LOST IN TRANSLATION

In 2019, right in the thick of working on my master’s in communication, I had the opportunity to visit the gorgeous country of Colombia. It was magical, beautiful, and I wish I’d had more than 6 days to enjoy it. I met the most amazing people, ate the most amazing food, and saw some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. One of those places was the salt mine at Zipaquira. It was awesome! When I was done walking through it, I visited the gift shop to see what kind of goodies I could procure to bring home.

This would prove a little difficult since I didn’t speak Spanish and the nice lady at the counter didn’t speak English. Our conversation was quickly lost in translation because we had no idea what each other was saying. Luckily, I had Google translate on my phone and we were able to communicate using that as our translator! (I may or may not have left with a Colombian emerald ring and way too many trinkets to count…).

Remembering that encounter got me thinking. What if we are working so hard to say the right things and communicate effectively, but our message is getting lost in the process? Google translate can’t always be there to save the day.

Luckily, there is an easy way to ensure that your message is received and understood when you communicate with your audience, but it is up to you to ensure that you craft your message in the right way to get it to land appropriately. 

There are three things to consider when crafting any message for your audience: 

Clarity, Simplicity, and Relativity.

While I have talked about these before, they are very important to ensuring your communication is effective, so let’s dive into them again!

CLARITY

The first step to creating messages that will reach your audience is to get clarity on what you want to say. This can be quite the process so if it takes you a few times and some trial and error to get it right, don’t fret. There are a few ways you can work on clarity. Here are my two favorites:

1. Partner up with a friend or business associate (a mentor or a coach is great for this exercise) and ask them to ask you what your message is. What do you want your audience to hear? Then say it out loud. Use a recording device so you can refer to it later. Usually on the first try, you will say way too much, and the important stuff will get lost in all the words you use. Repeat the exercise a few times until you have a crystal-clear way to say what you need to say.
2. If you don’t have someone handy to bounce words on, try using a pen and paper (yes, an actual pen and piece of paper, not a google doc) to write down what you do or what message you are working toward. Write everything that comes to mind for about 10 minutes. Then organize everything you wrote down into a list. From there, whittle it down even further to the core of what you do or what you are trying to say. Then you have a clear statement that you can build on!

SIMPLICITY

1. Simplicity is king. If you feel like what you are saying is too wordy, it probably is. Don’t say in 27 words what you can say in 12. Words are powerful, they carry impact, but can also dilute your message if you use too many of them when they aren’t needed. Use the right words that will drive your message straight where you want it. The best way to ensure your message hits home is to keep it as clear and simple as possible! For more on keeping it simple, click HERE to read my previous post on this hot topic!

RELATIVITY

1. The last thing to consider when creating your messaging and speaking to people, is relativity. How does your message relate to their needs? DOES your message relate to them and their needs? You might have the best product or service in the world but if you don’t talk about it in a way that your audience will relate to, you won’t get anyone in the door. You, your words, your offering; all of these must have relativity to the needs and desires of your audience. 

Don’t let your messages get lost in translation. Remember to keep it clear and simple and make sure your message relates to your audience’s needs!

I hope you find this post helpful within your business! Check back next Tuesday for more ways to find solutions through communication! Want to dive deeper into how to win with your communication? Click HERE to book a strategy session with me! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Ciao for now!