How to Build Effective Communication - a Guide for Patient Organization Leaders
Effective communication is the art of selecting the right tools so that a specific audience can hear and understand you better. Your patient organization builds dialogue with a large and diverse group of stakeholders every day; that is why a good set of communication tools is very useful. It will help you get your message across more successfully and reach the goal of your conversations with important audiences.
Grzegorz Szczepański
CEO, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Poland
Katarzyna Fabjaniak
Managing Director, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Poland
To maintain effective communication with various audiences, take into account the following three crucial factors:
Understanding your audience
The first step is to correctly define the audience you want to communicate with.
Once you have done that, try to get to know and characterize them. Put yourself in their position. What do they do? What are they interested in? What are their needs and goals? How do they communicate? What language do they speak? Where are they particularly active in the traditional media or social media?
Each audience has different goals and communicates in its own way. When you know the other party better, you can shape your message more consciously and effectively.
The message
The next crucial step is to define the messages you want to get across to your predefined audiences.
An effective message is a memorable one. You will achieve that when your message is: clear and concise, easy to remember, consistent and repeatable. Remember! Do not confuse your message with other forms of expression like slogans, facts, or your patient organization’s mission statement.
Proof points
A proof point that substantiates your message and builds its credence should be an integral part of your communication. Always remember to support your point with credible arguments and evidence. Use facts, statistics, research, anecdotes, or visualizations. They will make your audience more receptive and willing to remember your message.
For more basic communication tips see this animation.
How to build effective communicationsAdvocacy Center
Please find a short video prepared by Communication experts on how to communicate effectively, how to be heard and understood better.
Conversation control techniques
How to get your message across and ensure you are heard and understood well? This is where conversation control techniques come in. Watch this video and find out how to use them!
Control techniques tutorialAdvocacy Center
Please find a short video prepared by Communication experts on how to manage your conversation effectively,
by using three simple conversation control techniques which will help you to better seed your messages.
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