5 Principles of Effective Communication
A five-minute lesson: goal, listening, structure, brevity and checking understanding
Five minutes, five principles. Use them in your next email, meeting or chat — and notice how much less time goes into clarifying and redoing work.
The five principles
— A short checklist for any message
1
Know your goal
Before you speak or write, decide what you want the other person to know, feel or do.
2
Listen first
Understand where the other person stands before you explain your view.
3
Structure the message
Main point first, then the reasons, then what you need.
4
Be brief
Cut everything that does not serve the goal. Short is respectful.
5
Check understanding
Ask the other person to summarize or confirm the next step.
Four principles cause the most trouble in practice. Hover over the markers for a quick tip on each.
Subject = the main point. One email, one topic. Put the request and the deadline in the first two lines.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| “Just following up…” | “Could you send the report by Thursday?” |
| “Is that clear?” | “What will you do first?” |
| A long story, then the request | The request, then the context |
If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.
Fewer follow-ups
Clear requests get answered the first time.
Shorter meetings
A stated goal keeps the discussion on track.
Less rework
Checking understanding catches mistakes early.