The distance between you and business elites lies in these four skills.

In everyone's life, there are countless plans to be submitted, from family meeting decision-making, to travel planning, to business negotiations in the workplace, to cooperation with international organizations. Submitting plans is an important link, especially for the elite in the workplace. Getting your proposal approved by the other party is the affirmation that determines all your previous work, otherwise all your efforts will fall short at the last minute.

How to get your proposal passed smoothly is a skill. Just like the documents submitted when applying for a job, HR can give you an interview, even if it is successfully submitted. Skills in this area. A famous Japanese career consultant: Takada Keihisa's book "Accurately Express, Let Your Scheme Move People's Heart in the Shortest Time" allows you to learn all the skills of scheme submission in all directions.

"Accurate expression" aims to explain how to express your ideas accurately and excellently in written form, and master the ability to submit the scheme perfectly, so as to ensure the smooth passage of the scheme submission. This book accurately solves the problems encountered in expressing the submission scheme from four aspects. This skill belongs to the most basic written communication technology and is a basic ability that everyone must have.

The author, Keihisa Takada, is a senior consultant who teaches at the Faculty of Law of Kyoto University in Japan and has worked in Arthur D. Little, BCG and other well-known consulting companies for many years. Participate in solving various business problems and act as the person in charge of manpower and education research.

Takada has submitted numerous projects in his career, and he is familiar with the skills of getting projects approved quickly. He concluded that the reason why the scheme could not be submitted was not that the originality of the scheme was poor, but that it lacked a written communication technology and could not convey what he thought deeply and thought was correct to others, so he was repeatedly frustrated in his work.

The book "Accurate Expression" was written by Takada Alcoholic to help everyone "make a better plan". Mr. Takada pointed out that an excellent plan must have two conditions: reasonable thinking about things and accurately conveying the main idea of the plan to the other party. To achieve these two conditions, the person submitting the scheme must have four basic abilities: logical thinking ability, hypothesis testing ability, meeting design ability and business text production ability.

The book takes a story as an example of submitting a scheme, and uses four chapters to let readers fully understand the flexible application of these four basic abilities in scheme submission. These four chapters are also the most important contents of this book. Let's take a look at the interpretation and application of these four skills in the book:

Logic refers to the rational organization of language. Some people are often praised for their speaking ability, that is, they are organizing the language reasonably with correct logic so that the audience can understand what they say. Talking to ducks and playing the lute to cows won't make people sleepy. This ability to organize language reasonably is the ability of logical thinking. It includes vertical logic and horizontal logic.

Vertical logic refers to the causal relationship that anyone can understand at a glance, such as B because A, and horizontal logic is the total score relationship that anyone can understand, without omission or repetition. For example, a includes b and C.

If the other person doesn't understand what you say, but questions it, that is, the vertical logic and horizontal logic of your speech are not combined in the other person's mind, so the other person feels unable to understand. The incomprehension in communication is nothing more than two reactions: "Is this really the case? Is that all? "

Is that really the case? In fact, vertical logic is problematic. Explain that the event we described can't be "B because of A".

1. Different preconditions

For example, a company's departmental meeting is attended by different personnel such as sales department, technical department and supervisors at all levels. When a technician makes a report, if he doesn't make a detailed background statement on a certain technical content, the technician can understand what he said, but the sales department or the competent departments at all levels can't understand what he said. There will be a gap in thinking.

I remember one year when Lang Ping resigned as the head coach of the national women's volleyball team, the TV news explained that "coach Lang Ping resigned for a well-known reason ..." At that time, when watching TV, I always thought, what is the well-known reason? Maybe people in the State Sports Commission or the volleyball world know it, but not all the spectators know it. But the news broadcast didn't explain it, which made our family members have their own guesses about why Lang Ping left. This is called different preconditions.

2. Confuse things of different natures. This situation often occurs in cross-industry or cross-departmental communication, because we don't understand the specialties and details of the industry, and the same type we see is completely different in the eyes of others.

3. The inevitability of accident. Take it for granted that because A must be B, but in fact, if any link is broken, B will not happen. For example, if you want to rent a store to do business, you usually think that business will be easy as long as you are in front of the business circle. However, if people can't gather and stay in front of the store, but just pass by, although there are many people, they don't flow into the store, and that store won't have a good profit. "Because A is inevitable, B" is not.

Treatment of weak vertical logic;

You need to think about what factors may destroy causality from beginning to end. Imagine the specific situation first, and then imagine the worst situation in chronological order, so that we can easily find the main factors that block the causal relationship.

There are omissions and repetitions in it. Weak horizontal logic. There are omissions and repetitions in it. Reasonable horizontal logic refers to the total score relationship that anyone can understand, without omission and repetition. Namely MECE's status.

