Clear Communication – the 3 D’s that Lead to Clarity

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Kate Byrne

There is a lot of noise in the market today. Ironically, this seems to lead companies to believing they need to talk even more to rise above the din. We’re creating our own nightmare with lots of folks talking and nobody listening. What matters most in times such as these is while you amplify your message, be sure to simplify it. As airwaves get more and more competitive, now more than ever it’s key to be a clear communicator. Less is definitely more. With the 3 “D”s in mind you can:

-Define who you are
-Decode what it is you do
-Demystify and make it a no brainer for the customer to buy whatever it is you’re saying and selling

Here’s a really easy hierarchy to help layout a clear and simple plan to execute a platform agnostic communications effort.

Introductory Message

The introductory message provides simple, high level information about your company/product. It can be used as an “elevator pitch”—a very brief explanation about what your company does in order to build comprehension and interest in your product. It’s a brand statement that is easy to remember and share.

Primary Messages = Why

Primary messages answer the question, why does your company/product exist? What are the problems your product/company exists to solve? Primary messages provide vision and inspiration so that anyone can begin to understand you. Use primary messages to start the conversation. These messages never change and should be used consistently and repeatedly in all written and spoken communications.

Secondary Messages = What

Secondary messages answer the question what does the organization do? Secondary messages paint a picture of the impact your work has on your customer’s world. While primary messages are visionary, the secondary messages are visual. Secondary messages help the audience begin to “see” what your vision means.

Tertiary Messages = How

Tertiary messages begin to get more specific. They speak directly to the audience, often using the second person “you” and explain how your brand can help make your customer’s world better. Care is taken to make sure not to overwhelm the audience with too much detail in tertiary messages. Tertiary messages educate someone who is interested in learning more and invites them toward taking action.

Custom Messages = Details

Every communication opportunity is unique. Once you have laid the groundwork by sharing the primary, secondary and tertiary messages about your company/product, you’ll develop your own messages about the details of your company/product that the listener needs to hear. This is the tailored conversation about the details as they pertain to the interests of the person or audience you are addressing. These are the hooks that will get them to buy in to what you’re selling and see the relevance to their predicament.

Some final tips for success in communicating your message:

• Explain your company and product from the outsiders’ point of view
• Don’t assume your audience understands.
• Define, decode and explain jargon – no lingo jingo is key here
• Features are the services you provide. This is all about you and your company/product
• Benefits are the impact –what happens as a result of the services being used. This is about your client and how you make their lives easier.
• Talking about benefits engages the audience and helps them understand the company from their point of view.
• Show don’t tell – whenever possible use real world examples and case studies – this will invoke a little bit of the old When Harry Met Sally “I’ll have what she’s having” moment.

The biggest tip of all: Everyone talks a lot about being customer-centric, but few actually walk that talk. If you always make it about your customer your likelihood of making the sale are phenomenally greater.

Kate Byrne is the new Director of Communications at Tides.org

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