Plans are nothing, planning is everything.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
The Deming Cycle of plan, do, study, act is an incredibly helpful way of managing a communication no matter the message, audience or size, and scope of the exchange.
Lesson 5-1 focused on the second half of the cycle, study and act. This lesson will focus on the first stage of the cycle; plan and the planning process.
In order to create an effective message, whether it be a conversation, a presentation, a letter, a telephone call, or a video conference, it is important to follow some basic steps. We call this the planning process, and it consists of 6 distinct stages.
6 step planning process:
- Clearly define purpose and audience
- Generate ideas (of how best to achieve the purpose)
- Identify the key message and communication channel
- Organize (structure) the communication to achieve purpose
- Draft the message
- Revise and improve the message
It is only after the completion of these steps that we move into the Deming Cycle of Do or delivering the message.
Step 1. Clearly define purpose and audience
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