Leveled-Up Messaging: Narrow the Gaps

Meredy McClure, CTIE

The tools that technology now provides and the speed at which they’re launched, allow us to create messaging to meet demand quickly, but also invite gaps in delivery. Have you ever listened to a podcast and had to replay sections because you did not understand the speaker – even though the recording is in your native language? Have you watched a video presentation only to replay it over and over because what you were hearing did not match what you were seeing? These are just two examples of messaging gaps that force the listener, viewer, reader, or learner to stop the flow of communication and try to catch up. Again. And again. Technology makes us efficient but skimps on effectiveness if you overlook the proofreading or listening steps that require personal experience. Additionally, do you want your audience to remember at least most if not all of what you said? No matter which tool or method, consideration for communication fundamentals should never be skipped when it is so easy to narrow the gaps.

In our haste to get a proposal or training created and out the door, the basics are too often set aside. The task might be completed but the effectiveness is greatly diminished. Talking quickly to get as much information as possible into a three to five-minute video does not automatically make the information easier to hear and digest. In fact, the effort is wasted if the words and pace are not clearly enunciated. Similarly with a presentation, if the words, text, sound, and visuals do not align, the message is lost.

Communication fundamentals do not change, whereas how, when, and why they’re delivered will evolve with technology and presentation methods. Words matter, and what is spoken or read must align with what is heard and seen. The fundamentals provide the critical differentiator between acceptable and excellent. It is just that simple. Furthermore, too often, intense pressure to deliver a message quickly results in a “good-enough” state when excellence, relevance and effectiveness could be more readily and so easily achieved. This document provides simple, everyday best practices to raise both awareness and the bar on your all-important communication.

Words matter: Learning or Literature?

Learning language, also known as intelligibility, intelligent speech or intelligent writing, references the quality of being possible to understand. Spoken, written, read, heard and global words from a communication perspective must be used so that the target audience learns new information. This is different from literature and illustrates a critical distinction. Literature language is emotive, descriptive, imaginative and leans towards the beautiful travel and marketing brochures we create. Writing for learning is informative, simple, direct, and instructional. We use this for explicit steps our customers need to take when completing their travel paperwork. Due to the global nature of our business, you must count on the fact that what you produce will be translated into a different language for local and regional readers across the globe.

• Cross-cultural communication is increasingly common. Translation is not always stringent, but there are certain indicators that can help determine whether a translation is good or not. This refers not only to English translated into another language, but also English that fails to convey the meaning or context accurately. There are words or phrases that can mean different things, even in English. Examples are slang, idioms, or expressions. An example I’ve heard used in a training session: “Don’t throw them to the wolves” which is not about animals, but rather about protecting from danger or criticism.
• Cultural awareness, literal translations and even word order make a difference. The words we use must ensure accuracy, and that the intended meaning is conveyed clearly and effectively.
• If your words are effective and engaging, the audience will naturally be inspired to absorb, understand, think, and react to your message. We want our communication to make it easy for them to intuitively and seamlessly grasp, organize, and blend what they already know with new concepts. This is the goal of effective communication. Ultimately, what is seen, read and heard, needs to be completely aligned.
• Take care with what you write. Sloppy spelling and incomplete sentences will have a customer questioning if you can manage the details of their ‘round-the-world adventure.

The “Telephone Game”: Verbal Pace and Clarity

Referring to the simple game of whispering a verbal message from one person to another to another around a room, and the last person repeating what they heard aloud – how often is the spoken result the same as the initial message? Unfortunately, it is rare.

• Too often, verbal messages are misunderstood due to speaking rates and enunciation. Even in your native language, words fall into gaps with the most common being that the speaker is talking too quickly or dropping their voice at the end of the sentence. In English, the conversational speaking rate is approximately 150 words per minute (wpm). For intelligibility, aim for about 130 wpm with noticeably clear word articulation and a low range. This means with personality and inflection, but neither a sing-song high and low pitch, nor a robotic monotone pitch. Use a very simple tool such as flaketools.com to easily and quickly determine your speech rate.
• Unfortunately, it needs to be said: be sure to speak in complete sentences. Nothing irritates your audience as much as trying to learn or understand what you’re presenting, when you’re not finishing a sentence or even a concept before starting another. Customers and colleagues alike will appreciate this when listening to you deliver exciting news and vital facts about a new destination!
• Guiding principles for creating communications: Think organically about intelligibility. Create for your learning audience of external and internal customers, composed of those who are new hires and mentees who are starting their careers with limited travel or hospitality background, and also for the savvy advisors and mentors who need a refresher. Do not fall into the position that your audience always knows what you’re talking about. These considerations are critical.
  • Customer-focused – always. Keep your audience in mind and ask others to proof your work before publishing.
  • Consistent – not only for intelligibility, but also for your branding and marketing
  • Confident – create with authority to build trust, know your facts. Remember, you know as much but often more, than your audience.
  • Connected – who is your audience? Put yourself in their shoes. What would you want and need to know? How would you want information communicated to you?
  • Culturally clear – even if you are US-based, you most probably work globally or with others well outside of your backyard. Play it safe by carefully crafting your message.
  • Current – are you delivering information that is brief, relevant, and factual? Does it contain next steps?
• Popular editing tools include Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and Microsoft Editor offer real-time help. AI tools like ChatGPT, MS Copilot, Meta AI, Synthesia and so many more, are readily accessible for grammar, reworking tone, simplifying complex ideas and polishing messaging.

