Healthy organizations communicate well orally and in writing. This means that communications are clear. They are devoid of dissembling, hedging, and mushy language. They are straightforward and to the point. They are pithy and targeted. They are not buttressed by hedged words that dodge responsibility. They are logical. Everyone gets it. Everyone doesn’t necessarily agree, but they understand.

Clear communications serve as the essential basis for efficient and effective decision-making. They speak for something and are backed up with reasons. They tell a story. They often persuade. Clear communication is an organizational skill. It needs to be learned, reinforced, and practiced. Effective organizations are clear first; persuasive second. Persuasiveness is a derivative of clarity. Be clear, or you don’t have a chance.

When speaking or writing to each other, suppliers, and customers, always tell a story. Why tell a story? Stories engage. We all learn from stories. Stories get our attention. We are a culture attuned to stories to think about situations, problems, courses of action. Stories have a logical sequence, which mirrors how we think. Books, newspapers, movies, magazines, periodicals, business reports, sales proposals are most effective when they tell a story.

Remember, “effective” means “everyone gets it.” All stories have an essential element that commands our attention, and without which our attention wanes. We cease to be interested. We stop listening. This element is conflict, tension. The resolution of this conflict is what keeps our interest. We stay engaged because we want to find out what happens or where this is heading. We try to persuade our colleagues, bosses, customers, or family without a story at our peril.

Remember: Storytelling is a skill. It is essential in business because it ensures that customers listen. If you want to engage customers, colleagues, or spouses, tell them a story. All nations and cultures are “wired” to listen to stories. As the Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe , said in his seminal novel, Things Fall Apart, “all stories are true,” which is taken to mean that all stories engage. From Seven Days in May, “I’m going to tell you the damnedest story you ever heard…”