[00:00:00] Mel: Hi, and welcome to Less Chatter, More Matter, a podcast about all things communication without the waffle. I'm your host, Mel Loy and in this show, I will give you short, punchy, practical communication tips and insights. You can start using in your communication practices right away. I'm a former corporate communication executive who happily took a redundancy, started my own business, and never looked back.

[00:00:27] Mel: These days, I use my 20 plus years of experience to help guide organisations of all shapes and sizes in how to communicate more effectively. I'm wife to Michael, cat mum to Cookie, aunty to 12 nieces and nephews, a yoga teacher, and a group fitness fanatic. I promise these episodes will always be short, sharp, and helpful, so let's get amongst it.

[00:00:52] Mel: Hello, friend, and welcome back to the show. As always, it's an absolute delight to have you join in for a bit of a chat [00:01:00] about comms things we are now well into 2024, which means things are really kicking off. I have training courses about to start client workers ramped up again, and life is just generally busy, but full of fun stuff.

[00:01:14] Mel: So for instance, I have signed up to do a nine week handstands and tumbling course, because I just thought... why not? And I also have a goal to be able to do a controlled handstand, this year so... that will help... I really hope if I don't get injured, fun fact about me: once upon a time, I was a rhythmic gymnast, but that was about 20 million years ago. So let's see how this goes. Speaking of goals, my goal for today's podcast is to provide some clarity on the do's and don'ts of great communication.

[00:01:46] Mel: And we've called this the do this, not that: the comms edition. I'm going to share five big elements of great communication. And even if you've been in comms for a while, I think you'll find this a good refresher because [00:02:00] we all get into bad habits, right? And sometimes we'll be doing the same thing for so long.

[00:02:05] Mel: We just start to cruise without keeping a focus on best practice. And I know I've certainly done that. So this episode is for you if you are new to comms or not. And if you're just wanting a bit of general guidance on what you could be doing to improve your practice. Okay, first cab off the rank in our do this, not that is: do use clear language, do not use jargon.

[00:02:28] Mel: A jargon for those of you who aren't aware is words or phrases that belong to a particular industry, company, or even culture that are not easily understood by everyone else. So. For example, when I first moved into the financial services sector, I was presented with pages and pages of acronyms and terms that were specific to insurance.

[00:02:49] Mel: It was absolutely mind blowing. Similarly, when I worked for Queensland Police Media, there was loads of jargon they used, like issuing a BOLO, which meant to be on the lookout for someone... [00:03:00] or decamped in a southerly direction, which basically meant they just ran away. Now, if you're new to either of those sectors, these words would be completely meaningless, which means as a communicator, you haven't done a great job if you've used them.

[00:03:14] Mel: If your audience cannot understand you, then you haven't communicated. So instead, let's use clear, concise, and concrete language that makes sense to everyone. And this is actually better for accessibility purposes as well, which I'll talk a little bit more about later. I think there's also a sense in some professions more than others, that by using that flowery academic language, that's full of jargon, somehow you come across as having more expertise or being more intelligent, but according to research, the opposite is true.

[00:03:47] Mel: And I do mention this in my book that's coming out, but I love this research so much. I'm going to share it here. So back in 2005, a psychology researcher from Princeton University, Daniel Oppenheimer, conducted a study where [00:04:00] participants were asked to read a piece of writing that was filled with jargon and academic language.

[00:04:06] Mel: Another group of participants were given an edited version that was written in simple, plain English. Now, the topic and the subject matter were exactly the same. It was just the language used that differed. Now, after reading these pieces, the study participants were asked to rate the perceived intelligence of the authors and the readers of the plain, simple English version rated the author's intelligence as 13 percent higher than those who read the fluffy version.

[00:04:34] Mel: So basically being clear and avoiding jargon makes you appear smarter. So do that, not the opposite. So that's the first cab off the rank. Our second do this, not that is to personalise your comms instead of creating a one size fits all approach. Personalisation helps your comms cut through the noise and be memorable because it's just much more relevant and it's delivered in a way that works for your audience, not for you.[00:05:00]

[00:05:00] Mel: It's not just about sending one email and hoping everyone reads it or forwarding on a message from a senior leader as an FYI without giving any context or relevance. It's about responding to your audience's unique needs. Now, I have a personalisation model I use, and again, you'll see an image of this in the book, but for now, I'll just talk through it really quickly. There's three big buckets of personalisation; the first is your communication personality type. And I've spoken about this on the podcast before, so I won't go into it in too much detail, but this is essentially whether or not you're primarily a strategic or a detailed thinker, whether you're more introverted or extroverted and whether you're more auditory or visual when it comes to learning.

