by Ted Onulak

Created on: October 19, 2009

The ability to communicate, inspire and persuade are a much more rare skill set than learning a task and performing it well. It is so highly prized in the business world precisely because few people can do it well.

Even if you are not particularly flamboyant or out going there are several tips for making yourself a stronger communicator.

Ask the Right Questions

Whether you are going to put on an elaborate presentation or offer suggestions at a staff meeting or to a manager, ask yourself the questions of what, why, how, when and where.

Obviously, the 'What' question is the most important. Get into the habit of writing your desired goal and refine it to a coherent statement. If your initial idea is not well formulated, you might not even get to the other questions.

The 'Why' question should demonstrate what benefit, savings or efficiency your proposal will address.

This is a good time to develop as many bullet points to show what can be gained by adopting your proposal. Think carefully about all the impacts, as having the most far ranging idea may win you supporters for adopting your proposal. It's a great feeling to get the ball rolling and having others come to your way of thinking.

Never go through the first two steps without knowing 'How'. Not knowing how will quickly earn you the reputation of being a person who is just trying to call attention to themselves or is more of a dreamer than a planner.

If you are not really sure how, then ask a person who might know. It will be a great learning experience for you and you will come into the good graces of the co-worker who will appreciate your interest in their work.

For instance, if you need to figure out an IT or logistical problem, go to the person who is most qualified to give you the best information. Your questions may even give that person insight into the perspective of the end user and stimulate their own curiosity, which may lead to some important innovations.

The Where and When question can be critical, but if you get this far the idea is practically home free. Some sort of consensus will most usually determine this. But having considered these questions in advance and having some good suggestions will only enhance your value to the organization.

Know Your Audience

If you are presenting to an individual, it is crucial to know whether this person is a 'big picture' person or an 'analytic'.

A more visionary person is likely to be bored with minutia and will want to see

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