Xceed Way - Communication (1)

OUR PEOPLE ARE YOUR ASSETS
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info@xceedgroup.com www.xceedgroup.com © Xceed Consultancy
Services LtdXIPXW00 : Version 1 – Feb 2012
our people are your assets
Xceed Way
Communication
by Dan Russon
October 2012

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Services LtdXIPXW10 : Version 1 – October 2012
confidential
Introduction
Communication is the most important skill for Xceed
Consultants. It is frequently cited by clients & colleagues
as the most important competency for Consultants. It
also goes a long way to making a good, or bad, first
impression.
If ‘perception is reality’ then mastering communication
is the key to ensuring a positive perception. Delivering
results is very important, but can only be demonstrated
over time and, with poor Comms, that’s time you might
never get.
This isn’t an exhaustive manual for Comms Best Practice,
and we’re always keen to hear new ideas. However, we
hope you find the research and suggestions outlined in
this document informative, interesting and useful.
We’ll cover the essential basics with practical tips & tools.
We’ll also introduce some more unusual, but empirically
proven, concepts that would need a book to explain in
detail. So we’ve also listed key sources and references for
those keen to delve deeper into the deceptively complex
world of Communication.
Communication is
something so simple and
difficult that we can never
put it in simple words.
T.S. Matthews.

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Contents
The Shapes of Communication
The Matrix, The Triangles, The Square & The Circle of
great communication.
Guiding Principles
Never, Always and Consider – basic principles to work by
Practical Tools & Tips
Stakeholder communication plans & mapping
Writing Style & Grammar
Orwell’s Rules updated & Seven Simple Steps –
Put the reader first
Packaging & Non-verbal Communication
Cognitive Ease & Packaging: Body Language,
Intonation, Choice of Words & Ambience
Assertive vs Aggressive
The difference and tips for improving Assertiveness
Listening
The number 1 key to effective Communication
Recap of Key Points
A summary list of all Key Points from the document
References & Further Reading
For those keen to explore further

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Shapes of Communication
The Matrix: Where are you? Where do you want to be?
Communication is a skill with many parts. Like all important
skills it requires practice and reviewing. Everyone can improve.
If you can demonstrate high skill at the same time as being
‘genuine’ then your presence, impact and charisma will shine
through.
The more compelling the communication, the more memorable
& believable it becomes.
Good communication is
as stimulating as black
coffee, and just as hard to
sleep after.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
KEY POINT :
Communication is a skill. Like
all skills, it requires practice to
maintain & improve.
High Skill
Low Skill
Performance Being Real
Polished
Uncomfortable
Presence
Homespun
Slick
Awkward
Impact
Naive
Credibility
Amateur
Charisma
Convincing
Bless them
Embarrassingly
Painful
An Act
Unconvincing
Con Artist
The Triangles of Communication
The volume & medium of communication should be proportional
to the importance of the message. Also consider the available
time, relevance & interest of the audience. Triangles of
Communication are one way of remembering this.
Audience Type Message & Medium
Project
Team
Department Heads
Organisation
Project Report & Plan
Project Summary
by e-mail
Newsletter/
Intranet
=
=
=

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The Square of Communication
There are five key areas to consider for all key communications, best illustrated by another
shape; The Square of Communication.
Never try and get important
points across when your audience
is pushed for time. You need
time to listen to them as well as
making your point so timing is
key. Timing can also be strategic;
many messages have an optimal
time and place, identifying it and
waiting for it will increase impact
& acceptance.
It’s easy to get side-tracked and
lose focus; if you’re not clear
on your agenda your chances
of success are limited. It can be
helpful to openly state your agenda
at the outset, even having it written
down. It can also be beneficial to
ask them their agenda or goal from
the conversation. Satisfying their
agenda first often makes them
more receptive and responsive to
yours.
Think seriously about the best
medium for your message. Face-
to-face, email, phone call, letter,
text or Tweet? We encourage face
to face wherever practical but
there are times when not being in
the same room can help. It allows
you to carefully construct your
message, seek peer feedback or
refer to detailed notes. It gives
your audience time to digest your
message before responding. It can
also remove emotion and give you
a valuable audit trail. Sometimes
you will get the best results by
communicating via a third party.
Does your message need peace,
quiet and privacy? If it’s important
you need to minimise distraction &
interruption. If it’s a negotiation,
neutral territory can be beneficial.
Right Person
The most common cause of miscommunication, and a
frequent source of frustration, stems from people not
identifying, or avoiding speaking directly to, the right
person. It’s easy to talk to someone you know or someone
friendly, but are they THE best person for what you need?
Right Time
Right Agenda
Right Place
Right Way

