Good Communications are not soft skills – they are Critical skills

I regularly talk to organisations, and when I say that I have looked at, and studied, their website, to get a feel for the organisation before attending the meeting, the usual response I get from the management is, do not pay attention to the website, it’s out of date and does not really represent who we are.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Why do companies and people not put as much emphasis on communicating their message as they do on such functional items as software packages, CRM, accounting and financial figures etc.?

When you can articulate what is important to your organisation, clearly and simply, you are much more likely to end up with customers and suppliers that support your business.

“Communications are not soft skills, they are Critical skills” @TheGinaLondon

I see lots of organisations spending a great deal of time and money in creating a Brand, a Logo, a Strap line and Website, yet cannot in a simple clear story demonstrate their core value and explain why these values are important to prospective customers.

When organisations talk to me beforehand, I help them capture a story that best explains who they are and the values they represent.

Once this is done, my clients can give much better direction to the people who are going to create the Brands, Logo, Website etc., saving them time, money and wasted effort on creating a perception which does not represent or reflect who they really are!

To get the storytelling process underway, here are the three questions I work with my clients to answer.

1. Who is your ideal prospect?

(It’s not an organisation, it’s an individual within that organisation; name them?)

2. What problem do you solve for that person?

(Tell a story, probably a story one of your customers has told you about how you helped them.)

3. How is the person you identified above better as a result of you solving their problem?

(Paint a word picture of this person benefiting from your intervention.)

Here are some examples of what I have said in the past to help people I have been coaching:

“I see you accepting the award for best start-up at South X Southwest – San Francisco”

I received this testimonial afterwards –

“Andrew’s help and guidance were instrumental in preparing us for several vital stage presentations we had last year (2014) in New York, San Francisco, Germany, the UK and Ireland. His outside perspective on how we could better tell our story was incredibly useful, it’s easy to forget that internal stories don’t always translate well outside the company. His techniques for communicating vital information points have become our default standard for all company communications. We couldn’t recommend him enough.”

Pat Phelan – CEO – Trustev.com @patphelan

“Next week you will be shaking hands on a deal worth millions of dollars”

I received this testimonial afterwards –

“Pitched in Montreal yesterday, our best ever, really felt I came across as myself, and mixed it up with humour & anecdote. Really held the room of 20 people”.

“Oh, and we won a multi million dollar deal.”

Thank you for bringing us along in our development.  

Sean Kenzie – Setanta Asset Management

“I see you holding the audience in the palm of your hand”

I received this testimonial afterwards –

“Delivered a two-hour presentation and the response was fantastic. I use some videos and slides but unscripted managed to tell my story with the clarity, energy, passion and perspective that has eluded me for so long. I put this down to all the work and expertise I have received from you. Sincere thanks for that.”

Brian McCarthy – Director of Football, Newington College, Sydney,

Action Point:

Review your last presentation or proposal and see if you answered all three questions to you and your prospects satisfaction?

If you could have answered the question BETTER – in your next presentation or proposal, ensure you do so.