Say This Not That: Designing Communication That Drives Real Results

Communication is at the heart of business communications, yet it often falls short. People ramble, fail to connect with audiences and neglect critical details that leave audiences confused. How can professionals become master communicators who get their message across clearly every time? The key is intentionally designing communication.

As communication expert Steve Woodruff explains on “The Business Storytelling Show,” “We have to become what I call communication designers, we have to take whatever the information is, and package it in a way that gets to the point quickly for our audience.” This means understanding how communication works and structuring your words strategically. Follow these best practices for communication that resonates.

Designing communication effectively involves strategically structuring your message to achieve a specific response from your audience. This means considering how people process information and tailoring your language, examples, visuals, flow, and more to optimize understanding and impact. Well-designed communication grabs attention quickly, connects ideas clearly, aligns people around shared conclusions, and motivates action.

The first challenge in designing communication is breaking through the constant stimulation we all face daily. As Steve outlines, “We’re communicating in a climate of enormous noise and distraction. There are 1000s and 1000s of other stimuli out there. Our biggest competition, actually, is the noise.”

With endless digital intrusions and real-world chaos, connecting is hard. So, how do you rise above? You have to be relevant. The brain acts as a filter, prioritizing things that seem personally important. When crafting any message, constantly ask yourself what’s in it for the audience. Why should they care? If you don’t have a clear answer, it’s back to the drawing board.

Steve boils effective communication down to four key rules. The first and most fundamental is having a point. He advises plainly, “You’ve got to have a point. What’s the point?”

Yet, in daily interactions, a surprising number of exchanges lack purpose. People chat aimlessly, send vague emails, or call meetings without an agenda. Some blog posts ramble on and on and one. This wastes everyone’s time. Before communicating, define exactly what you want to achieve. As Steve says, “The simplest way to do that is to say, in this meeting, or as a result of this email, or this class, the audience, whether it’s one or many, is thinking a certain way, feeling a certain way, acting a certain way. As a result of this communication, how do I want them to think and feel and act differently?”

Now that you have a clear objective, the next step is structuring your delivery to spotlight that objective immediately. Remember, you’re battling myriad other stimuli for attention. Steve warns, “Getting to the point quickly, is the way that we engage anybody with what we’re trying to say?”

This requires restraint. People’s natural inclination is to provide context, set the scene, and make small talk first. But that just risks losing others. Lead with the core message immediately to capture focus from the start.

One form of communication that requires thoughtful design is a blog post. I’m writing, but I’m also designing the blog post with subheads,  podcasts in the middle and maybe have an infographic. I’m designing the whole experience.

Some key principles for crafting compelling blog content include:

Blog writing requires both artful language and thoughtful presentation design choices. By intentionally structuring posts to convey information clearly, move readers through key ideas logically, and motivate responses, you can create standout content.

Getting to the point fast is useless if no one understands what you actually mean. So, communication design also entails carefully defining concepts and tailoring terminology to your audience.

As Steve explains, “8 billion people have a whole lot of different ideas and experiences. And what happens is, we’ll express an idea will use words, but it may mean something very different to the other person. They may have different definitions, experiences, contexts, historical backgrounds, and cultures.”

To ensure shared meaning, simplify complex ideas. Offer clear definitions using examples people relate to. Check for comprehension with thoughtful questions. Communication is a two-way street, so keep listening and clarifying until the light bulbs go on.

Finally, effective communication aligns people around shared goals and priorities going forward. As Steve puts it, “Getting them on the same page means we’re trying to reach the point where we say, okay, maybe we don’t see everything exactly the same. But we know where we’re going, we’ve got the conclusion, we’re going in this direction.”

To enable unified action after communicating, clearly document important takeaways, decisions made, and tasks assigned. Steve highlights meetings as an area where this best practice is often lacking. Have a defined agenda upfront clearly outlining the intended purpose. Then, summarize conclusions at the end via meeting minutes available to all participants.

Follow these rules of effective communication design. Distill your message to a single vital point. Lead with that value right away. Explain concepts clearly. And capture alignment in writing. The result will be less misalignment and faster results as everyone focuses on what matters most.