Ever wanted your business communications to have more impact, and to result in action? Here's a simple structure that you can use. Find your communication preference to find out what areas of communication you might overlook, or areas you might labour! Become an effective communicator by using WHY, WHAT, HOW and WHAT-IF.

1. Suzanne Hazelton
working with individuals and teams to
THRIVE!
Communicate
Effectively in
Business

2. Whistle stop tour of the next
90 mins ….
• We have preferences to the way we
communicate with others – what’s yours?
• To have more impact – it’s useful to develop
flexibility in the way you communicate (not
just using your preference)
• Introducing a structure to enable your
communications to have impact and get heard

3. As you look at the picture you might be asking
yourself some questions (jot them down)
Exploring the concept of ‘preference’

4. How people take in information
How they make decisions
4
PS – there are no right answers – people need different types of information, and make
their decisions differently in order to come to action.

5. The questions you ask might include:
• Am I in the right Centra
session?
• Why is there a tin of soup
on this page?
• What’s tomato soup got to
do with training
• How is she going to link
soup to facilitation?
• I wonder how we might use
more pictures in our
courses?
• … none of the above!

6. Your communication repertoire can be
expanded
• With a communication
preference or habit
– you might ‘miss’ information
that would be useful to
others
– You might ‘over do’ some
other aspects of your
communication

7. Starter
Main Course
Dessert
Your preference might mean you skip
the starter, but it may be important for
others …
In business communications – it’s useful to
communicate to all tastes. Aim for impact and action.

8. This approach has been adapted
from Bernice McCarthy. She pulled
together the work of a number of
people with her 4MAT system.
David Kolb, Kurt Lewin + others

9. Improvement
Motivation /
Engagement
Action Clarity
Communicate for impact and action
Communicate in a way that people are motivated, clear on what they need to do, know
what action to take and have the opportunity to question / propose improvements.

10. WHAT IF
Improvement
WHY
Motivation /
Engagement
HOW
Action
WHAT
Clarity
Communicate for impact and action
Mini “what”
Easy to remember:
Why, What,
How, What-if

11. Review / other
applications
Improvement
Purpose / Reasons /
Benefits
Motivation /
Engagement
First steps / who does
what
Action
Relevant:
- facts
- theories
- background
Clarity
What to include …

12. WHAT IF
Review / other
applications
Improvement
WHY
Purpose / Reasons /
Benefits
Motivation /
Engagement
HOW
First steps / who does
what
Action
WHAT
Relevant
- facts
- Theories
- background
Clarity
Communicate for impact and action
Mini “what”

13. As you looked at the soup picture you might be
asking yourself some questions …
WHAT IF
I wonder how
we might use
more pictures in
our courses?
Improvement
WHY
Why is there a
tin of soup on
this page?
Motivation /
Engagement
HOW
How is she
going to link this
to facilitation?
Action
WHAT
What’s tomato
soup got to do
with training
Clarity

14. WHAT IF WHY
HOW WHAT
Just 4 words to remember for effective
communication
Mini “what”

15. Question …
• When I train this, I sometimes use an activity
… would you be interested in doing it so that
you find out your natural strengths and areas
you may wish to pay more attention to?

16. Activity

17. Identifying Kolb Habits
• Individually take 2 mins to prepare a short “briefing”
on one of the following
– Office relocation
– End of project party
– Subject of your choice
• (suggest you keep the topic simple)
As a result of the briefing you’re seeking for the person to
“be involved” in some way. This is a “conversation with a
purpose” (not a friendly chat)

18. Identifying Kolb Habits
• Having prepared your briefing, work in pairs
(breakout rooms)
– 1st person talks
– 2nd person listens, and notes down what they hear
(a tick when you hear a comment for the
quadrant)
– Then feedback
• Swap
WHY?
WHAT?HOW?
WHAT IF?

19. Review
• Even knowing the quadrants … it does seem that
naturally we find it easier to do some than others …
• If you did the activity … what did you notice?
• What happens if someone doesn’t communicate the:
– Why
– What
– How
– What if WHY?
WHAT?HOW?
WHAT IF?

20. Diagnosing Communication Problems
• No why … no motivation. Example from
UK corporate “don’t buy colour print
cartridges”. Came across “petty” – until
the annual spend was compared to saving
jobs.
• No what …. Not typically a weakness – but
lack of clarity … if lots of why and how –
people running round like headless
chickens
• No how … ever been in meetings where
there’s no action …. Where people talk
“about” it,
• No what if … where lessons aren’t applied
… were no critical thinking takes place.

21. OK, that’s the theory …
• What questions do you have?
• How do you see yourself using this?

22. Objectives
• Understand there are preferences in the way
we communicate which can impact your
effectiveness
• Develop flexibility in the way you
communicate (not just using your preference)
• Have a structure to enable your
communications to have impact and get heard
– and result in action

23. Take a moment

24. Your feedback
What you’d have liked different?What worked

25. Reference
• “Hold on, you lost me” McCarthy,May 2007

26. Contact Details
• suzanne@thebusinessofchange.co.uk
• Blog: www.suzannehazelton.com
• Web: www.thebusinessofchange.co.uk
• Twitter: @SuzanneHazelton
• FREE CHAPTER:
http://www.johnsonfellowes.co.uk/resources
/raise-your-game/

27. Backup slides

28. Summary
WHY?
WHAT?HOW?
WHAT IF?
Information
Background / data
Scope / Spec
Models / Theories
Reasons
Purpose - overall
Benefit (you / team /
business)
Risks / gaps
Contingencies
Other applications
Methods
Problem solving
1st Steps
Who’s doing what
Get things moving
motivation
clarityaction
improve plan
Mini what

29. THRIVE!
Coaching