Current CEO Rajat Mishra does not have the experience one would expect from the founder and head of one of Silicon Valley’s leading communications startups.
First, he stuttered as a child. Through that have, he learned that life might be difficult—especially if someone doesn’t communicate well.
His educational and entrepreneurial path introduced him to a world of intelligent and talented people whose skilled development was hindered because they were unable to effectively communicate their ideas.
It prompted him to leave his six-figure job as a senior vp at Cisco to pursue his evolving vision of democratizing business communications. He embarked on this journey with his wife, and they secured up to $20 million in funding to build Prezent.
Here are five cross-disciplinary principles that every business founder can use to master the science of business communications.
1. AUDIENCE EMPATHY
Communication materials should, above all, put the recipient at the centre of the story.
Said Raja, “Imagine that a team is hearing for the first time about a major corporate restructuring. A common mistake in such an example would be to focus too much of the announcement on what motivated management to make the decision and how it will benefit the company in the long run.”
In other words, individuals should formulate and present information in a manner that is consistent with the needs and expectations of their audiences.
2. BE CREATIVE IN YOUR STORY
Added the executive: “Every great movie has a great script. Every classic song has amazing lyrics. Great communication is no exception.”
“Ads need to bring the story to life on an emotional level with great writing and follow a structured format. While all basic stories have a beginning, middle and end, we also know that movies and novels often feature teasers that keep viewers interested until the big reveal.”
Analogies and metaphors can even assist you to connect on an emotional level with your audience.
3. CONTEXT IS KEY
Mishra said, “Your communication materials must take context into account.”
He added: “Communications materials should also take into account any external, time-sensitive factors that relate to the message being conveyed. For example, the way we talk about inflation in 2024 will be very different to the way it was presented in 2021 to account for the increase seen in the wake of the pandemic.”
4. USE YOUR DEEP INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE
Then, industry insights come in. It’s necessary that communications take into account specific industries and job functions for impact.
“Talking about a commercial drug launch to a pharmaceutical marketing executive is very different from convincing a team of machine learning engineers about the effectiveness of different models. To be effective, communication materials must take into account the latest industry trends and the audience’s level of knowledge,” Mishra said.
“If a presentation only provides basic information for industry insiders or doesn’t take into account the impact of major trends, it’s unlikely to be effective.”
5. COMMIT TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Finally, this is not a one-time motion. Commit to this for the long run.
Mishra concluded, “Great business communication is difficult because it is multidisciplinary and highly nuanced. However, investing time and resources in this area helps startups improve on several fronts. With a clear understanding of the five fundamentals of great business communication, even the smallest startups can achieve powerful results.”