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First published in Polish by Urszula Rudzka-Stankiewicz

Why should you plan your message by 4MAT*

• Make it easier for your audience to accept information that may be difficult/new/incomprehensible to them;
• Announce changes in a way that promotes cooperation and understanding;
• Communicate negative decisions without escalating emotions;
• Commit to real action.

What is 4MAT*?

It is a handy diagram of the order in which information is presented. I have added an asterisk because the one presented here differs from the original. In a small detail, but still. These changes are based on my experience of using 4MAT for several years. I have used it in my work as a manager and change leader.

How to use it?

This formula has been inspired by Bernice McCarthy's 4MAT model, which is aimed at teachers and helps to create a more engaging learning process. The author's website provides a wealth of interesting material on the approach: https://aboutlearning.com/

After much testing and experimenting and by slightly changing the understanding of each step and adding one at the end, I have come up with a formula that works well when you want to communicate a message in a way that is understandable and encourages collaboration and action.

1. Start with WHY?

Refer to the vision, the reasons, and the why. When preparing an answer to the 'why' question, it is worth looking at the issue through the eyes of your audience. Take a moment to think about what it looks like from their perspective. Is what you see a benefit or a threat the same for them as for you? Or might they see things quite differently? 

If you are preparing a particularly important speech, it is worth deepening your understanding of your audience. 

A few examples:

• "To make sure that what we are doing meets the requirements of the law."
• "Because many of you have told us about problems with subsequent errors."
• "Because our priority is to deliver what we have agreed with the client."
• "I want to make sure that each of you has access to all the tools you need to do your job."
• "Health and safety comes first!"
• "So that you have the opportunity to make sure that everything is clear to you."

Another important point. Don't dwell on it. Don't list a thousand reasons. One key argument in one sentence is enough.

2. Move smoothly to WHAT?

One of the most common mistakes I see is unnecessarily going on for too long and explaining things. The point is, however, to be blunt. Again, be specific. One or two sentences that capture the essence of what you mean:

• What decision you have taken;
• What change you are announcing;
• What you want your audience to do.

Whatever the purpose of your 4MAT formula is, just be very specific about what you mean.

A few examples:

• “As of today, any changes to documents sent to clients must first be sent to the Legal Division".
• "As of today, there will be information in the system about the originator of the order in question."
• "We are introducing a system for recording all orders placed by clients in the ABC programme".
• "I would like to ask you to fill in a questionnaire about the tools you have in your possession, how worn they are now, and when they were replaced for the last time".
• "On the production floor, everyone must wear a helmet and safety shoes at all times. Even if it is just for passageways".
• "I would like to ask each of you to give me one example of using the BCD system".

At this stage, the KISS rule (Keep it stupid simple, i.e. speak clearly and use plain language) comes in handy.

3. Plan well HOW?

The next step is to provide further details necessary to understand and/or complete the task. At this stage, it is important that:

• The information is arranged logically – the logic can be whatever you want it to be as long as it fits what you are presenting and makes it easy to understand/remember. Consider additional support such as slides, notes, or other facilitators or takeaways for large amounts of information.
• Communicate all that is necessary, but also ONLY what is necessary. Think realistically about which information will help your audience understand and which just adds to the noise. Our memory and attention spans have limits. Don't waste the audience's time. Deliver the essentials. Paul Waknell's content planning template is handy at this stage.

4. Face potential concerns, i.e. WHAT IF?

If the subject of your communication is so important that you take on the challenge of planning step by step what you are going to say, then this is most likely to be the case:

• You expect the audience to have serious doubts or concerns about the information;
• The topic is new and/or complex and/or time-consuming.

The worst thing you can do is to drop a veil of silence over it. Trying to confront them will have a much better effect.

Example 1. 
Because of the legal risks involved, a decision has been made that all changes to documents, even minor ones, should go through the legal team. You need to communicate this decision to the team. You know that one of their main concerns will be response time. Such a decision will mean clients must wait longer for documents. In such a situation, your "What if? may be:

"To prevent clients from waiting too long to receive documents from you, the legal department has been trained to use a new tool to find changes to documents and store different versions of them. Changes they have already approved or rejected are in the repository, and the system automatically suggests a decision on a legal basis. This will speed up their work considerably. In addition, two people will only have to deal with requests from our department".

In this example, the idea is to show the audience you are prepared. You know the solution may not be perfect, but you have a plan for dealing with it. Don't count on these concerns not coming up. Even if no one raises them on the forum, I'm sure many people will think about it. There's a good chance they'll also come up in behind-the-scenes discussions. Identifying them and outlining a strategy for dealing with them is a much safer approach.

Example 2. You see, there has been some kind of problem with the tools in the technical team for a few months now. Somebody is not getting something; something is breaking down. You can't quite figure out what's going on with the tools. You want to address the problem, but first, you need to establish the facts. And the documents are completely at odds with reality. You decide to ask everyone to write down what they have and in what condition. Then you decide to move on. In such a situation, your "what if" could be: 

"Based on the information gathered, I will analyse how much and what kind of equipment we are missing and inspect the quality of what we have now. Then, we will decide whether we need to put out a tender for a new supplier, whether we need to change the way we store and distribute the tools in some way, or maybe do something else. If I get the information from you by the end of the week, I will get back to you in the next 14 days with the next steps."

5. A point from me, i.e. CTA

CTA stands for call-to-action. This item is not included in the 4MAT model as it was originally developed for other purposes. However, it is essential when communicating difficult decisions or changes.

Invite people to take a specific action immediately, preferably while you are still speaking. It is important that this action is relatively simple and adds value (see Fogg's recommendations for triggering behaviour 

A few examples:

• "Now look and tell me how many open exchanges you have with a client at the moment that require legal authorisation." 
• "Log in to the system now and enter a name that others will see you as and a photo in your profile. You can always change it later."
• "Who can remember how to choose the right helmet?"

"What if" and "CTA" 

If you find this helpful tool, please try it out and let me know how it worked for you! 

If you think it might be useful to someone else - send it to them or share this article. I would really appreciate it!

Urszula Rudzka-Stankiewicz - helps people in organisations to change their behaviour. She combines training activities with real-world implementation of new skills into practice. A behavioural economics expert, gamification practitioner and facilitator. She designs training scenarios using the best methods and technologies (e.g. microlearning, social-learning). She has been recognised twice in the "Strong Woman in IT" report, I set up a shop for professional educators called Gadgets of the Trainer, I lecture for English-speaking students at the School of Management, and I run a training and consulting company called Be/have Design.