Alignment: Written, Heard, Visual Consistency

To effectively deliver your message and make it meaningful, your audience needs to see and hear and read a consistent flow of information with the same terminology. Think of those who speak English and those who do not. Be careful with sentence structure and words that matter, especially considering the order in which you place them.

A couple of simple visual tips when displaying a screen:

• Be careful with the cursor. It is distracting when the presenter vigorously circles a certain spot to highlight it, whereas resting the cursor next to the spot and holding it still while describing the point is much more effective. Although many platforms can hide the cursor, this feature can be useful when the audience has to follow stepped instructions.
• Do not move from one screen/window to the next too quickly. Remember, your audience is already trying to align your voice, the screen/window and written text. They want to know where you are clicking so they can follow your instructions. You would be wise to frequently say “in the top right corner, click XYZ” for example.
• Closed captioning and text-to-speech: Both of these tools are valuable. Use them wisely to achieve the clarity you seek, being extra diligent in aligning the content and visuals with what the learners see and hear at the same time. Take your time, as now the brain is multi-tasking what the user sees, hears and reads all at the same time.

Style Guide: Consistent Branding, Marketing, Messaging

Do you have a style guide that gives general guidelines for writing, creating, presenting or editing any documentation, communication, visuals or messaging that your location produces? With basic rules and best practices in your native and public language, it serves as an agreed branding and marketing guide for all to follow. The guide should contain technical basics such as text font, colors and logos as well as grammatical rules. You want your customers to recognize your brand when they hear from you. Agree on and set your standards and follow them. Who has a strong understanding of grammar and an eye for visual continuity? This is the type of person who could serve in an editor role on behalf of your office.

The Goal: Knowledge Retention and Action

You are communicating for a reason, aren’t you? For all your effort to create, fine-tune and deliver your messaging, the goal is for your audience to react. If your words are effective and engaging, the audience will be inspired to absorb, understand, think and take the next steps. They’ll remember to call you. They’ll complete their paperwork. They’ll adhere to the payment schedule. They’ll book that South American vacation after being enticed by your marketing description, proposed excursions, recommendations, and competitive pricing. We want our communication to make it easy for them to intuitively and seamlessly grasp, organize, and blend what they already know with new thoughts and understanding. This is effective messaging in practice. Ultimately what is seen, read, and heard must be completely aligned. We do not want to give the reader, listener or learner the chance to divert their attention from the message for even a second or two, if we can help it. Do not give them any opportunity to have to fill in the blanks for the grammar or context or match up too many visuals with what they’re hearing and reading. Any momentary diversion interrupts the flow of understanding, and we don’t want that.

Assumptions: Think First

Do not fall into the assumption that you are always creating for those who know what you’re talking about. Use your mental checklist as you begin: who is my audience? What do they need to know and why? What reaction am I looking to get? What do I need the audience to do and why?

Conversely, don’t be afraid to flip the scenario. What is the question behind their question? Why are they asking me about this and that? Oftentimes, both internal and external customers do not know how to ask their question with your context in mind so that they get the answer they need. Try testing the water by asking or offering information that you feel is relevant and check the reaction. This is building relationships for mutual satisfaction, for now and the long term.

Leveling-Up Your Messaging: Buff and Polish

You’ve been creating materials, done a wonderful job and you are running a successful business.

Ask yourself, is it good enough or is it excellent? Is there room for improvement? Can your product be better? Can your team be better? The information in this document provides the communication fundamentals to raise the bar, showcase your experience, cause a reaction, draw customers to your business product, build relationships by inspiring trust, and enhance your revenue streams.

Consider the following analogy: The product on the left above can be driven just as it is, right now. It runs, it has been checked out, the radio and the windshield wipers work, it includes an adjustable driver’s seat, and it has all the important parts and amenities. It is good enough for its purpose.

However, with gas in the tank and a little buff and polish, the product on the right has power behind it, drives optimally and intuitively makes customers more comfortable. They’ll want to use it, trust it to start up every day and deliver them where they need to go because both the reality and the perception align with the function, emotion, trust, beauty and belief that it is better. It is more attractive. It is dependable. Since all of the fundamental components and now even more are included, they feel good about taking it for a spin right away. They will also be more likely to be adventurous and try the newest controls, buttons and various settings and so on because they feel more comfortable using a product that they see needing and using long-term. Who doesn’t want a product like that? That’s the difference between good enough and excellent.

No matter which method, process, product, or technology currently available nor what is to come, communication fundamentals will still be required to effectively narrow the communication gaps to achieve understanding, action and retention. When you are ready to increase your business, don’t let it be preventable communication gaps that block the stretch from good enough to excellent.