Part 4: The art of communication
Communication is the life-blood of any vision, endeavor or project. Communication brings clarity, direction and certainty. It eliminates assumptions and brings focus. Good communication helps everybody to know what their role is and what is expected and when. Never trust 'common sense' because it is rarely common. Communicate clearly and you will not be sorry at the end.
What then is good communication ? We can learn the art of communication from Nehemiah our study matter. This is how Nehemiah communicated his vision in Nehemiah 2 v 17 - 18 : Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.
We can divide his communique into 4 aspects .
1. Description of the problem
Before you go any further, explain what the problem, question or need is that you are trying to solve. You need to clearly define and articulate the problem. This is important because we can not solve what we don't know. Nehemiah said to his team, 'You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. ' The problem he was describing was the current state of Jerusalem which was lying in waste. This is an important stage at the start of the project. Therefore tangible ways to communicate the problem should be sought. Nehemiah took his team to the 'site' of the problem, and said to them, 'you see the distress we are in.' He communicated intelligibly, practically and emotionally.
A. Communicating intelligibly
Be clear and not ambiguous. People often say less is more, in this case this statement applies. Don't go rumbling around, be concise, simple and to the point.
B. Communicating practically
Be creative and use communication aids. Play a song, show a video clip, go the the site if possible. Whatever you say, find a way to demonstrate it.
C. Communicate emotionally
What emotion does the current problem solicit? Nehemiah spoke about the distress they are in.
Remember this is the time to really connect with your team. At this stage you have to make sure everybody is clear about your point of departure. I call this stage the diagnosis stage. If you get the diagnosis wrong, the treatment will also be wrong. So this is the critical stage. So do your home work, read and research the problem so your can communicate clearly.
2. Progress update
Nehemiah gave report on what has been done so far. He said, ' And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.' You need to give a report on work done so far, no matter how little. You need to show some traction towards the vision. Otherwise your ideas are just that, ideas. Without any work done your ideas remains just part of your imagination. Remember you are communicating because you need help. Not because you need people to completely do the work for you. Even in business, it is difficult to get funding for an idea that has not been implemented. Especially if the concept of your venture has not been proven. It is vital that as part of your communication, you report on some work you have done and the people you have interacted with.
3. Call to action
Nehemiah said to the people, ' come let us build the wall of Jerusalem ..' There is no point in articulating the problem if you do not present any possible solution at the end. The call to action is the solution to the matter at hand. The call to action is the vision itself. The vision must solve a problem or meet a need otherwise it's irrelevant . Nehemiah's vision can be said to be 'rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem'. At the beginning (step 1) we spoke about describing the problem as the diagnosis stage. The call to action, or vision casting, is the treatment stage. In the case of Nehemiah , the ruined walls brought distress. However the rebuilding will remove the reproach . The vision should always link up with the problem, or address the need.
4. Always get feedback
Any communication strategy is incomplete without any form of feedback. How will you know if anybody got the message if there is no response? Communication is like a two way road, it must go in both directions, from you and back to you. Nehemiah 2 v 18 says,'So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.' The people responded to the vision that was cast before them. The people were clear in terms of what was expected and were eager to do the work.