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The Circle of Communication
Another common cause of frustration is the assumption that by sending a message your job is
complete, it isn’t. Just because you’ve told someone something, or sent them a message does
not mean they will have seen, understood or accepted that message. Apply this to all of your
communications and you’ll rapidly see results, eliminating wasted time, misunderstanding and
your own frustration.
To illustrate we’ll call you the Sender and your target audience the Receiver. When in the role of
Sender many people work on a linear basis and assume their job is complete:
Great Consultants appreciate that following up to ensure reception and comprehension is part of
the Sender’s job. Don’t get frustrated at a lack of response if you haven’t followed up to confirm
or offered more time to clarify. This is especially true with senior stakeholders, a simple “Can I
check you got my note on X? Let me know if you have any questions” never hurts. Don’t be shy
of following-up and never expect others to be as responsive as you may be.
Receiver Role
As Receiver you can help the Sender
and present a helpful professional
image by acknowledging receipt
of the Message. Be pro-active with
clarification questions and where
appropriate an ETA for any action
or response requested of you. If
a question is asked, or an action
requested, a lack of response can
be interpreted by the Sender in
a number of ways, none of them
positive. If in any doubt, check with
the Sender before considering the
Receive function to be complete.
Sender ReceiverMessage
It’s your job
as Sender to
check receipt and
understanding. You may
need to clarify, you will
often have to chase.
This is especially true for
email but is also useful face-
to-face. Recap and check
mutual understanding
don’t assume it.
Sender
Receiver
CheckClarify
Chase
Nothing is so
simple that
it cannot be
misunderstood.
Freeman Teague. Jr
The single biggest
problem with
communication is
the illusion that it
has taken place.
George Bernard Shaw
KEY POINT :
Just because you’ve sent a
message, doesn’t mean it’s been
received or understood. It’s your
job to Check, Clarify & Chase.

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Guiding Principles
Always
Simple is best; clear and to the point is important. If
you have an important point, don’t crowd your message
with context and qualification.
Know your audience; there’s no better way than asking
them how & when they prefer to receive communication.
One size & style does not fit all.
Short is sweet; however short and meaningful is very
difficult to achieve. Start long and edit until only the
critical points are left. If you’re repeating something, do
it consciously for impact rather than due to poor proof
reading.
Be prepared; preparing yourself is the best thing
you can do to enhance your chances of success in an
important conversation or communication.
Positive & polite; basic but critically important. It’s
fine to constructively point out challenges, hurdles and
obstacles. However, don’t criticise or apportion blame
and never be negative in your communication.
Too much is better than too little; if in doubt as to the
desired frequency of communication with a stakeholder,
being too informative is far better than needing to be
chased. If it’s too much they’ll tell you; if they have to
chase you, you’re off to a bad start.
Peer Review; get a trusted colleague or contact to review
key messages for you. Pilot your key communications
with a small and safe audience, they can almost always
be improved.
If you can’t explain it to
a six year old, you don’t
understand it yourself.
Albert Einstein
I am sorry for the length
of my letter, but I had not
the time to write a short
one. Blaise Pascal
KEY POINT :
Cut the fat. Keep it simple. Say
what you mean.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
took just over 2 minutes to deliver
and consisted of approximately
270 words. That’s just a couple of
paragraphs to change history.

