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Update nowIn his book Sapiens, Yuval Harari explains that we are differentiated from other species and have largely been successful because of our ability to co-operate effectively, flexibly and at scale.
Yuval tells us that human history shows we communicate to create belief in ‘shared fictions’ through language and storytelling, and it is these ‘shared fictions’ that create a sense of connectedness, common interests and goals that are essential for getting people to work together.
When leading a team, we want to bring people together and for them to work collectively towards a purpose or strategy. ‘Good’ communication achieves this – sharing stories that we all sign up to, believe in and want to be part of.
But how can we achieve this ‘good’ level of communication? And how can we ensure it drives people to action – particularly when we heavily rely on virtual channels?
This article and accompanying guide shares some starting points…
Cutting through the virtual noise and knowing if people are present and ‘with you’ when you communicate is harder when they are not in the same room.
Solution
Upweight your focus on your audience and ask: Why would they care? If your content doesn’t have:
They are probably only turning up to listen to your communication because they feel they must.
To overcome this, put an expectation of interactivity into every communication you do. For example:
We want to get people together, but they are all on different time zones. And people’s personal lives mean it’s not always possible to be ‘on’ and available at a time decided by someone else.
Solution