[00:05:44] Mel: Now, if you're not sure, I'll pop a link in the show notes to a quick quiz you can take. So that's the first bucket. The second bucket is around diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. So this is about people who have additional requirements, so they can successfully communicate. So people [00:06:00] who might be vision impaired or hearing impaired, for example.

[00:06:03] Mel: But it's also about understanding that our audiences are made up of people who speak different languages and come from different cultures. And that influences communication as well. And the third bucket is what I call curiosity and empathy. So this is about people's context and experiences. So for example, what are they working on right now as a team?

[00:06:25] Mel: What experiences have they had before that could influence how they respond to communication? Uh, what part of the business are they in? What's the economic environment like for people right now when you're communicating to them? All those sorts of things. So to recap, the three buckets are your communication personality type, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and curiosity and empathy.

[00:06:48] Mel: So to personalise we have to cater for those different needs in our audiences and at a big group wide level, there's two ways to do that. Number one is I always recommend repackaging the same [00:07:00] message in at least three different ways to meet as many needs as possible. So for example, the same message might be as an email, maybe an infographic and a video recording.

[00:07:11] Mel: And the second way to personalise is that leaders need to make communication meaningful for their teams. So rather than just passing on the info that's come down to them from up high, they actually need to talk about why it's relevant to their team members in their own words. Also, leaders need to know their team members better than anyone else.

[00:07:30] Mel: So I hope they should be able to deliver the message in the way that works best for the individuals in their team. And doing that can make a huge difference in how well messages get passed down through organisations.

[00:07:45] Mel: Number three in our list of to do and not to do is create engaging visual content. Don't just do talking head videos. There's nothing more boring than a video of some executive just talking at the [00:08:00] camera for three minutes. Yes. Even if you change the angle of the camera or the length of the shot, it's still just a talking head. We know about two thirds of people are primarily visual learners, which means to engage our audiences, we need to create compelling visual content.

[00:08:16] Mel: If you're just going to put a talking head on a screen, you might as well have just done a podcast or shared a transcript. It's absolutely pointless putting that effort in. Video is a very powerful tool, but it has to be done well. So a few tips on creating engaging visual content and avoiding talking head syndrome.

[00:08:35] Mel: Number one, if you do have just one executive speaking, make most of it a voiceover so they can be on the screen at the front and the end, but use animation on the screen for the rest of it to illustrate and highlight the key points, for example. A second way is use a variety of talent in one video. So different voices keep things interesting, but it also better reflects the diversity of [00:09:00] your audiences as well.

[00:09:02] Mel: Our third tip is keep the picture moving. That's what video is after all. So instead of just showing a series of still images, make sure it's dynamic content. And the fourth tip is that above all, keep it short, a maximum of two minutes. Our attention spans are getting shorter, which means video needs to be short and snappy as well.

[00:09:24] Mel: And if you're using visual content like diagrams and those sorts of things. They are amazing, but they need to be easily understood. So just keep that in mind. Keep them simple and make sure they're telling one clear story and not trying to tell too many messages in one image. Okay. This next one is something I'm sure my HR friends will resonate with and apologies in advance, if it gives you PTSD.

[00:09:47] Mel: What I would love us to do is recognise events that align strategically with our business. Instead of recognising all the things. So what I mean by that is there are so many recognition [00:10:00] and cultural days out there. Everything from R U OK? Day to Breast Cancer Awareness Month through to Cinco de Mayo and everything in between.

[00:10:09] Mel: And in some organisations, it can be tempting to recognise almost everything because they fear leaving people out or not being on trend, so to speak. But the reality is that if you try and recognise all the things, then you're genuinely recognising none of the things. So what I recommend is that at the end of each year or early each year, get your exec team together and remind yourselves of your strategic goals and your organisation's values.

[00:10:37] Mel: Then look at all the possible recognition days in a year and make a decision about what you'll recognise at a group wide level. You are going to have to make some tough calls, but that doesn't mean that those other days can't be recognised at a team level if it's important to that particular team, right?

[00:10:53] Mel: But putting some criteria around what to recognise and what not to recognise can help you not only make a decision, [00:11:00] but ensure you put the effort into the right things in the most genuine way. So, for example, if your organisation really values diversity and inclusion, you would consider including days like Wear It Purple, IDAHOBIT International Women's Day, Harmony Day, and so on.

[00:11:17] Mel: If you live in Australia and your organisation is committed to reconciliation, then you'd include National Reconciliation Day and NAIDOC Week, for example. If your organisation works in education, health, or disability, then you'd probably recognise World Autism Day. But a business working in insurance, for example, probably wouldn't because it doesn't align with their strategy and nor would their employees or customers necessarily expect an insurance business to recognise that day.

