Effective Communication Part 2

Simple...that is the word that best describes the starting point of good communication. Whether you are communicating to your children, your peers at work, or standing in front of many people to give a speech about something you believe in, simplicity is the key to effectively getting your message across.

Humans have a tendency in life to move from the simple to the complex, and all too often we allow this very fact to effect the way we communicate our ideas. So, the question that remains is how to we keep it simple?

In the book "Made to Stick," they give a formula for keeping communication simple...simple = core + compact. A good example of this is what we see when we read the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is a book about big ideas presented in a simple way. Think about it, every proverb has a core idea (that is often huge) presented in a very compact way.

One of the things I say over and over to my kids is, "be a leader and make good choices." It's a big idea presented in a simple way and it has served my wife and I in teaching them the importance of Godly leadership.

They will often come home with a story of something that happened at school, and more times than not, I have been able to say..."That's why it is so important to be a leader and make good choices." This provides the avenue to take the conversation deeper by teaching them, at a greater level, the importance of this core proverb.

Good communication always starts and ends with simplicity...so Keep It Simple!