All things can be resolved in language. Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, if you want to have a fighting chance in the business world, you’d better be an effective communicator.

I help people become more effective communicators. My company mission statement goes like this. Our mission is to be the cause of effective communication in the world, and in the process, eliminate the need for the phrase,” but, I thought you meant” by the year 2010.

Pretty ambitious, huh?

We’ll it’s better to aim for the moon and miss than aim for a ditch and hit it.

Here are three steps that will help you operate as a truly effective communicator.

Step #1. Know your outcome. An effective communicator knows her outcome and states it in the positive.

Step #2. Know where you are in the process. Know if you’re moving away from or closer to your outcome Your questioning and listening skills play an important role in this step for communications awareness.

Step #3. Know your options. Be flexible. If what you’re saying or doing isn’t producing the results you’d planned, you’d better say or do something else.

There you have it, the Effective Communicator Model.

Let’s expand on each of the steps.

Step #1. Know your outcome.

If you don’t know where you’re going, that’s where you’ll end up.

Are you clear on the outcome of your communication? What do you want to accomplish? When you go into a negotiation, a sales call or a client meeting, are you clear on your outcome?

Make sure you state your outcome in the positive. We live in a culture that thrives on negative outcomes. We know what we don’t want and frame our outcomes accordingly.

What outcome do you want from your negotiation? Do you want to avoid overpaying for the project? The desire to avoid overpaying for the project is an example of an outcome stated in the negative.

Here’s how this outcome might sound when stated in the positive. “I will negotiate the best possible price for the project and I will stay within budget.”

Work on creating outcomes that are clear, specific and positive.

Step #2. Know where you are in the process.

Become aware of as much information as you can. This is where measurement and testing can provide you with valuable clues. You must have some measuring strategy in place. How else will you determine if your communication or action is producing the desired outcome?

Here’s an idea for a simple measuring strategy. Create your own checklist (kind of like a shopping-list for success) before you begin your communication or take an action.

Step #3. Know your options.

Be Flexible. If what you’re doing isn’t producing your desired outcome, you need to do something else.

Requisite Variety is a term born out of Neuro Linguistics Programming, NLP for short. The theory of Requisite Variety states that the communicator that has access to the greatest number of communications options will usually control the communication.

Science uses the same assumption when it comes to experimentation. Scientists know what they want an experiment to produce. They measure their results and know whether or not it worked. If the experiment works, great, if not, they utilize different options as the basis for their next attempt at success. Come to think of it, that approach would be really helpful in your business networking, client meetings, sales calls, or in any number of your business activities.

Here’s a good example as it relates to business networking.

A business owner, we’ll call him Jerry, knows he want to expand his business through face-to-face marketing, otherwise known as business networking. Jerry has a goal of twenty four new clients in a twelve month period. These clients will come from referrals, and direct interaction with other business people.

At the end of the fifth month Jerry’s efforts have produced only two new clients. He looks at the first five months of the project and realizes that he has attended less than twenty percent of the available networking opportunities. Jerry recognizes that he needs to be more consistent. He needs to increase his participation.

He attends every available event for the next six months. He gets to know people. They get to know him. The relationships that lead to referrals are forged. Jerry ends the year with sixteen new clients.

Jerry knew what he wanted to accomplish. He stated the outcome in the positive. He monitored his progress and became aware of the need to alter his approach, or settle for lower results. He chose the option of attending networking events on a more regular basis. This flexibility helped Jerry get back on track.

I’d love to hear your networking outcome, and I'm certain, of course, you’ll state it in the positive.

For a Free Downloadable PDF Version of "A Simple Networking Plan"
please click here