Call to Action

Here's what I am asking you to do

When communicating to other people, we need to be clear. We can’t assume that other people will “connect the dots” the same way we do. So, when we need to move people to action, we need to specify what we want them to do.

Include “Big Picture” messaging. Get people’s attention with a BRIEF mention of the reason WHY we are doing something.

Share your vision of what success looks like. People are more likely to buy-in to an effort that leads to a defined, successful outcome.

Include a direct call to action, e.g., “…and here’s what I want you to do.” Be polite, but be direct. You’ll get better commitment if you can ask specific people to do specific things, e.g., “Anne, please take point on X. Bill, I would like you to work on Y. Carla, please coordinate Z…” than if you go into a meeting and say, “We need someone to work on X, Y, and Z. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?”

People want to follow a leader who is confident, competent, and caring. If you propose a plan that will lead to success, is well-thought-through, distributes the workload fairly, and respects that people CHOOSE to do their part, people are much more likely to buy-in and give their best efforts to making it work.

(Photo by Langa Hlatshwayo on Unsplash)