Understand the listener
Consider what the other person cares about, what they already know and what may make your message difficult to receive.
Communication
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect
Help people understand your message and connect with the person behind it.
By John C. Maxwell
What this programme helps you work on.
A message can be accurate and still fail to connect. People may hear your instructions without understanding why they matter or what you expect next. This programme explores how to make communication relevant to the listener in individual conversations, team meetings and presentations.
Original curriculum reference: Everyone Communicates, Few Connect — Maxwell Leadership. Workplace applications on this page describe local facilitation.
Who it suits
Managers, team leads and client-facing professionals.
The focus
Common ground, simplicity, credibility and engaging communication.
Inside the programme
What you’ll explore.
These themes guide the learning. The depth and selection depend on the format and the needs you bring.
Find common ground
Build from shared concerns and use accessible language so people can follow the point without unnecessary explanation.
Make the message engaging
Use relevant examples, questions and participation to help people connect the idea with their own experience.
Earn credibility
Examine how your behaviour supports your message and how you check understanding before assuming that communication is complete.
From ideas to action
Put it into practice.
Practise a real conversation or presentation with your audience in mind.
An example to work through
Choose an instruction your team often misinterprets. Rewrite it around the listener’s situation, explain why it matters and practise asking them to describe the next step in their own words.
This is an example of local application. We adapt the discussion to your situation and agreed scope.
Your practical takeaways
What you’ll work towards.
- A real message revised for a specific audience.
- A conversation or presentation practised with feedback.
- A method for checking understanding and agreeing the next action.
The learning experience
How it works.
Facilitated learning combines explanation, discussion and reflection on participants’ own situations. Where the agreed format allows, you practise an application and decide what to try at work. Scope, duration and any follow-up are agreed around the group’s needs.
A focused Lunch & Learn
The USD 8 per person fee plus 8% SST (USD 8.64 total) covers the session only; lunch is not included. The session introduces a selected idea and its practical application. It is an introduction to the topic; the wider themes above describe the broader learning available. All sessions are hybrid. Starting in 2027, Lunch & Learn runs on selected Mondays, 12pm–2pm Malaysia Time. Exact dates will be confirmed before enrolment. No preparation is required. Sessions are conducted in English, in Malaysia Time (MYT, UTC+8). We use ClassIn for hybrid sessions. Online and in-person members participate fully in the same class: ask questions, contribute to discussions and work through member cases together. The joining link and learning management system (LMS) access will be provided five days before each session.
The public Mastermind format
USD 118 per member per month plus 8% SST includes one four-hour group meeting each month: two hours of guided study, then two hours for two member cases with everyone contributing on a published rotation. Each member receives one hour of private coaching per month. Each member may request one Urgent Action Session per year for an emergency or urgent business issue, lasting up to four hours. Soo Hoo convenes available group members within three working days of the request, subject to a maximum of two Urgent Action Sessions per group per month. Once that monthly limit is reached, no further urgent sessions are accepted for that group that month. All books and materials are included at no extra charge. No preparation is required. Sessions are conducted in English, in Malaysia Time (MYT, UTC+8). We use ClassIn for hybrid sessions. Online and in-person members participate fully in the same class: ask questions, contribute to discussions and work through member cases together. The joining link and learning management system (LMS) access will be provided five days before each session. Starting in 2027, monthly group meetings will be on a Monday or Friday, 2pm–6pm Malaysia Time; the day and exact dates are not yet finalised. Groups target 12 members and accept a maximum of 15, with one member per specific business category and no direct competitors. We are starting with one founding group of SME owners and senior managers with comparable leadership responsibilities. Middle managers can register interest for a separate future group, subject to demand. The group will vote on which mastermind programme to follow. A manager and their direct report will not be placed in the same group.
Membership begins with a three-month minimum term and requires three months’ written cancellation notice.
Your questions
Before you take the next step.
How can I communicate so my team understands and takes action?
Explain the outcome in language your audience uses, connect it to their responsibilities and ask them to describe the next step in their own words. Resolve different interpretations before agreeing an owner and review point. The programme explores connection, clarity and credibility; this is one workplace application.