Is that what you meant?

Every single time we ask, the answer comes back the same. We need more communication.

I rebel against that suggestion. I have never received so much communication. Emails. PM's. Texts. I am up to my eyeballs in communication.

Despite that, I am still unsure as to what people around me are trying to give me in the way of instructions, information, or advice. And so are you, I suspect.

A lot of the stuff I am getting buried under is generic, which means it seems not to address me specifically. Some of it is too tedious to read, some is too technical, some is clearly not intended for me at all.

The topic is a vast one, of course, and this is not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject of communication. I have written other blogs on the subject. I may well write more! As a starting point, however, before you start to do a communication it is worth asking some questions.

1. Who are the people for whom this is intended?

2. Do I in fact need to send differently structured messages to different groups?

3. What do I want the outcome of this communication to be? In other words, what do I hope will happen next?

4. How many attempts should I make?

5. Is my chosen tone and language suitable?

6. Are my audience expecting this communication right now?

I know there are other things you might add to the list. But do have a list. Too often we just start communicating with no plan and it ends up adding to the pile of ineffective messages.

For communication to be worthy of the name, you see, it needs to be effective.