[00:11:44] Mel: So again, put criteria together to help you make your decisions. And then once you've settled on your calendar, make sure you recognise those days genuinely and with effort. So you actually get something really genuine and good out of the day.

[00:11:58] Mel: Okay, the final in [00:12:00] our top five of do this, not that: the comms edition is do make sure your communications are accessible. Don't ignore it. According to the World Health Organization, one in six people worldwide live with a significant disability. And then you've got people with less significant disabilities alongside those with temporary disabilities. So for example, temporary loss of mobility or hearing due to injury.

[00:12:25] Mel: Now, when you consider those stats, it makes sense that your communication should be more accessible than not. And also from a digital comms perspective, incorporating good accessibility principles in actually improves your search engine optimisation. So that's just another reason to do it right. Now there are loads of things to consider on accessible communication, and I won't go through them all because you can check out a couple of articles on our blog.

[00:12:49] Mel: I'll pop some links in the show notes to those, and you can go back and listen to the interview I did with the expert in this space, Kelly Thibodeau; that's episode 32, and I'll put the link in the show [00:13:00] notes, or you can go to heymelcomms.com.au/032 But, I will share a few tips now to get you thinking.

[00:13:09] Mel: So number one. Always have closed captions on videos. Don't just rely on the AI generated captions either. Make sure you check them for spelling and grammar mistakes. Number two, always provide a transcript for your videos. Apart from the fact it's great for SEO, so when you put those transcripts on your website, for example, it really does boost SEO.

[00:13:30] Mel: It also allows people who can't listen or watch the video to read the script at their own pace. Number three, always add alt text and image descriptions for social media content and website images. And again, with your websites, when you add alt text to images, that also helps boost your SEO as well.

[00:13:49] Mel: Number four, avoid starting sentences with emojis. I see this all the time on social media. The problem is it makes it really clunky for people who use screen readers [00:14:00] to understand your message when you do that. So when you're using emojis as bullet points, it's not great for people who are using those screen readers.

[00:14:07] Mel: So avoid doing that. If you're going to use them, use them at the end of a sentence. My fifth tip is use camel case for hashtags. So what that means is the first letter of each word is capitalised. And again, this helps with people who use screen readers. And the final tip I'll share on accessible communication is if you are holding an in person event,

[00:14:28] Mel: make sure it's accessible for people with mobility issues. So if they've got a wheelchair or they rely on a walking stick, those sorts of things, stairs are not going to cut it. There needs to be accessible access. But also, for example, if you've got vision impaired people or hearing impaired people, make sure they can be seated right up the front, and engage a sign language interpreter if you need to.

[00:14:49] Mel: Now, those are just a few tips. As I said, there's plenty more, but again, I encourage you to go back a few episodes and blog posts and check out Kelly's work as well.

[00:14:59] Mel: [00:15:00] Okay. It's time for our episode recap in our do this, not that: the comms edition episode. We had five top tips in today's episode. Number one was. Do use clear language. Don't use jargon. And remember, clear language means more people will be able to understand your message, which is exactly what we want as communicators. It also makes you appear smarter. Win win. Number two, do personalise. Don't use a one size fits all approach. You are talking to humans, not robots.

[00:15:29] Mel: And humans are complex creatures whose communication is influenced by so many factors. So tailor your communication approach and your message to your audience. Number three, do use engaging visual content. Don't use talking head videos. Keep it short and interesting and put your audience hat on. Would you watch two minutes of a talking head?

[00:15:51] Mel: I know I personally wouldn't. I would tune out after like the first 20 seconds. And remember, we know the majority of people are visual learners. So by creating [00:16:00] engaging visual content, we can resonate with more audience members.

[00:16:04] Mel: Number four, do strategically align with event days. Don't celebrate every recognition day of the year. When you put some really good criteria around it, you can make sure that you can genuinely and thoughtfully recognize these important days and build more credibility as an employer and as a corporate citizen.

[00:16:24] Mel: And number five, make sure your communication is accessible. When one in every sixth person in your audience is likely to live with a Significant disability and many more have less significant or temporary disabilities - it just makes sense to incorporate best practice accessibility principles. And look, most of the time, it's not hard. It's just about getting into some good habits.

[00:16:46] Mel: Okay, folks, that's all we have time for today. If you did enjoy today's episode, do write me a review. Don't leave me wondering. And also I'm keen to hear what you want to learn more about.

[00:16:57] Mel: So do get in touch with your episode [00:17:00] ideas. Don't forget, you can always stay up to date with the latest trends in comms and lots of learning bits and pieces by signing up to my mailing list. You'll join about 1000 other people who hear from me every fortnight, and it's my mission to make sure that mail out is super valuable and never spammy.

[00:17:16] Mel: In the meantime, keep doing amazing things and bye for now.