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Guiding Principles
Never
Hide behind emails & your lap-top. Face to face is the best
way to deliver most messages as you can immediately
gauge reception and understanding. Misinterpreted
email stories abound for good reason.
Be Aggressive; being assertive has its place, aggression
never does. Understand the difference and work on
assertiveness.
Respond ‘on tilt’; a poker term for betting carelessly
after losing a big hand. If your emotions are high you
should be very circumspect about responding quickly.
Try composing the note but not sending it. Leave it for
an hour or a day; you’ll probably edit it when you revisit.
If not, at least you’ve made a considered decision.
Commit criticism to paper or an email that you
wouldn’t be able to justify if it were seen by the subject
of the communication. True for clients, competitors &
colleagues.
Rely on materials; Steve Jobs hated PowerPoint, and
not just because it was a Microsoft product. He argued
that if someone needed to rely on Keynote, Ppt or a set
of notes then they didn’t know their subject well enough
to convince him of anything.
The more elaborate our
means of communication,
the less we communicate.
Joseph Priestly
True interactivity is not
about clicking on icons
or downloading files,
it’s about encouraging
communication.
Edwin Schlossberg
KEY POINT :
First drafts are never the best
drafts.

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Consider
People remember the start and the end of any
communication far more than they remember the middle,
unless you use some smart tricks & techniques. It’s why
the old adage; ‘tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell
them and tell them what you’ve told them’ remains valid.
Mild shock is memorable and one way of getting a key
point in the middle of a communication to be remembered.
This can be done by the juxtaposition of what goes before
it and just after it. Think of the structure of many jokes;
they lead people in one direction where you think you
know what’s coming and by changing tack they grab and
hold your testicles (or attention). Mild shock can increase
the chances of your message standing out.
Eats, shoots & leaves; the title of a popular Lynne Truss
book on grammar, specifically punctuation. You don’t
need to be perfect. You do need to know that a misplaced
comma, or colon: can completely change, the meaning
of; a sentence, not just, the, flow. Get the basics right
though if you want to be taken seriously.
Animal Magic; you can also consider what ‘Animal’
they are (ask us for the Animal test if you don’t know
what it is). For example, ‘Lions’ respond to hard-hitting
headlines, urgency and brevity. ‘Owls’ will need the full
facts, detailed data and time to digest.
Humour can strengthen relationships and rapport and
make your audience look forward to interacting with
you. However, humour is highly subjective; one person’s
rib-tickler is another person’s HR tribunal. If in doubt,
leave it out. If you do know your audience well enough
to use humour then the safest form of humour is self-
deprecating humour, where you’re the butt of the joke.
International; communicating effectively with non-UK
stakeholders can be a minefield and there are peculiarities
specific to most countries & continents. The short-hand
version is to simply increase professionalism and clarity.
Always apply the Check & Clarifying steps from the Circle
of Comms. Misunderstandings are common so be wary of
idioms and colloquialisms, remove obtuse words, and be
extra careful with humour. Some cultures find humour in
meetings to be inappropriate and rude, in others it can
be essential.
I’ve learned that people
will forget what you said,
people will forget what you
did, but people will never
forget how you made them
feel. Maya Angelou
KEY POINT :
Preparing yourself is the best
thing that you can do to enhance
your chances of success in an
important conversation.
Grammar Basics. They’re, There or
Their? You’re or Your? Its or It’s. If
you’re not sure about any of these,
ask for help and learn.
Mark Heathcote enjoyed one
mixed-nationality meeting recently.
A colleague over from Hamburg,
called Frank, didn’t quite understand
it though. For some reason, everyone
kept starting their sentences with,
“to be frank..” At the end of the
meeting our German visitor said.
“I get what needs doing, but I don’t
know why you all have to pretend to
be me to do it.”

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Practical Tools & Tips
Being prepared and having a plan is important, think about
Communication as you would any other work-stream of an
Assignment or Project and apply the same rigour.
Who are your stakeholders? Formally identify them and
record them. You need to understand Their Agenda to
maximise your success.
Score or rate the level of importance and the level of
relationship for each stakeholder, a basic RAG will help to
keep it simple.
Over 70% of a Project
Manager’s role should be
Communication.
Peter Taylor
Reporting; what does each stakeholder want to know, not
just need to know? Some will only need high-level metrics
but may also like a regular informal verbal update. Don’t
assume, ask.
Focus attention on important stakeholders with poorer
relationships. It’s human nature to avoid difficult
conversations & stakeholders. It’s easy to spend your time
with friendly faces. Resist this temptation. The real value
lies in bringing resistant and especially senior stakeholders
on-board.
Diarise time in the CRM system or MSOffice for reviewing
and updating your Comms Plan. Set Flags & Reminders
aligned to the frequency for each key stakeholder, stick to
them. You can attach your Comms Plan or Stakeholder Map
to the Outlook Appointment or CRM Contact Record to make
sure it’s always to hand, even on your mobile.
If you’re being chased for updates or news, you’re not
managing that stakeholder well enough. It’s particularly
poor to set up a standing report and then miss a week/
day or two. People are creatures of habit, if they’re used to
seeing a report on a Monday PM, its absence will be noted,
negatively. If they’re not going to get it, tell them in advance.

