GYCZ – Progressives Fail To Communicate

I saw this post on Twitter/X earlier this year and loved the opinion expressed. @PeterHRatcliffe stated that ‘Progressives’ believe their ideas make perfect sense and then fail to communicate their ideas well.

Driving Change & Agreement on Issues

It’s a fair comment, however I’ll add that, not only Progressives, but every speaker, every communicator, has a responsibility to communicate their ideas well.  It’s especially important when you wish to encourage, promote, or drive change.

 Here’s a link to the tweet https://x.com/PeterHRatcliffe/status/1805900850709004459

 

A Simple Model for Driving Change

Here’s a model for driving change that can be used if you’re delivering a single presentation, or delivering a series of presentations over a longer period for a more complicated issue.

1.   Define the Problem or Issue

The primary purpose of a speech is to inform, persuade, or entertain. When exploring change or introducing a new concept to an audience, it will be difficult to persuade. First, you need to inform about the problem or issue, and to get concurrence that the problem exists and is significant. If the audience doesn’t accept that there is a problem or issue, then they will never be persuaded to think differently or act differently.

With a new concept, your goal must be to get concurrence that there is an issue and have the audience eager to pursue solutions.

Problem definitions should be short, simple and clear. I’m confident that everyone reading this post has heard a speaker explain with passion what he perceives as an issue, but you remain unclear of the exact issue.  The problem ideally should be reduced to one simple sentence.

2.   Develop Alternatives

Once your audience agrees there is an issue, and is willing to invest time, energy, and money, it’s time to describe or develop possible solutions.  Ideas could be developed during a team exercise, or you might present a series of options and invite other ideas from the audience. In my opinion, it’s always advisable to engage the audience and let them voice their ideas.

3.   Select a Solution

There are many methods to assist a team in selecting an alternative once the alternatives have been thoroughly discussed.  People need to be heard, and to feel that they’ve been heard. 

Approaches include SWOT analysis, Nominal Group Technique with ranking, listing of pros and cons, and dot voting Dot Voting

 

Conclusion

The primary purpose of a speech is to inform, persuade, or entertain. If you’re planning to speak with an ultimate goal to enable a group decision, you better be very clear.  If you’re not clear it will be very difficult to get your audience on board, and you’re likely to become frustrated with your lack of progress.

Every speaker, every communicator, has a responsibility to communicate their ideas well.  Public speaking is a skill.  Skills require practice.