I was having coffee this morning with one of my favorite clients who owns and runs both a home inspection and home renovation business. Bob is a wise man and when we were talking about his philosophy on writing inspection reports and communicating with his clients, he shared two philosophies that I thought are shear brilliance in their simplicity. These can be applied by every person who communicates with others as part of their work. THAT’S EVERYONE!
- When communicating anything think about a mini-skirt. Short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the important parts
- When your expertise is called for, think FOG.
F – give the straight Facts
O – state your Opinion
G – provide Guidance
Bob’s experience is that people value highly conciseness and aren’t impressed by “filler” that attempts to show how much you know, but clouds the important message.
What conversation are you having today where you will apply Bob’s rules for communicating?