Here’s another installment in my continuing my series on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Communicators.
HABIT 3: PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST
This, says Covey, is where Habit 1 and Habit 2 come together. For effective communication, Habit 3 is focusing on the highest priorities — both yours and your listener/reader. Decide what is most important to communicate and spend your time saying only what needs to be said.
How to incorporate it:
Create a down-and-dirty outline by jotting down a few bullet points that relate to your topic. (Hint: Your topic is your one sentence to clarity from Habit 2.) If you’re having a conversation, obviously you won’t want to stop and create a written outline, but you can make a quick mental note of the three most important details. Share only what’s necessary at the time. Think you need to share more? Choose wisely or else you may become like the person who focuses on the most minute, irrelevant detail, such as, “There was this time I was at the store. Was it Kroger? No, it must have been Giant Eagle. No, no, it was Meijer. No, wait a minute, I’m pretty sure it was Kroger …” Nip off-topic thinking, speaking and writing in the bud. Focus instead on the top three, highest priority points. Your listeners/readers will thank you.
