This article are my thoughts on the Art of Good Communication – Visualisation.
I was on a webinar recently that focussed on helping businesses develop and grow. A key message delivered by all the speakers was that success rarely happens by accident and is driven by the people in charge – the leaders and/or owners.
A key part of that success is the ability to create a good strategy for the business. But almost as important, is the ability to communicate that strategy effectively to their team. This enables them to understand the objectives and execute well against the plan.
I have found a valuable tool for delivering effective communication is using concept and idea visualisation. Some people just think more visually and can grasp concepts much easier through visualisation.
Getting Your Value Proposition Right
For example, in my opinion, effective communication starts with a well-articulated Value Proposition for the business. This needs to succinctly describe the key value a business delivers to customers.
A few year ago, I was developing various training modules, including one for developing a Value Proposition. Whilst doing some research for the module, I came across a great generic description. I found this in an article from the Wharton Business School in the USA. I believe it captures well the essence of a value proposition.
“What we uniquely do well and for whom.”
Wharton Business School
Getting this right, is really important, to clearly articulate what you believe is the key benefits of your business. What I really like about this statement is the “for whom” statement at the end.
A common mistake people make, when talking to a new prospective customer is telling them at great length what they do, but not making the effort to articulate what they can do for them.
You can expand on this generic definition:
- For (target customers)
- Who are dissatisfied with (the current alternative)
- Our product is a (new product)
- That provides (key problem-solving capability)
- Unlike (the product alternative)
Once you have developed your proposition, it is essential that your team understands it and can reflect it in their day to day work. If your team doesn’t understand your business proposition, then then you may struggle communicating your strategy to your own team, as well as with customers.
The examples above are quite wordy, so I like to take that and articulate it visually. For example, I use this tiered visualisation to help businesses articulate their business value proposition
To see an example of this, here is what it looks like for the disruptive business Uber:
Personally, I find this structure really simple to grasp and it works well for most businesses. It can be very helpful for Marketing teams to hone down their marketing messages for different customer groups.
Hopefully, this shows you what I mean about:
The Art of Good Communication – Visualisation.
Beyond the value proposition there are several other visualisations that I find really effective when helping business develop and communicate their strategy, especially internally.
On the recent webinar that I mentioned, I saw this great visualisation: “Map of Plans.” I have seen variants of this before and have used it myself. I found it especially useful for deciding priorities for a Product Development roadmap.
This clearly visualises two of the key factors that determine project priorities. Project A in this diagram is the obvious choice to give priority. It is relatively easy to do and could have significant impact on the business.
Another visualisation that can help when setting project priorities is this one that illustrates a common dilemma in any production process:
Speed, Quality or Cost?
In the trade-off between Speed, Quality and Cost, you can only pick two out of three.
These are just some simple examples of great visualisations that can aid in your decision making and corporate communications, both internal and external.
What are your favourite examples of concept visualisation? Please share any examples in the comments.
Can we help?
If you struggle with communication and priority setting, then working with an impartial external consultant can really help.
I offer a free 30-minute call to discuss, your challenges and how we might collaborate and benefit your business.
If I think I can help you, I will tell you how, why and we can take it from there.
Dave Mutton
Please get in touch on Linkedin, or via my website.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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