Four Elements of Great Communication in Organizations

To some extent great communication depends on the context--a salesperson talking to a client over lunch, a board meeting, a social gathering, a keynote presentation, a presidential campaign debate or a blog post. But there are a few things that are fundamental to all effective communication.

• Passion - If the person speaking or writing doesn't really care enough to communicate with passion, why should I put in the time and energy to hear or read. Passion covers up a lot of other deficits, unfortunately sometimes in a negative sense. If I am drawn in only by how a person speaks or writes without attention to what is said, I can be badly misled. Passion certainly is not sufficient, but is necessary. The best points often are missed when there is no passion.
  
• Listening - It may be hard to get passionate about listening because it seems like the passive part of communication. But ask yourself, who are the people you know who are the best listeners and how do you feel about those individuals? Effective speaking and writing follows focused listening, whether it is a social setting or sales presentation or editorial column--are there still editorial columns? Listening may involve attention to the other person in the moment of the exchange or it may be attention to and understanding of the needs of broader audience you are addressing. In either context, it is fundamental to great communication.
  
• Argument - Argument may seem like the opposite of effective communication, but all great communication has a point, even in a social context. Some would point out, or should I say argue, that all communication is persuasive and that argument is how we learn. Argument can take many forms. It can be subtle or aggressive, but it always is aimed at moving a person or audience to agree with my position, or to accept and maybe even like or love me, or to take a particular desired action. All great communication has a desired outcome.
  
• Authenticity - Communication can be passionate, grounded in attention to the other person or audience, and have a clear point, but if it is not authentic, it will fall flat. This means that great communication will be different for each person. We cannot copy another person and be a great communicator. Great acting is just that--acting. Great communication must be you and perceived as you.
  

While in some respects, communication is very complex, the fundamentals are pretty simple--passion, listening, argument and authenticity.