there are many good structures and models out there to help you, all great communication addresses these three fundamental points:

What | Cognitive – Key points or arguments

So what | Emotional – Why it’s important or relevant

Now what | Behavioural – Empowering Action

Let’s think about that for a moment. Often when we speak, we think about ourselves and what we would like to say, what we would like to share, the message we would like to convey. The only problem with that is, is that what they audience needs to hear? Taking an audience-centric approach and using an audience-centric structure, we ensure that they are engaged throughout, and leave empowered to act on what they have heard. Let’s break it down even further.

What?

The first pillar is about establishing, defining and sharing your key points or arguments, depending on the context. This is all about getting the other person to think. Be strict with yourself here. Keep is brief, keep your message clear, and don’t overwhelm your audience with facts, statistics, back stories and so on. What information is critical?

So what?

The second pillar is about relevance. It’s about fostering an emotional response. Why is your first pillar relevant to the person (or people) in front of you? Why is  it pertinent? Why does this information matter to your audience? Why should they be invested in your message? What’s in it for them? To maximise your influence, apply it to their situation. Does your information solve a problem they have? Does your information meet a need they have? Remember, people are always asking themselves “What’s in it for me?”

Now what?

The third and final pillar of this technique is all about action. You’ve encouraged the other to think, to feel, and now do. Here the goal is to reduce ambiguity to ensure maximum impact. It’s important to be directive in order to avoid confusion, yet the tone will set people’s level of motivation.

In a nutshell

So there you have it – one simple framework in your pocket, that you can apply to almost any communication scenario to ensure you stimulate your audience cognitively, emotionally and behaviourally. How empowering! Now you know what to do: go out and practice today – no time like the present!