Heard on a radio program this morning about people learning to be great manipulators instead of great communicators. I had to turn the radio up for this one.

I love to hear and read anything I can about communicating clearly.  I could not help it but I immediately thought about my marriage, how Myra and I communicate with one another. How we communicate and interact at the office (which happens to be the church for us) or even more, how organizations are communicating their message locally, nationally or globally? How clear is your message?

I think the question is, How well do you know your audience? The solution is to not over-complicate or over-glam your message, it is to clearly communicate what you represent. Just say it clearly, be honest. The rest is up to them. If you offer true value they will jump on it or maybe they won’t — it’s ok.

How well do you know your audience and do they know you care.  It is critical that we are able to connect and communicate with those we interact with, our staff team, leadership team, co-workers, new people in the company or your organization. Your communication will not be effective until you get to know the people in your life — how they communicate and their unique perspectives. And you must not only know them but check your heart and ask yourself do you really care about that person? Are you really trying to communicate something of value or are you just trying to manipulate to get results that you want?

The true test (which is sometimes the most difficult and time-consuming) is to ask others what they think, how they feel and get their perspective. Get their feedback and insight. Learn about where they are and what is on their heart. Seems like if we did listened better, we would communicate better we would have better relationships, business impact and influence with those we care about the most.

That’s it. Ask someone, they will tell you — how clearly do you communicate?