Getting to know your audience

Richard Branson says communication is the most important skill a leader can have. 

I’ll go one step further and say it’s the most important skill a human can have.

Communication encompasses so much more than merely telling people what you want them to hear. 

It’s also about:

• knowing what they want to know from you

• the timing of your message

• asking, listening and observing

• the channel through which you deliver it.

And it’s about following up to make sure the recipient heard and understood, and possibly took action, after you communicated your message.

When was the last time you sent someone an email and then blamed them for not replying? Or left them a phone message that wasn’t returned? Or posted on social media only to hear crickets? 

When we know our audience, we are more likely to communicate the right message in the right way and at the right time. 

What are you doing to get to know your audience?