The Secret To Engaging Diverse Audiences
The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said”. - Peter Drucker
Empathy is the key to effective communication. The real challenge for any communicator is to truly step into the shoes of their audience; understanding how they think and feel to appropriately tailor our message to them. When we communicate, we are not always given a comprehensive analysis of the social facts associated with our target audience; it can be difficult to fine-tune our message. Our ability to empathise with our audience, allows us to glean important insights which they may not have already told us about.
Within the workplace, our ability to influence people does not stem from the fact that we have reached a specific level within a grade structure. Advancing ambitious projects often requires us to engage a wide variety of people, across different teams at different levels of seniority. If we communicate effectively, we have an opportunity to build strong relationships by engaging with an important question: “what can we do to build trust in each other”?
One definition of trust is “feeling safe when vulnerable”. When we commit to something new, we can feel vulnerable and we need trust to manage the anxiety of this feeling. It is normal for audiences to be protective of their time, concerned about their reputation and quick to consider a long list of reservations. When we communicate impactfully, we reassure audiences that they can let their guard down and potentially inspire them to act with vigour. I will identify three practical mechanisms that we can use in our communications to build trust with diverse audiences and have a meaningful impact.
Be ready to champion others
Great ideas can come from those who may not feel confident enough to articulate their ideas or who fear that they will not be listened to. By setting ourselves the challenge of going the extra mile to meaningfully consider ideas from those who are often not given a prominent voice, we become better communicators. When people see that you genuinely strive to hear from them, they reciprocate.
Set the right tone of conversation
Sometimes, “us” and “them” can be inadvertently reinforced as artificial constructs which divide people. Understandably, priorities can differ significantly, and that compromise is not always easy to find. However, it is difficult to make progress in any challenging communication when there is no belief that the other party is attempting to find common ground. Your tone of voice may not always be apparent to you, but consciously seeking to convey the right attitude can be beneficial.
Invoke relevant previous experience
People can relate to things that they have experienced before. Particularly in situations where we would like to encourage people to do something, it may be useful to consider what they thought or how they felt on previous occasions when people did what we required. Sharing authentic personal stories can be an important way to build trust, communicators can win trust when audiences sense honesty.
Whilst there is no truly definitive guide to building trust and delivering impactful communication, empathy remains a valuable tool in our communications armoury. We can become better communicators if we are willing to champion others, ready to strike the right tone of conversation and happy to share relevant personal experiences. We need to be open to understanding messages that may be articulated to us in ways that we would not have articulated ourselves; we must be ready and willing to build new bridges that connect us to our audiences.