• Know your audience
• Know your subject
• Know your medium
• Be brief rather than wordy
• Keep in mind the kind of tone you want to convey
• Choose your words carefully
• Communicate with others as you would like them
  to communicate with you

The last point is surely the most important. How many of us have
heard our parents say when we misspoke as a child, “How would
you like it if someone said that to you?” It’s no different as adults in
business. To communicate properly, you must understand how the
rest of the world wants you to communicate with them.

Here are three of the best ways to communicate with anyone
in business.

1. ALWAYS ASSUME THE BEST, NOT THE WORST
People don’t like to be lectured at or treated like dummies. So if
you want to communicate effectively with them, talk up to them,
not down.

2. USE THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
Business people are the recipient of so much routine communication
that when someone approaches them with anything remotely out of
the ordinary they pay attention.

3. SAY WHAT YOU WANT
You can communicate in a lucid and eloquent way and yet neglect
the most important point: you don’t tell people what you want. If
you want them to do something for you, don’t make them guess.
Tell them.