Professional communicators often focus on skills, knowledge and experience as our most important tools. In my view, something much more basic and fundamental distinguishes the best of the best. Your ability to write, plan and strategize all matter, of course — but what matters more is your capacity for empathy.
Communication, at its highest level, is so much more than just pushing out information. This is especially true today, with social media channels facilitating the potential for one-to-one relationships with many of our consumers. True communication is about connection, and that’s where empathy comes in.
Have you taken the time to step into the shoes of your audience? I call this perspective-taking, and it’s an invaluable exercise. Every communication process — whether it’s an in-person conversation with someone or a product launch — starts here. That’s why many marketing experts advocate for the creation of buyer personas. These profiles of our typical customer help inform our approach, but more than that, they help us envision an actual person who is at the other end of the communication process. What are they like? What do they care about? How much free time do they have? What motivates them? What turns them off?
Even leaders, talking to team members, do well to start with perspective-taking. To help with this process, use the following questions as a checklist:
- When it comes to the issue at hand, what does my audience already know? Is this a new topic, or is it something they’ve likely already heard about? This awareness can help you understand how much background information you need to provide.
- How is the audience likely to feel about the issue? This line of thought will help you refine your tone. It can also help you get ahead of potential bumps in the road, so you won’t be taken by surprise.
- How is the audience likely to feel about the source of this information? This question is a bookend to the one above. Are there any reputational red flags, for the organization or the person sharing a message, that would make it harder for the audience to accept? If so, how can that be managed? Many organizations are taken by surprise when they don’t consider this issue, and you don’t want to be among them.
- How relevant is this topic to this audience? As communicators, we always start with the organizational perspective. But we can’t end there. Our role is to help manage relationships between our company and its audiences, which can include employees, customers, vendors or other partners. This requires us to be realistic about relevance. It also shifts our focus from ourselves to our audience. Put your priorities aside for a moment by taking off your organizational hat and stepping into the shoes of your audience. What do they really want and need, and how can we help? Highly effective campaigns reflect this line of thinking, and the best organizations embrace it as part of their mission to remain customer-focused.
Many view empathy as a soft skill, but in reality, it should be at the heart of your planning process. Adopting this approach can help your organization connect more effectively with all your target audiences.
Explore my blog for more insight into communication-related topics.
wshetman 