Structure plays a crucial role in both persuasive and clear communication. While it might not always seem important, it is similar to the process of building a structure.
If you've ever watched a building go up, you understand the importance of structure. Laying the foundation takes time, but it’s essential for the building's stability. A crack in the foundation can lead to serious damage or even collapse.
Once the foundation is set, the next step is constructing the framework that holds everything together. Building the walls and adding the roof establish the context for all the finer details to follow, both on the inside and outside.
This initial phase of construction is vital and often time-consuming, but it may not feel rewarding since the final result isn't immediately visible.
Structure
Clear communication follows the same principle. Laying a solid foundation and organizing your thoughts requires careful effort, but once it's done, you'll be on a new path to mastering the power of thinking and speaking effectively in the realm of clear communication.
When you structure your thoughts properly, your communication will come out clear and effective to others.
Structure is the core of our THOUGHT-Talk System®. By understanding how your brain works and how communication thrives with structure, you'll be better prepared to navigate the overwhelming flow of information that surrounds us at lightning speed.
Incorporating structure into your communication sharpens your ability to think and speak clearly, which is crucial for both career growth and personal success. So, take your time and focus on building a clear structure for your communication. When you do, you'll significantly enhance your ability to communicate effectively.
Structure Demands Behavior
Most work and much of life revolve around solving problems. Your job exists because you address a particular problem for someone.
The same applies to communication. It often revolves around identifying problems and providing solutions. Clear communication follows a similar structural pattern to many other things you aim to achieve. The problems you face typically involve one or more of the following: being rudderless, blind, or unfocused.
When you're rudderless, you lack a clear direction. In sailing, if you have a rudder pointing to an unknown destination or no rudder at all, what's the difference?
Being blind refers to a lack of clarity about the facts and the true state of things. It's like a jet aircraft with a malfunctioning instrument panel—you won't have much chance of staying on course.
Finally, when you're unfocused, your actions are inconsistent and uncoordinated, preventing you from reaching a clear goal. Your efforts become reactive, like trying to extinguish brush fires.
In communication, being rudderless, blind, and unfocused can lead to disaster.
The Solution
The key to overcoming this dangerous trinity is focusing on the future, the present, and the transition. For simplicity, we call these THERE, HERE, and PATH.
- THERE refers to the destination you want to reach in the future.
- HERE is your current position or present situation.
- PATH is the journey you take from HERE to THERE, the plan or strategy that guides you.
In clear communication, you first think about what you want your audience to understand or the outcome you want to achieve (THERE). Next, consider what the listener already knows or needs to know (HERE). With these two points in mind, you create a PATH to help them move from their current understanding (HERE) to the desired outcome (THERE).
The THERE-HERE-PATH process is part of a simple, broader three-step approach:
1. Plan
- THERE – Determine a clear end result or goal for your communication.
- HERE – Assess the current situation, taking into account what you know, what your audience knows, and any gaps in knowledge on both sides.
- PATH – Identify the actions and strategies (or "recipes") that will help you communicate effectively.
2. Execute
- Take immediate action on the first step of your plan. Even starting with something small, like preheating the oven, gets you moving forward!
- Refine your approach as you progress by intentionally following a cycle of ALA (Acting, Learning, and Adjusting). After each action, reflect on what you've learned and determine what the next best step is. Often, this next step will involve adjusting your original plan.
3. Persist
- Persevere and make a commitment to never stop—let "quit quitting" become a core principle of your mindset.
- Keep in mind, you're following a process to find and implement solutions.
"The creative process has had more impact, power, influence, and success than any other process in history. All of the arts, many of the sciences, architecture, pop culture and the entire technological age we live in, exists because of the creative process." - Robert Fritz, Creating
Structured Communication
Any discussion about structure needs to include “tension seeks resolution.” Especially when using structure in communication.
“In thinking about structures, it is important to recognize one of the greatest structures in the universe: Tension Seeks Resolution” (Robert Fritz).
While we often refer to it as "tension seeks relief," the idea is that items “want” to come together.
- Questions Seek Answers
- Hunger Seeks Food
- Loneliness Seeks Companionship
- Water Seeks the Lowest Place
- Headache Seeks Quiet
- Knock Knock Seeks Who’s There
Structures Are Everywhere
A structure is simply the relationship formed between connected elements. Structures are everywhere, and they shape the outcomes that follow.
Take jokes, for instance—they have a specific structure. "Knock knock," it begins. "Who's there?" it continues. "Police..." ... "Police who?" "Police, let’s quit telling Knock Knock jokes."
Whether it’s the structure of the brain, a building, or a presentation, each one dictates a particular behavior, response, or reaction. For example, if you're 6 feet tall and want to stand up straight in a room with a 4-foot ceiling, the structure limits you. Structure demands behavior—and more often than not, it prevails.
When you fail to provide a solid communication structure, you're left with a poor one. A weak structure communicates unclear thinking and confusing words. The problem begins with your thoughts: if they're disorganized, your words will be too. But, if you construct a clear framework for your message, you’ll produce clear communication.
This means you can structure persuasion in a way that’s effective. While there are no guarantees in life, if you organize your thoughts and words well, the chances are high that you’ll communicate clearly.
And that slight advantage is often all you need to stand out.