4 tips to create trust-building, barrier-smashing communication

Today, we’re inundated with an endless deluge of communication. To cope with the messaging onslaught, we swiftly choose which information to acknowledge and which to ignore. We have become ruthless information sifters.

Personally, this keen skepticism is a helpful adaptation, though it presents a challenge for communicators. How do you overcome the barriers we’ve built up around ourselves? How do you build trust in this ultra-skeptical era?

Communicators must be intentional and strategic to convey messages effectively. Here are four guidelines to help you do so:

1. Be clear about your intentions. Don’t beat around the bush nor waste people’s time with excess (or misleading) information. What is it you want to convey? Get straight to it.

This applies to internal and external communication. Sharing your intentions from the outset of a post, project, page, piece or conversation shows transparency. You cannot build trust if people suspect you have ulterior motives. Whether you’re trying to connect with colleagues or customers, using a communication bait-and-switch undermines your efforts to establish meaningful connections.