How can I know about MECE?

1. The layering of the two languages should be consistent. Confirm the other party's position of thinking about the problem; Let both sides cut in the same way. For example, a salesperson should stand in the customer's position and imagine the customer's needs. Thinking should focus on the pain points of customers and unify the levels of both sides.

2. Use architecture: use six-dimensional imagination. In addition to the three dimensions of visible length, width and height (basic cognition on the bright surface), in the invisible three-dimensional world, the flow of time is one-dimensional; The flow of information flow, electricity, transactions and other substances is also a dimension; People's mood and habits are another dimension. This step is equivalent to making a thinking frame from multiple perspectives of six-dimensional space.

About the invisible three-dimensional space, we can borrow big data to explain it. For example, using modern big data, we can analyze personal preferences, behavior habits, time and space movements and so on. Big data analysis is just the other three dimensions that we don't know much about, which can accurately reflect the other side of our reality. Therefore, the author Takada said, "Everything in the world can basically grasp the overall thinking with these six dimensions."

3. Eliminate duplication. Use MECE model to check duplication. After finding that there is indeed duplication between concepts, do subtraction and find another concept that is not duplicated to replace it. MECE model is the author's own duplicate checking method, and you will have a more detailed understanding after reading the original work.

Finally, a pyramid structure is formed, and the top layer is the speaker's point of view. Each line is composed of horizontal logic, without omission or repetition, so no one will question it. Is that all? The logic of each project has vertical reasoning, so no one will question "Is this really the case?" ?

On the flexible application of vertical logic and horizontal logic in life. Please look at the following example:

For example, Alipay recently launched an insurance product "mutual insurance", which was hyped by major media. Everyone is asking whether this kind of insurance can be bought. An insurance veteran analyzed and submitted a comprehensive and pertinent proposal, and his logical thinking ability crisscrossed. He concluded that. Mutual insurance, a kind of critical illness insurance, cannot be used as the main insurance, but it is more suitable as an additional insurance.

& lt 1 & gt； Vertical logic:

The most important thing in critical illness insurance is the insured amount, that is, the amount paid by the insurance company after illness. Only the higher the compensation amount, will the risk be transferred.

There are no other options for the amount of mutual insurance, and with the increase of age, the amount of compensation will range from 300,000 (suffering from serious illness under 39 years old) to 65,438+10,000 (suffering from serious illness between 40 and 59 years old) to zero (after 59 years old). Contrary to the trend of onset age, the incidence rate is high with age. When you are over 59 years old and happen to have a high incidence of diseases, the protection of this mutual insurance is zero and there is no compensation.

This kind of critical illness insurance doesn't transfer risks at all (because of A), so it's not worth buying (because of B).

& lt2> horizontal logic:

Is mutual insurance really not worth buying? What is its highlight? Is there anything I haven't noticed?

Analysis:

1. Easy to buy, low threshold, no geographical restrictions, all three conditions can be bought.

This is a kind of insurance for young adults, because the maximum compensation of 300 thousand is that you get seriously ill before you are 39 years old. The elites of this era are busy working hard for their careers, often dismissing their own health, and probably haven't had time to lay out other critical illness insurance. At this time, buying mutual insurance as transitional insurance is also a guarantee for the elite. Although the risk of serious illness before the age of 39 is very small, no one can guarantee that young people will not suffer from serious illness.

This is a one-year short-term insurance, which has the risk of stopping selling, and the estimated cost is not expensive, so it is best to supplement the coverage with long-term critical illness insurance or other insurance. Take mutual insurance to cooperate with other types of insurance, so that 300 thousand will be added on the basis of the original amount, which is equivalent to doubling the insured amount. The price/performance ratio suddenly increased.

After the above vertical and horizontal logic analysis. The conclusion is:

Mutual insurance, a kind of critical illness insurance, cannot be used as the main insurance, but it is more suitable as an additional insurance to increase the amount of protection, or as a transitional insurance for young employees who have just joined the company.

Logical thinking ability often determines the rigor of a proposal. Just as the horizontal and vertical yarns on a loom are intertwined and arranged with each other, a complete cloth will be woven. Only by combining vertical thinking with horizontal thinking can logical thinking give consideration to all aspects and omissions and make our proposal perfect.

Logical thinking is a basic ability, not an end. Our proposal in the workplace, the most important thing is to convince each other, so that they are willing to take action. Ability to test hypotheses, suitable for negotiation with customers and discussion with superiors.

"Test hypothesis" means: first find out the questions that the other party (customer) may ask, also known as finding out the arguments, then infer the possible answers, and finally find objective evidence to prove your answers.

There are five steps to test the hypothesis: 1. Understand the purpose, 2. Grasp the argument, 3. Build a hypothesis, 4. Conduct tests, and 5. Draw inspiration.

