ABSTRACT
Discovering the Foundations of Message Planning and Delivery
Business people often feel so confident in their ability to communicate that they see little need to prepare. They have had success in past attempts to write or speak and assume that they can use the same techniques regardless of the audience or purpose. Without thinking the situation over, they rely on style over substance-or substance with no style-and the results are disastrous. So, if you have been told that you are articulate and smooth as a communicator, accept the compliment but beware. You can only go so far on “articulate” or “smooth.” You still need to prepare for a speech, interview, meeting, or critical conversation. Or, if you have been told that your ideas are excellent, again, beware. An unfocused purpose, poor organization, or inarticulate delivery can ruin even a potentially powerful message full of excellent ideas. This chapter will introduce you to the five-step strategic approach to professional communication. We call it the Straight Talk Model, which forms the blueprint for better communication, especially in the workplace. As you read, keep in mind that this chapter presents a very broad overview of the model. We will provide additional elaboration in future chapters.
