The technology industry has built a reputation of being direct and to the point, and while this works for some things it is not always successful - particularly when trying to sell the benefits of what we are trying to do to multiple audiences - from customer to front line staff, and from employee to executive
We are all communicators, but communication doesn't come naturally to all of us. This can cause a simple message to be completely lost in translation as the person selling it fails to understand their audience... if they've correctly defined their audience.
One of the tricks to good communication is to stand in the shoes of the person who will receive the message and ask yourself "what is the one most important action I need them to take away from this?"
But it's more than just that:
You need to be clear, consistent, remove confusion, and make no assumptions about what your audience understands.
So where is the best place to start?
My guest today is Eithne Sweeney
Eithne and her technical husband Myles run Wires Uncrossed - a communications consultancy that gives technical experts confidence to connect with each other and their customers.
Over the past 12 years, Eithne has worked alongside technical specialists in some of New Zealand's largest companies, equipping them with the skills and structures to foster effective communication. Originally from Ireland, she had previously spent over five years working for large multinational organizations in China, where she helped teams overcome the barriers of language, culture and distance to build strong connections.
She is passionate about removing the communication barriers that exist between subject matter experts and the generalists who work with them to achieve common goals. She lives for the magic moments where better soft skills lead to clarity, cooperation and collaboration.