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Be careful about supplying data just because you have it. If
you’re sending a raft of data to stakeholders, make sure you
provide an executive summary and analysis. Add value and
save their time by minimising their reading.
Maintain a Risk Register relating to stakeholders and
communication. Perception is reality and ensuring positive
perception can be important to delivering success in your
role. A low opinion of a project hinders its success. Perception
is a risk, treat it seriously.
Always have a clear summary at the outset and a succinct
recap at the end. Either of these should work as a stand-
alone Executive Summary, detailing the key points. Don’t
expect everyone to read every page of anything.
Writing Style & Grammar
Orwell’s Rules
Each generation bemoans the standards of grammar and
writing of the next. Whilst we’re not advocating using
TXTSPK, the reality is that there’s no such thing as ‘perfect’
grammar. However, you do need a grasp of the basics. Partly
to ensure your message isn’t misinterpreted and partly to
present a professional ‘high-end’ image.
In a 1946 essay George Orwell outlined Six Rules for good
writing; with very little updating they’re as true today as
they have ever been.
Orwell’s Rules
Never use a metaphor, simile,
or other figure of speech which
you are used to seeing in print.
Avoid clichés. Try to put your
point across in an interesting,
not stereotyped way.
Never use a long word where a
short one will do.
Easy to misunderstand and
reflects worse on the writer
than the reader.
If it’s possible to cut a word out,
always cut it out.
Your first draft will never be
the best you can do. Re-read
and edit, ruthlessly.
Never use the passive where
you can use the active.
Excellent advice for a
Consultant. Communicate as
you operate; Actively.
Never use a foreign phrase,
a scientific word, or a jargon
word if you can think of an
everyday English equivalent.
Applies to technology as well,
assume you’re writing to a
non-technical audience.
Break any of these rules sooner
than say anything outright
barbarous.
Rules are only guidelines.
Communication is personal
and having your own ‘style’ is
positive.
KEY POINT :
Short words, sentences &
paragraphs aid understanding
as well as the perception of the
writer.
In a series of five studies, Daniel
Oppenheimer demonstrated that
using long, complex or unusual
words unnecessarily makes people
view the writer as less intelligent
than someone using short & simple
words. He named his paper with
pleasing irony:
“Consequences of erudite vernacular
utilised irrespective of necessity;
problems with using long-words
needlessly.”
Always use ‘Xceed is’ or ‘Xceed has’
and never ‘Xceed are’ or ‘Xceed have’.
Xceed is a single entity.
KEY POINT :
Recap & summarise. Add analysis
and value.

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Seven Simple Steps
Put the reader first
Picture a real person and write directly to him or her.
Consider ‘Who will read this?” and write for them, not
for yourself.
Organise your thoughts
Most communications need a start, middle and end. Jot
down your key points, establish the best order & ‘flow’.
Remember to repeat or highlight the key point(s) at the
start and end.
Use short paragraphs
Newspapers use columns and short paragraphs because
they know that it makes reading easier for their
audience. Most brains absorb information best when it’s
in small chunks. It’s why aphorisms, mottos and quotes
are memorable and repeated. Dense pages of text can
be daunting and many people will delay reading them.
Use short sentences
For the same reason that you keep paragraphs short.
One idea per sentence; any more and you risk confusing
or losing your audience.
Use simple words
As Oppenheimer showed, writing ‘adumbrate’ rather
than ‘shorten’ not only confuses your audience, it
reflects poorly on the writer. You can be a great writer
without using complicated words.
Be specific
Get to the point, say what you mean. If you want
someone to take an action or respond, make that very
clear. If you can’t avoid a lengthy message then number
your key points and recap them at the end. The name
you chose for the document or email will also have a lot
of influence on how it’s treated.
Relax & be yourself
Don’t try and copy someone else and don’t worry about
your writing. As long as you’re using decent grammar
and observing common usage conventions then you
should write as naturally as possible. Think of writing as
a conversation and write in the same way you’d talk to
that audience. Do use spell-check if in doubt though.
KEY POINT :
Be yourself; treat writing as a
conversation. Tailor your style
and content as you would when
speaking to different types of
stakeholder.

