ABSTRACT
Once you understand your context (your situation, target audiences, and goals with those audiences) and have considered and selected the best medium, message source, and delivery time, organizing the message becomes the critical task. Effective workplace communication requires a sensible arrangement of clearly stated ideas. A haphazard or illogical arrangement of even good ideas will reduce the likelihood of communication success. The Straight Talk Model provides time-tested patterns of arrangement that, although not fool-proof, greatly improve your ability to convey persuasive arguments, clear directives, and uncomfortable or bad news. Communicators who “shoot from the lip,” rather than pre-plan their approach, forfeit one of their most powerful tools-psychologically sound messaging strategies. This chapter discusses the steps necessary to select and arrange message content to maximize its impact on your audience.
