complex to clear project - university of st gallen
TRANSCRIPT
How to be CLEAR in Complex Corporate Communication
Nicole Bischof @ IABC Eurocomm 2011 Turin
„Everything that can be said, can be said clearly.“
Ludwig Wittgenstein
„The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.“
George Bernard Shaw
Agenda
Why Clarity matters
State of the Art
Managing Clarity in Communication
Examples
Conclusion
Why care about clarity? An illustrating scenario
Complexity of modern business communication request for clear personal communication 1. Change communication: dealing with uncertainty or „How
to motivate for change?“
2. Crisis communication: time constraints or „When to address whom?
3. Strategy communication: vision, mission, goals and values or „How to make your ideas clear?“
4. … many other complex issues
“Clarity is business communications’ most sacrosanct topic.”
“Clarity is the most serious communication problem in business.”
Why care? Importance of clarity for business communication
[Suchan & Dulek, 1990]
“The process of knowledge communi-cation is the activity of interactively conveying and co-constructing insights, assessments, experiences, or skills through verbal and nonverbal means1.”
Knowledge communication in business communication - implicit challenges
[Eppler 2007]
The context: Information versus knowledge communication
Agenda
Why Clarity matters
State of the Art
Managing Clarity
Examples
Conclusion
“The state, or measure of being clear, either in appearance, thought or style; lucidity.”
“Clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.”
“The state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye”
What are we talking about? Three definitions of clarity
The concept of clarity has been studied in different disciplines
Clarity
The „Hamburg Clarity Concept“
1. Simplicity
• Familiar words • Explained terms • Simple sentence
structure • Concrete and
specific
4. Stimulation (moderate)
• Personally adress reader
• Provide examples, images, quotes
• Use humour and fun elements
3. Conciseness (moderate)
• Focus on essentials • Described briefly • Short sentences
2. Structure
• Overview and priorities
• Logical sequence, • Highlighting important
elements
Typical elements of clarity found in the literature
Findings: Structure Unity & Coherence Eliminating the irrelevant Writing / speaking in the language of the audience Simplification & Disambiguation
Insights: Clarity of thought precedes clarity of expression Clarity is relative …to the audience that is addressed. BUT: A lack of systematic, actionable guidelines
Agenda
Why Clarity matters
State of the Art
Managing Clarity
Examples
Conclusion
Our CLEAR formula
C ontextualized With regard to the targeted audience, the reason for the communication of that knowledge, and its urgency and importance.
L ogical Logical in the sense that elements build on one another in sequence; accessible in the sense that it is self-evident and intuitive.
E ssential Focus on the essential elements and show them in overview before going into details.
A mbiguity free Interpretable in one way in order to avoid misunderstandings or misapplication.
R esonating Fit the needs, preferences and foreknowledge of the audience, knowledge must be made actionable.
Mediators • S tandards • T raining • A ccountability • R eviews • T ools • E xamples • R esources
Managing and facilitating clarity
Clarification Process
From Complex • C omplicated • O verloaded • M essy • P olysemic • L inked • E verchanging • X traneous
To Clear • C ontextualized • L ogical • E ssential • A mbiguity-free • R esonating
Contextualized
Negative example for contextual depiction
Contexualized corporate communication: in line with company objectives
Logical
Logical Structure: Use templates
Essential
Keep it essential: Remember clarity of thought precedes clarity of expression
Ambiguity free
Negative example: clarity is lost if you mix metaphors
Resonating
Resonance is missing due to unattractive appearance
Resonance is achieved through a multimedial and facts-oriented approach
Application: CLEAR e-mail example
C ontextualized
L ogical
E ssential
A mbiguity free
R esonating
previous e-mail excerpt, reason for writing
fact – meaning – needed action
one message per e-mail, one paragraph
words like soon, urgent, or our client are replaced by ‘next week’, ‘tomorrow’ and ‘Mr. Stevens’
reply options are pre-listed
Application: CLEAR report example
C ontextualized
L ogical
E ssential
A mbiguity free
R esonating
authors stated, version stated, date stated, contact details stated
summary – topic/pb. – findings - suggestions
less than 10 pages, half page summary
Unspecific business buzz words are avoided
Right level of detail for target audience, action points are categorized and put on a timeline
Agenda
Why Clarity matters?
State of the Art
Managing Clarity
Examples
Conclusion
Four validation points of our CLEAR formula for communication
Literature
Review
Case Studies
(contact us)
Audience
Surveys
Experts‘
Review
Survey: Clarity in PowerPoint presentations
What are the most likely effects of a bad, unclear ppt presentation on you?
Which of the following factors have the most negative impact on clarity in ppt knowledge presentations?
What are the most important issues to consider when you communicate knowledge with a ppt presentation?
Which of the following mechanisms is most likely to increase the clarity of a ppt presentation?
3
4
2
1
You forget the presentation content quickly. You don’t listen to what the presenter has to say. You don’t take the presentation seriously. You perceive the topic as complex. You get angry with the presenter.
What are the most likely effects of an unclear PowerPoint presentation?
Not likely at all
Very likely
Too much text on a single slide Unclear presentation structure Missing link between presenter’s speech and slide text Long phrases instead of keywords Slide shown too quickly
Which of the following factors have the most negative impact on clarity in PowerPoint presentations?
Very important
Not important at all
Your main message/goal Having a clear structure/slide sequence Your speaking style Involving the audience Including good visualizations / graphics
What are the most important issues to consider when you communicate knowledge with a presentation?
Very important
Not important
Training the presenter Rehearsing the presentation Watching great presentations Proof reading and style checking Getting feedback on the presentation
Which of the following mechanisms is most likely to increase the clarity of a PowerPoint presentation?
Not likely at all
Very likely
Four validation points of our CLEAR formula for communication
Literature
Review
Case Studies
(contact us)
Audience
Surveys
Experts‘
Review
Customer service quality as main challenge for companies such as AXA Insurance
AXA guide to clear letters: Templates, checklists and examples
Swisscom‘s internal communication: implementation of vision and mission
Clarity problem pattern as a tool of analysis
Background Foreknowledge Customs
Involved Persons & Teams
unclear elements, inconsistency, redundance
Too Big to Fail: A document has been growing to a point where everybody agrees with it, so no one wants to modify it, although it contains many unclear passages.
Implicit Implications: A document is perceived as unclear because its originators do not specify its consequences for the addressed target group(s)
Insight without Oversight: A document or communication creates confusion, because it does not provide the necessary big picture context for its messages
Clarity problem pattern - examples
“Can you think of clarity problem pattern in your work context?”
Discussion
Agenda
Why Clarity matters
State of the Art
Managing Clarity
Examples
Conclusion
The magical number seven, plus or minus two
Examples, examples, examples Pre-structures Fore-knowledge and motivation
Facilitating complex corporate communication
[Lutz 2011]
Conclusion: Clarity matters and can be managed
Complex corporate communication requires clarity.
Clarity makes communication of complex managerial issues more precise, efficient, user-friendly, and reduces misunderstandings.
Clarity in communication can be specified, analysed, managed, and trained (CLEAR formula).
Measurement and emotional issues of the clarity concept are research gaps which should be explored further.
“Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.”
Joseph Pulitzer