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Packaging & Non-Verbal
Communication
Cognitive Ease
A lot of Behavioural Economic research has shown
that the easier something is to understand, the more
trustworthy and believable it becomes. This is to do with
System 1 and System 2 in the brain. System 1 is lazy
and doesn’t analyse too deeply. As soon as someone has
to engage their System 2, they become more sceptical,
analytical and cynical.
This goes beyond your choice of words and use of
grammar. For example, when two completely false facts
are presented side by side, people will believe the one
that is easiest to read. They will challenge the one that
is in a faint font or hard to decipher.
Billy Bragg was born in 1956 Billy Bragg was born in 1958
Using language, terms and references that are familiar
to the audience aids not only their understanding, but
also their belief & trust in the message.
Clear fonts, clear spacing, good quality paper, simple &
familiar language, all aid Cognitive Ease and improve
credibility.
Repetition, framing and priming are all worth
understanding to hone your communication skills. Daniel
Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast & Slow is the best source for
these topics.
KEY POINT :
The easier to understand and
the more familiar it is, the more
believable the message becomes.
Did You Know?
Post-It If you have to leave hard-
copy papers on someone’s desk, stick
a Post-It on the front. Even without
any writing, the Post-It increases
the chances of your paper(s) being
read by as much as 3 times.
Yeah, But no But. Studies show
that using the word ‘But’ negates
everything that goes before it.
Eliminate ‘but’ if you want them to
hear what you said before. This is
partly due to the fact that Bad has
been shown to be at least TWICE as
powerful as Good.
If I…will you? If you need to get
someone to take an action, and are
having to negotiate, you should
Always start: ‘If I…will you?’ and
Never ‘Will you…if I?’ Research
shows that people’s brains instantly
start to construct objections when
you start ‘Will you..’ and they won’t
hear the rest. Start ‘If I...’ if you
want to get results. Try using ‘And’
instead of ‘But’.

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Packaging
How you present your message is critical to how it is
received. There are four main types of packaging:
Body Language, Intonation, Choice of Words and
Ambience.
Body Language:
Research shows females are far better than men at
reading body language cues. Facial expressions, positions
and movements of our body, from folded arms and
yawning to eye-contact all make a big difference to how
the content of your message is received. Studies have
shown that up to 93% of communication is non-verbal.
Whilst the idea that people can read micro-expressions
to know when someone is lying is unproven, all normal
brains can easily recognise Anger, Boredom and Stress.
Whilst the ‘science’ of NLP (Neural Linguistic Programming)
is largely unproven, the concept of Mirroring someone’s
movement & body-language does work. Just don’t go
overboard. We’ve seen interesting results when one
person has a nervous tick and the other starts mirroring it.
Intonation:
Intonation can account for 1/3rd of communication and
is broken into 3 parts: Speed, Volume and Emphasis.
Speed: Fast speech can be interpreted as urgency &
excitement but also as irritation, uncertainty, panic
and stress. Slower speech is less prone to negative
interpretation. Mirroring of speed can be appropriate and
is often unconscious. Speaking steadily helps you to get
messages across in the way you intend and helps the
other person to listen and understand.
Volume: Too quiet and you will force the other person to
engage their critical brain (System 2) to understand you.
They will be less likely to believe or trust the message.
Too loud and the other person will become defensive or
even embarrassed. Mirroring of volume is natural.
Emphasis: The word(s) which you emphasise can
completely change the meaning of a sentence. One of
the reasons emails are so open to misinterpretation.
Albert Mehrabian’s regularly
quoted 1971 research suggests:
Words (the literal meaning)
account for 7% of the overall
message
Tone of voice accounts for 38%
of the overall message
Body Language accounts for
55% of the overall message
Scientists have recently discovered
‘Mirror Neurones’ in the brain. They
light up when Mirroring occurs.
Other scientists have pointed out
that regular jelly (as in trifle) gives
off the same readings as a live
human brain. It’s an emerging field.
Incognito, Secret Lives of the Brain
provides a balanced and interesting
overview of the latest findings.

