Why Impactful Communication Must Be Targeted
A key aspect of impactful communication is to make it targeted. Being clear on who you want to reach, and speaking directly to them.
If you want to reach everyone, it becomes a diluted message, and a diluted message loses its impact. It becomes generalized, which means it can speak to everyone a little bit, but to nobody fully.
Now, do you want to have a fully committed audience, or one that sees your message and forgets it because it gets lost in the pool of noise?
There are typically two reasons we fall into the trap of over-generalizing:
1. Not having the specifics
If you want to write a targeted message, you have to know the key parameters: what exactly needs to be transferred in your message? Focus on only one to two key opinions, keeping in mind the old but gold rule: Keep it Short and Simple.
Also, as mentioned above, who exactly are you speaking to? It can help to keep a specific character in mind and write directly to them.
2. Being afraid of negative comments
An overall rule of communication is that the sharper your opinion is, the more likely you are to have voices against you. And no one likes having negative vibes thrown at their statements. What we often forget is that while the negative voices are the loudest and most visible, there are many quiet readers who don't say anything, but your message will truly stick with them.
It is equally important how you react to those negative comments. Are you getting into a fight state? That will only undermine your credibility. Ignoring them entirely? That won't help you either.
The best way to tackle this is to answer with neutral argumentation, offering a helping hand for understanding your statement, and then let it be. Don't get caught up in a senseless discussion loop.
Your target audience will value this grounded approach and you will, actually, gain credibility and trust.
To truly empower people, you have to meet them exactly where they are.
So, take a look at your latest draft or project. Who is that one person you are trying to help? Speak directly to them. Let the rest of the noise fade into the background.