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VIEWPOINT NEWSLETTER 200
7, Issue 2






 

  
What I learned on summer vacation
Different cultures, same problem:  need for insight vs. undigested info

Many of us have jobs that are hard to explain to people outside our industry or function. But this summer, every business person I met – from locations as diverse as Africa, Amsterdam and California – instantly understood the work of Meachin Communications. Regardless of country, company or culture, they’ve all experienced the same problem: presentations that give too much undigested information and not enough insight.

This problem is important because business suffers when companies don’t present their work well. They lose projects to competitors. Clients underestimate their capabilities. Misunderstandings add time and cost to internal projects. Opportunities are missed.

Why aren’t people giving audiences what they want? Some groups are too close to the numbers or methodologies to focus on what the data mean. Others are locked into outdated habits, or just don’t know what well-structured presentations look like. Still others fear that clarity will be perceived as rudeness.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The flexible Communications Logic framework allows people to structure clear messages in culturally acceptable ways. This approach is particularly relevant for firms that operate globally, as the client case study below illustrates. It shows how a major pharmaceutical company applied Communications Logic across its Global Strategic Sourcing function.

Applying Communications Logic across one function, 3 continents
The initial problem: A Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company's Global Strategic Sourcing leaders wanted their teams to present well-structured recommendations and points of view, not just raw data. And they wanted the entire group located on three continents to produce consistently high-quality documents.

The approach: Train all 100+ people in the US, UK and Latin America to use Communications Logic when constructing documents, and give the Directors extra training to serve as coaches. Working in small groups, participants applied Communications Logic to their own documents in progress. The Directors joined their groups in critiquing each person’s structure solution. Every participant also met individually with the instructor to review communications issues.

The outcome: The program was “very well received across the company.” One region’s leader reports that the training “gave my team members a new perspective on how to effectively communicate with their stakeholders. . . .[and] helped me to reach a higher level in the way I sell my ideas and projects.” Communications Logic “has been successfully applied and is making the difference.”

Get in touch if you recognize this problem in your company.


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