Articulating What You Care About Leads to Better Communication

The following is an explanation and exploration of the first part of Gated's manifesto.

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Communication is defined as the exchanging of ideas.  But in today’s modern world, it often feels like a one-way street.  

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You increasingly receive emails, texts, calls, DMs from people who have something to tell you. They’re often providing something they think is of value, but you don’t.  Sometimes, they’re not even necessarily looking for you to reply.  

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And with the advent of increased automation, we see more and more messages sent that are ‘personalized’ simply by the company you work for, or the title you have.  None of this personalization can (yet) speak to what you’re focused on or the problems that you’re working to solve.  

Even when a thoughtful sender visits your LinkedIn profile, they may understand who you are and what you have done in the past.  But they don’t know the topics you are focused on this week and how you best like to receive communication.  So they resort to sending something they want to talk about in the way that works best for them.

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With the swelling of marketing technology and automation, irrelevant communication only continues to overwhelm us more each day.  So… how do we change this paradigm?

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We believe the first step to improving communication is one that everyone can take for themself: Articulate what you are focused on and how you want to be communicated with.  

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Some real-world examples:

• Out of office messages:  Telling others that you aren’t available, when you will return, and who they can reach in the meantime allows you to make the most of your time away from work.
• User manuals:  Writing guidelines about how you work best helps others collaborate effectively with you.
• OKRs:  Sharing your priorities and goals ensures that you and your colleagues are focused and aligned.
• Public calendar blocking: Sharing what you’re working on, during specific blocks of time, means that others will understand where your head is at - and find the most appropriate time to connect. 

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In every case, being clear on how you want to be communicated with… allows other people to improve on their side as well.  

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Now, imagine if you could help people not just understand when and how you are most receptive to messages, but the topics you are open to hearing about.   

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When we articulate what we are focused on, others have the chance to stop and think before they send that message.  Or the chance to connect on a topic that is mutually beneficial to you both.

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Agree?  Check out the rest of our manifesto - and follow our journey on LinkedIn.