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Choice of words:
Words can be used to communicate but can also be used as
weapons. Some strong words evoke chemical responses
in the brain, leading to emotional feelings both for you and
the recipient. This results in a less productive conversation.
Changing the words you use can have a strong positive
impact on your audience as well as on yourself.
Above all, use familiar language and words that will be
recognisable and easily understood by your audience.
By taking time to think about and change the words we
use, we can alter the way people react to us and alter the
feelings we take from situations.
Ambience:
The demeanour, stance or mood which you or your
audience are in. It’s invaluable to read the mood of
the person before you communicate with them, timing
can be everything. Likewise, it’s important to consider
the ambience you present to others when they engage
with you.
When the emphasis is… It could mean…
I think you have a very good
voice…
No-one else likes it though.
voice…
I could be wrong though.
voice…
You’re better than the others.
voice…
This is your best feature.
Eg. Should vs Could:
Should… Could
You should have won that… You could have won that…
Pressure, states failure,
negativity
Room to be better next time,
optimistic
I should lose weight… I could lose weight…
Pressure, obligation,
judgement
Hope and opportunity
You should say sorry… You could say sorry…
Resistance and guilt Reflection and choice
KEY POINT :
Take the time to think about,
and change, the words you use.
You can alter the way people feel
and react by simply changing the
words you use.
KEY POINT :
Working on your body-language,
intonation, use of words &
ambience will significantly
improve the effectiveness of your
communication with others.

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Assertive vs Aggressive
Be Assertive not Aggressive
Assertive:
Calm and without emotion. Careful choice of words. Use
of ‘I’ not ‘Me’ or ‘We’.
The 3 steps to assertiveness. All 3 need to be used to be
effective:
1. Say to the person what you don’t want, using the
word ‘I’.
2. Say to them how it is making you feel.
3. Say to them what you do want, using the word ‘I’.
It can help to ask beforehand to be heard uninterrupted
and that you will only state the facts as you see them.
Afterwards, it helps to thank them for listening. The use
of ‘I’ rather than ‘Me’ is key.
Aggressive:
Full of emotion. Evokes emotion in the other person.
Aggressive communication must be used very cautiously,
if at all. When using aggressive communication it is
almost impossible to avoid confrontation and conflict.
This will not only undermine the effectiveness of your
communication, it will likely lead to escalation in the
short-term and lingering negativity in the long-term.
Listening
Listening well is the single most important aspect of
good communication. The old adage of having ‘two ears
and one mouth’ and using them in that order is a cliché
precisely because it is so true.
Many people spend the time someone else is speaking
working out what they want to say next. They regularly
fail to get the message but always succeed in frustrating
the speaker. Great Consultants demonstrate ‘Active
Listening’ which includes recapping and playing-back to
confirm understanding.
The most important thing
in communication is to hear
what isn’t being said.
Peter Drucker
Wisdom is the reward
you get for a lifetime of
listening when you would
rather have talked.
Mark Twain

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Listening properly is essential to building good
relationships and knowing what your client or colleague
is really looking for.
Remember, a lot of what is being communicated won’t
be in the words themselves, you have to learn to ‘read
between the lines’ which is impossible if you’re not
actively listening.
If someone isn’t doing this when you’re speaking,
then do it for them. Otherwise it’s very easy to exit an
interaction assuming they’ve understood and will act on
the discussion. Even if you haven’t agreed an explicit
action stakeholders will always be frustrated if they think
you haven’t heard what they had to say.
Listening, not imitation,
may be the sincerest form
of flattery.
Dr Joyce Brothers
The Secret of success is
to understand the point of
view of others.
Henry Ford
KEY POINT :
You can’t ‘read between the lines’
if you’re not Actively Listening in
the first place.
Suggestion: Use MoSCoW in your
communication. If you mean MUST,
use MUST, if you mean SHOULD,
use it not COULD. You can also
help yourself and your audience by
being SMART with any Actions or
requests that you are delegating.
Ambiguity of instructions is one of
the largest causes of time wasting
and frustration.

