in Communication (Part 2)

1. Simplicity And Clarity inCommunication(Part 2)

2. Simple or Not? • Have you tried buying a book online? While some websites may be easy to use, there are some which may not be intuitive.

3. 10 RULES OF SIMPLICITY • Rule 1 • You need to value simplicity.   • Rule 2 • You must be determined to seek simplicity.   • Rule 3 • You must understand your subject matter well.  

4. 10 RULES OF SIMPLICITY • Rule 4 • You need to be aware of alternatives and possibilities for the way forward. • Rule 5 • You need to challenge assumptions and processes. • Rule 6 • Start afresh.

5. 10 RULES OF SIMPLICITY • Rule 7 • Use concepts. • Rule 8 • Break things down into smaller units.

6. 10 RULES OF SIMPLICITY • Rule 9 • You need to be prepared to trade off other values for simplicity. • Rule 10 • You need to know for whose sake the simplicity is being designed.

7. Activity! Think of something which you greatly desire to change and simplify. • It could be anything; a problem you face at work, or in school. It could be a customer service issue you have encountered somewhere. It could be a gadget you are using, or have used. There is no right or wrong answer. • Be ready to share your ideas. In the problem you describe, make an effort to: • Display your understanding of the problem or issue. • Offer a few possible alternatives to the problem raised. • Challenge the ‘wrongness’ of the issue. • Analyse ‘parts’ of the problem.

8. SIMPLICITY AND CLARITY IN COMMUNICATION • Now that you have a basic understanding of simplicity and its rules, how could you apply it to simplicity and clarity in communication?

9. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 1 • You need to value simplicity. Questions you would need to ask yourself: • Would you like your listener to understand you well? • What is it that you wish your listener would understand? • What purpose may you serve, in your communication with your listener?

10. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 2 • You must be determined to seek simplicity. Things to remember: • Simple and effective communication does not happen by chance. You must make an effort to make your communication more simple and effective; • The drive or motivation must come from your own attitude; • It is necessary to invest thought into simple and effective communication.

11. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 3 • You must understand your subject matter well. Question to ask yourself: As the technical expert, do you understand your subject so well, that you could simplify it? • If you couldn’t, after great thought, perhaps, you do not know your subject well enough. You need to be clear about what to communicate, what to flag, and what not to flag. You must be aware of the different ways you could communicate, whether in a more complicated way, or in a simpler way, and make a choice for the latter.

12. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 4 • You need to be aware of alternatives and possibilitiesfor the way forward. Questions to ask of yourself: • How could you bring your listener forward? • How could you enable him to act, according to what you want, and in his best interests?

13. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 5 • You need to challenge assumptions and processes. Things to remember: • Be creative in your communication with your listener, simply and effectively, away from ‘politically correct’, or ‘run-of-the-mill’/mechanical statements. • Rule 6 • Start afresh. • Don’t feel bogged down by the vast details you know; • Tell it to your listener in simple terms.

14. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 7 • Use concepts. • Be satisfied with giving your listeners a general idea, without bogging them down with technical and confusing terms and explanations, causing worry; • Communicate more details from there, if necessary; • General ideas would suffice.

15. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 8 • Break things down into smaller units. • Explain simply, using a few parts to an equation, if necessary. • For instance, what does a mid-fielder in a football team do? • Answer: a mid-fielder is one of three parts of a football team, with the other parts being the defenders, and the attackers. A midfielder defends with the defenders, and attacks with the attackers.

16. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 9 • You need to be prepared to trade off other values for simplicity. Things to remember: • Simple and effective communication may mean that you do not have to impart everything you know to your listeners; • Know what is necessary, and stop there

17. Applying the 10 Rules • Rule 10 • You need to know for whose sake the simplicity is being designed. Questioning technique and frames to apply to yourself:

18. Rule 10 • Whois listening to you? • What is his profile (in terms of educational level and technical training, etc)? • What do they need from you? • Why do they need to listen to you? • Do they need help from you? • How could you help them? By getting them to understand, simply and effectively? • What higher purpose does your communication with them serve? • How are they going to benefit by listening to you?

19. Cardinal rule • Remember the cardinal rule: if you are not communicating simply and clearly, you are not communicating effectively

20. Activity! • In simple terms, how could you ensure that you communicate simply and effectively?

21. Activity! Solution: • Asking yourself what is it that you wish for your listener to understand. • Making an effort.   • Asking yourself what you should flag, and should not flag. • Being creative. • Using general concepts and ideas. • Understanding your audience.