Effective Communication: The Power of Research

Knowing what you’re putting on the page or script is not enough. You have to dive deeper than that if you want to effectively communicate with your audience. Here are some key ways to peel the onion back to ensure you’re well-versed enough to educate, sell, or motivate others.

Become an {Mini} Expert

As a ghostwriter, I find myself in unfamiliar territory quite often. But my passion for learning new things drives me to delve into the depths for my clients.

We all know that there are experts out there — but they aren’t all writers, and all of their knowledge isn’t written down or communicated in layman’s terms. As an effective communicator, that’s your job. If you aren’t one of the true experts on a topic that you’re communicating, then you need to find expert sources. Read, read, read. And digest enough information to become a mini-expert.

My definition of a mini-expert is someone who knows enough about a subject to concisely communicate the premise to someone who knows nothing about it. You don’t need to have done the original study or scientific research, but this research is published for all of us to use. Your job as a communicator is to help your audience understand the experts.

Ask Why 3 Times

To become a mini-expert it's not enough to read the first article that pops up on Google. You need to dive in. When you get done reading an article, ask Why … again, and again, and again.

Asking Why 3 times will get you to source questions and source material. Not to mention, your audience is going to ask Why — so you need to have the answers to this question anyway. Asking Why is the most basic form of finding out new information and gaining an understanding of any topic.

So, sound like my 3-year-old — ask Why.

Read aloud or have someone read it — then answer their questions

Your audience is going to have questions, and it is often difficult for us to determine what those questions might be. In addition to reflecting on what questions your audience will have, it can pay off to have someone you trust to provide that feedback as well.

Find someone you trust, and tell them that you want feedback and questions ahead of time so that they’re in that mindset. And share your content with them. If you don’t have answers to their questions — find them out! Hear their feedback and decide how to answer it. A sounding board or second set of eyes is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.

Other types of research

Research isn’t just about understanding your topic. It’s also about understanding your audience. You need to know who you’re communicating with.

If you’re meeting or presenting to a specific small group — do individual research. Who are these people? What are their roles, motivations, and demographics? Who are they?

Similarly, if your audience is a large group or perhaps a target audience online. Ask the same questions as your audience avatar. What are their likes, dislikes, pain points, and motivations?

Once you have these answers, keep them in mind when preparing your content. Address their pain points and speak to their motivations. More to come on the audience in future installments.

Another key type of research that is often overlooked is sensitivity planning. Sensitivity planning or scenario planning helps you to answer the question: What if?

If you are the expert in a subject, not just a mini-expert, it is especially important to have considered alternative scenarios. The example that comes to mind is financial planning and analysis. As a financial planner, you’re the expert in finance — personal finance, let’s say. You’ve put together an optimal portfolio for your client — he or she should be thrilled. You’re showing them how this portfolio has performed in the past, consistently delivering 5–7% returns.

Then the question comes … What if we hit a hard recession? Without sensitivity planning, you’re going to be at a loss for how to answer this question. But if you have looked at various scenarios you can confidently tell your client*:

1. We’ve hedged against recession by investing in bonds and gold as well.
2. The average recession lasts 2 years, so as long as you’re committed to a longer-term strategy, you can expect to recover the return in 5 years.
3. If you’re not comfortable with the longer-term strategy we can re-diversify the portfolio. The annual returns of the alternate portfolio have historically been 3–4% instead of 5–7%, but they are more stable.

Robust research provides a solid foundation on which to build your communication and content. And just as importantly, extensive research on your topic, audience, and scenarios will help you build the confidence that is the most critical aspect of effective communication.

*I am not a certified financial planner, these are only examples and are not intended to be financial analyses or recommendations.

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