Communicating is not just about sharing information; it is about getting through to your audience. Whether you are communicating online or in a face-to-face situation, the following factors are fundamental to reaching your audience, whether they are potential clients in the business world, or a group of professors from Harvard.

Motivation: the first and the most important of these factors is your underlying intent of communicating. What is the objective of your communication? Understanding what you want to achieve with your communication goes a long way in helping you to design an effective communication be it a one-to-one or a group communication. This factor feeds into other variables such as the channel of communication and the level of formality that is created during the communication process.

Content: the second factor deals with what you have to say. How prepared are you? Do you have facts and data to support your ‘argument’? Making sure that what you have to say are supported with facts and data, and not just mere opinions and assumptions would help you persuade your audience and achieve your objectives.

Presentation: the third factor has to do with how you deliver your message. What is your demeanour? Do you have the right body language? Research has shown that more than 70% of communication is nonverbal. With this in mind, it is important to make eye contact and gesticulate appropriately as we communicate. Avoiding eye contact with your audience may be construed as timidity, or they may take it that you are lying or not sure of yourself. You must endeavour to pace intentionally; your movement on the stage must corroborate what you are saying. Moving up and down arbitrarily can be a huge distraction.

Communication is the life of every human endeavour. It is the fluid that lubricates professional and interpersonal relationships among men and women.