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Recap of Key Points
Simple is best. Know your audience. Short is sweet. Be
prepared. Be Positive and Polite. Too much is better than
too little. If in doubt, seek Peer Review.
KEY POINT 1:
Communication is a skill. Like
all skills, it requires practice to
maintain & improve.
KEY POINT 3:
Cut the fat. Keep it simple.
Say what you mean.
KEY POINT 5:
Preparing yourself is the
best thing that you can do
to enhance your chances
of success in an important
conversation.
KEY POINT 8:
Be yourself; treat writing as a
conversation. Tailor your style
and content as you would
when speaking to different
types of stakeholder.
KEY POINT 10:
Take the time to think about,
and change, the words you
use. We can alter the way
people feel and react by simply
changing the words we use.
KEY POINT 2:
Just because you’ve sent a
message, doesn’t mean it’s
been received or understood.
It’s your job to Check, Clarify
& Chase
KEY POINT 4:
First drafts are never the best
drafts.
KEY POINT 6:
Short words, sentences &
paragraphs aid understanding
as well as the perception of
the writer.
KEY POINT 9:
The easier to understand and
the more familiar it is, the
more believable the message
becomes.
KEY POINT 11:
Working on your body-
language, intonation,
use of words & ambience
will significantly improve
the effectiveness of your
communication with others.
KEY POINT 12:
You can’t ‘read between the
lines’ if you’re not Actively
Listening in the first place.
KEY POINT 7:
Recap & summarise. Add
analysis and value.
ACTION: If you’ve got this far, it’s
worth going a little further. Pick 3
actions or suggestions from this
document to try. Embed them into
your work until they become second
nature. Ask if you need any help.
Then pick another 3.
If you master everything in this
document you will be in the top right
hand corner of The Matrix.

of 20
confidential
References & Further Reading
These sources & references are not all exclusively
dedicated to Communication, but all touch upon the
subject, several from unusual perspectives. Others, like
Theories of Human Communication are seminal texts.
Kahneman, Daniel: Thinking, Fast & Slow
Harford, Tim: Adapt, why success always starts with failure
Earls, Mark: Herd: How to change behaviour by harnessing
our true nature
Peters, Steve: The Chimp Paradox
Ariely, Dan: The (honest) truth about dishonesty
Eagleman, David: Incognito, Secret lives of the brain
Wiseman, Richard: Quirkology, the curious science of
everyday lives
Wiseman, Richard: 59 Seconds. Think a little, change a lot.
Taylor, Peter: Lazy Project Manager
Lakhani, Dave: Persuasion, the art of getting what you want
Vitali, Joe: Hypnotic Writing: How to seduce and persuade
your customers with only your words.
Myers, Jeff: Secrets of Great Communicators Student Text:
Simple, Powerful Strategies for Reaching the Heart of Your
Audience.
Thaler & Sunstein: Nudge: Improving decisions about
health, wealth and happiness
Gladwell, Malcolm: The Tipping Point
Cialdini ,Robert: Influence, The Power of Persuasion
Fisher & Ury: Getting to Yes
Littlejohn & Foss: Theories of Human Communication
Jackson & O’Hanlon: Pragmatics of Human Communication
Truss, Lynn: Eats, Shoots & Leaves
If you buy any of these books, Xceed will reimburse the
cost if you donate the book to the Xceed Library once you
have finished.

of 20
confidential
The blue squares are painted on the cloister walls; no Photoshop has been
used in producing these images.
The man behind this art installation is Felice Varini, a Swiss artist known
for his geometric anamorphic illusions. Anamorphic illusions are images
which only make sense if you stand in exactly the right place.
The Xceed Way is a broad & on-going initiative to capture Xceed’s collective
experience & expertise and transfer that knowledge across the business.
It is our goal to help all Xceed Consultants stand in the best place to see
a clear picture and the road ahead.

Xceed Way - Communication (1)

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