Think back to a recent business meeting.

Which of the following describes you?

• You’re praying for a human mute button
• You nod off so much, you’re mistaken for a bobble-head doll
• You’re engaged, energized, and ready to conquer the business world

While we all wish for the third reaction, how many meetings left you feeling that way?

If you’re like most of us, not many.

Five old facilitator tricks can help capture the euphoria of better business communication.

Channeling Old Facilitators

In the early days of my corporate career, I received facilitator training to conduct business meetings and receive feedback from a company survey.

My role as a facilitator was to guide participants in staying on track for a productive meeting.

If you have ever led a meeting of people with diverse responsibilities, you know how challenging that role can be.

Luckily for us, our trainers had a few tricks up their sleeves.

You can use those same tricks to produce better business communication. Whether that’s a meeting, business writing or a phone conversation.

To make this simple let’s turn those tricks into a road trip.

Trick #1 – Know your destination.

Have you been to meetings that seemed to have no purpose?

If you are going on a road trip, your purpose for getting in the car is simple. It gets you to your destination.

• Agree on the purpose of your meeting (or your writing)
• What do you want as an outcome? What’s your destination?

Write down your destination/desired outcome.

• For a meeting, flip chart paper taped to a wall works well
• For business writing, an outline or a written objective keeps you focused

The above is your map with its route and destination.

Trick #2 – Identify the shortest route.

An English-speaking reporter was interviewing an individual who required an interpreter for translation.

The reporter asked his question. The individual responded in his native language for what seemed like a good five minutes.

The interpreter turned and translated the response into one sentence, using five English words.

Don’t you wish we could all do that?

• You’re at a meeting
• A question is asked
• Your coworker rambles on and on

Hit the mute button. Better yet –

Identify the shortest route to the response.

In facilitator training, we would ask ~

Can you headline that for me so I can capture it on our chart?

Create a headline that captures the essence of the ramble.

It works on long sentences, too.

Trick #3 – Ask for directions.

• Imagine your map blew out the window
• Or your GPS crashed
• What are you going to do?

Ask for directions.

During a meeting, a proven facilitator trick is asking questions.

• Clarify statements
• Ask leading questions to provoke discussion
• Engage silent participants with direct questions

If someone wanders off course, ask how the input helps reach your destination (outcome).

Asking directions in business writing takes different forms.

• Review drafts for a beginning, middle, end
• Read aloud for signs of rambling
• Ask someone else to point you in the right direction

Trick #4 – Repeat directions.

When you repeat directions, you verify and help reinforce the information.

A good facilitator regularly reviews information.

• Repeat what was just said for clarity
• Review notes from wall postings
• Summarize points

For business writing, summarizing points helps reinforce your message.

Trick #5 – Park it.

Sometimes during a long trip, you have to pull over and rest.

Another facilitator trick is parking an idea.

• Someone brings up an idea
• You ask if it supports your desired outcome
• The group is not sure about the idea

The facilitator parks the idea on a paper taped to the wall, known as the parking lot.

The group comes back later to see if the idea is worth keeping or if it should be abandoned.

How many times have you discarded an idea once you completed your business writing? The idea might be a good one, but it doesn’t fit the circumstances.

You can park the idea and perhaps pull it out for a future article – or – discard it as unusable.

Happy Road Trip

Next time you have to lead a meeting, act as a participant, or author business writing, pull out your Road Guide to Better Business Communication.

1. Know your destination.
2. Identify the shortest route.
3. Ask for directions.
4. Repeat directions.
5. Park it.

What tricks are in your guide?

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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BigStock Photo Credit

BigStock Photo Credit