'Taint what you do it's the way that you do it,
'Taint what you do it's the way that you do it,
'Taint what you do it's the way that you do it,
That's what gets results.

From Ella Fitzgerald to The Fun Boy Three with Bananarama, who knew the Music industry gave good business advice?

I always love the musical analogies my colleague Ian Crocombe uses to demonstrate how you can sharpen up your operations and continuously improve.

I was listening to some music on Spotify whilst I was drafting a particularly difficult report and the fabulous Ella Fitzgerald came on and it triggered some thoughts in my mind not only how I ran my own business but also how my clients ran their business or charity.

There are lot's of brilliant people around who could run rings around me as a technician but yet they cannot explain to clients in words that the client understands ,what the problem is and how to solve it or, if it cannot be solved what is the route out of the mess they have got themselves into. I came across a great example recently from my financial advisor who had gave me some literature about a particular product that might be suitable for my wife and myself for our savings. I gave the literature to my wife to read through and when we came together we realised having read it that we didn't understand it. We subsequently arranged a meeting and asked him to go through it with us. Within 5 minutes, by using some easily identifiable examples we both understood clearly and decided to proceed. The moral of that story was the bumph issued by the company lacked clarity but a good advisor who knew us and knew his subject was able to simplify the whole process.

Whether you are a salesman selling a product, a charity pitching for a contract or a grant, a lawyer, an accountant or other professional explaining a particular issue, not only do you have to know your stuff but you have to get it across to your audience as well and that means whether its verbally or in writing you have to be coherent. That means also internally as well as externally you have to communicate well. It also means you've got to get the message across differently depending on your audience. The person manning the phones or operating on the shop floor may not need all of the information that a Board member or Senior Leader needs to help them make a decision, but they need the bit of the information that would help them do their job properly.

So next time you are speaking to a client or a customer, not only think about what you are communicating but tailor it to the person on the receiving end. When you next write a blog or an email, remember who may be reading it and review it before you click the send button.

But remember also you still won't always get it right. For several years I had tried to explain to a client the reason for Deferred Taxation Provisions in the accounts and each time I failed miserably despite taking extracts from text books and running my explanation past my partners to check I was being coherent they still didn't get it. In the end I threw my hands in the year and said to the client "I give up....trust your Uncle Elliot if I tell you it is necessary"! They laughed and told me they trusted me and they became one of my all time favourite clients.

And finally, if any of my clients are reading this and don't understand what I'm saying, feel free to stick a copy of this under my nose to remind me that pride goes before a fall!