Coaching

Successful people focus on what’s important, and that’s just as true in communications. Your audience’s concentration will fade as time goes by, so it’s no use trying to get across more than three messages in one take, whether in a standalone statement or in an interview. The upshot is, don’t try too hard. It’s a well-known fact that a lot of times, achieving 80 per cent of a goal will take 20 per cent of your energy, while achieving the other 20 per cent will take the other 80. In other words, a lot of times it simply isn’t worth the trouble to achieve perfection. Excellence will do nicely, so concentrate your efforts. What is really important will take little time to tell, and even less if it’s well prepared. So get working on your key messages.

Make sure they are brief, positive, consistent and credible, and they will carry what you have to say, carrying it so that it gets through to your audience. Remember that every day people have more sources to choose from when they want to know what goes on in the world. The more media they use, the less time they spend on each one, so use this time wisely. Get your message right the first time. Preparation is not everything in this game, but it does go a long way.