What's Your Point

On National Haiku Day, Donna Peters shares the power of using the haiku poetry format to improve our communications.  We need powerful, clear, succinct communications now more than ever.  (And in the spirit of the haiku, this is a pithy listen.)

A haiku poem has three lines.  The number of syllables in each line is 5, 7, 5 syllables for lines 1, 2, 3 respectively.  Have fun distilling your key message to its essence by using the haiku format as your forcing mechanism.  You don't have to militantly follow 5-7-5 syllables for your final output, of course, but the haiku discipline upfront is a very valuable exercise. 

The haiku exercise helps you:

• be clear on your intention (why are you needing to communicate) 

• de-clutter your thoughts (think about the audience and their perspective as your recipient)

• nail down the key point (what is it you're really trying to say)

• use only the words that matter (it's harder to write a haiku than a rambling paragraph)

Adding the haiku as a tool puts you on your way to a more impactful, clear communication--verbally or in writing.  In person, on video, on the phone.

And in The Me-Suite, we call the haiku "the Myku."  When you're prepping for an important interaction or message--and you want to make an impact--stop and work on your Myku.  And let us know what you think.