Have you ever considered the impact your words and actions have on other people?  We live in a time when people are overwhelmed by how much information they see on a daily basis. I had an interesting conversation with a client recently who shared how hard it is for him to break through the noise.

What would you recommend him to do? How could you help impact the important people in his life? So many people are drowning in information. What can we do to have more impact? Here are three common sense rules to help you connect with the important people in your life.

The first rule of impact is that you must decide why you want to impact other people. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Why should you consider why you want to impact other people? I found that if you know why you’re doing something, the more likely you are to become creative in how you achieve your goals. It takes courage to connect with others, but it’s worth your time investment.

We live in a big data age. We have the ability to communicate with many people on a regular basis. It’s important to know why you are reaching out to them. Your communication must help transfer your passion and purpose to the people who are reading, seeing, and hearing what you have to say.

The second rule of impact is you must choose who you invest your time in. I know many people who have a significant social following and they do very little to impact the lives of others. They may entertain us with their tweets. We may even feel that we are part of their community, but in the end, we don’t really value what they bring to our lives. For more impact, know who you want to impact and why.

When I coach my clients on communication strategies, we spend significant time understanding who we are trying to connect with. It’s interesting, but the more we focus on everyone, the more we miss the people we want to engage and empower. How much do you understand the people you are trying to reach? Does what you have to say really impact the people you want? Where might you build a stronger bridge to a brighter future for them and your shared communities?

There is so much information out there to help us understand the world. Sometimes we forget the people we want to impact. Take time to better understand the people you are talking with and your message will stand out from the crowd. How hard is it to do homework on the people you are trying to connect with? If you want more impact, learn how to quickly do research on the people you want to meet and network with.

The third rule of impact is you must connect with their values. I tell my clients I read for a living. I bet I go through several books a week. My clients and friends are always sending me something to read and share.  I don’t think it’s that unusual, but very seldom to people tell me why they value what they are sharing with me. If you want to connect with what you share, consider how it aligns with the readers values .This doesn’t mean you change what you value, but be willing to better understand what they value.

Want to have more impact in your conversations? Learn to read other peoples’ values. Be willing to understand the differences in the people you’re connecting with. Then find a way of incorporating what you’ve learned in what you share.  You will be surprised how quickly you build stronger relationships based on values.

The bonus rule of impact is learn how to use humor to make your points more powerful. I’ve been involved in raising money for many nonprofits over the past thirty years. All great fundraisers are storytellers that have developed a sense of humor.  To have more impact, be willing to share yourself and your wonderful sense of humor!

To have more impact, plan to use humor in what you share. I bet you’re thinking “I’m not very funny. You can’t really expect me to be humorous in what I share.” I do and it’s not all that challenging if you plan for it. Don’t worry, we will talk about humor and storytelling on a future blog.

The best secret I was ever told on humor was be willing to laugh at yourself first. Are you willing to share an embarrassing event from your life in front of an audience? If you do, you will be surprised how quickly you bond with others who have experienced something similar. Genuine laughter can help you connect with others.

See you next week.