Think of a 500-piece puzzle. Heck, think of a 50-piece puzzle. Either way you begin by dumping out all of those jigsawed pieces on a table. The very first thing you do is find the four corners. You build from there.

Same principle applies to the way you communicate. Whether you are delivering a company business update, or you’re on a panel about how Wall Street evaluates your organization, or you’re writing an email – you begin by developing your “four corners”.

Your four “corners”/components:

FIRST CORNER — Your Audience: Who are you talking to and what do they need/want to know? How can you meet and exceed their expectations?

SECOND CORNER — Your SOP: What’s your Statement of Purpose? What’s your overarching theme? If this were a book, what’s the title? If this is an email, what’s the concise subject header?

THIRD CORNER — Your ROI: What’s their Return On Investment? What will your audience gain from listening to you (at the lectern, in the office, on the golf course, or by email)? Will you save them time and money? Will you increase their competitive advantage? Will you make them happier or stop their headaches?

FOURTH CORNER — Your CTA: What’s your Call To Action? After listening to you or reading your digital info what do you want them to do, think or feel? How are you challenging them? What are your “next steps”?

Your next steps: When you communicate formally, informally or electronically, develop your Statement of Purpose, ROI, and Call to Action while knowing exactly who your audience is.

© Photo: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_irrrina’>irrrina / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

© Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S., author of 3 books and President of Speak For Yourself®, works with decision makers on how to speak with gravitas. It’s all in how you speak for yourself. Karen also speaks about her cousin, Albert Einstein, in a message about hope, resilience and brassieres.