A recipe for teaching anything fast

Give your audience the clarity they need to act on your advice

Audiences follow those that help them move from point A to point B. The clearer you can make the journey for them, the better. Whatever your communication method, whether it be writing or speaking, at some point you are going to want to instruct your audience to do something. Getting them to take action drives engagement, builds trust and helps them solve their problems.

If you confuse them, you lose them.

Think about the last time you received bad instructions. You probably went into a state of wondering what you should do next. Maybe you asked a few clarifying questions or got lost pondering the exceptions. It doesn’t matter how useful or solid the advice was, if it wasn’t clear, you probably bailed. Mentally checking out, physically closing the article or just walking out the door.

The next time you find our self needing to impart some action taking advice to your audience, follow these 7 steps to give your audience the clarity they need to reap the reward of what you worked so hard to prepare for them.

Step 1: Name the objective

This is so simple, but easy to miss. Remind them of why you are giving them your…