The first two steps of "purpose and argument" are to find out the questions that the other party may ask; The next three steps of "hypothesis, verification and inspiration" are to prepare objective evidence to answer each other's questions.

Purpose and demonstration The key point of this step is to pay attention to listening and understanding each other's requirements. Many people in the workplace have made this mistake. It is often useless to make the next hypothesis (hypothetical case) and verification without knowing the real intention of the boss or customer.

The construction hypothesis and the verification hypothesis are closely linked. To construct a hypothesis, we need to find out what the problem is according to listening, expand the scope of the hypothesis with vertical and horizontal thinking, and improve the accuracy of the hypothesis. Whether the hypothesis is correct or not requires correct logic and solid factual basis, both of which are indispensable.

Classify hard facts according to the following three angles:

To test the hypothesis, the combination of these three angles is the most objective and conclusive information.

Using vertical and horizontal logic to analyze the case of Chongqing Quanzhou bus crashing into the river;

Purpose and argument: the reason why the bus crashed into the river

Build assumptions:

The external cause of 1 (assuming 1):

Road condition: whether the road surface is damaged and whether there are obstacles; Surrounding vehicles: avoid adjacent vehicles; Collapse.

2 Internal cause (Hypothesis 2): Vehicle condition: brake, throttle, steering, whether the steering wheel is out of order, driver condition: wine rack, poison rack, sudden illness.

3 Expand the hypothesis with lateral thinking (hypothesis 3): Someone robbed the vehicle and the driver wanted to commit suicide. . . .

Test hypothesis: correct logic and solid factual basis

1. Black box (driving recorder) More than 220 segments of vehicle driving recorder and SD card data,

2. The public security organs collected more than 2,300 hours of surveillance video.

3. Investigate the passing vehicles 160 trips before and after the incident,

4. Investigation 132 People related to bus companies and those involved.

Through the application of conclusive facts, it is concluded that the reason why Chongqing bus crashed into the river is that passengers quarreled with the driver during the ride, and then it evolved into physical conflict. Fighting between the two sides caused the vehicle to get out of control, causing the vehicle to collide with a normal car in the opposite direction and fall into the river.

It is a perfect answer to analyze the reason why Quanzhou bus crashed into the river with the above verification hypothesis. However, the application of the same test hypothesis to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was not so smooth, and the answer could not be submitted.

There is a simple reason. Explain with the "answer" in the book "Accurate Expression": "The answer means that only when you find the factual basis and construct reasonable logic can you dare to assert that this is true".

The reason why you can't answer is that the facts are insufficient or the logic is unreasonable. In the area where Malaysia Airlines crashed into the sea, with the change of ocean currents, all data and salvage have no shield to follow. Even under reasonable logical reasoning, there is no complete set of facts that constitute the whole logic. In this case, there can only be another result to test the hypothesis: "extract inspiration."

The so-called inspiration is "information that helps to grasp the core of the argument, which is neither an answer after hypothesis verification nor an arbitrary proposition". With limited factual basis and logic, it is impossible to make a decisive decision. Many times, you don't need to answer each other's questions categorically, as long as you focus on the argument, refine inspiration and guide the direction, that's enough.

Therefore, in the end, the search for Malaysia Airlines did not have a perfect result, but a number of sea areas and factual basis about Malaysia Airlines' search and rescue showed people's concern about the direction of "all-out search and rescue, but nothing", which is enlightenment. Drawing inspiration, although it can't give 100% answer to the argument, it focuses on the other party's problem, that is, the argument, to some extent.

Drawing inspiration plays a very important role in business, and it is the epitome of the whole hypothesis testing thinking process. Many times, not all hypotheses have perfect answers, but as long as you can get some inspiration, you can promote the development of things.

The above is a test hypothesis, which is to make a hypothetical answer to the other party's question and verify it. There are only two results: the perfect answer and the extraction of inspiration. Either way, it can push things forward. Mastering this skill is of great benefit to communication with superiors and customers in the workplace. Because from beginning to end, it reflects the beginning and end of the proposal or plan.

At present, many enterprises have spent a lot of time and energy without solving practical problems. Accurately express that the meeting design is not good. The book provides accurate methods to design meetings, which is the ability to "express properly". Japanese consulting companies regard "no matter what purpose, occasion or occasion, the meeting can be designed well" as the standard to judge whether employees can be independent.

Two important factors for the success of the conference are "landing place" and "landing form".

Landing point: actually, it is the positioning of the meeting.

Positioning refers to where this meeting should be in the whole big plan and to what extent it should be discussed. All meetings have topics. Let the participants know what the specific arguments of this meeting are. Very important. Otherwise, the meeting will turn into small talk.

After making clear the orientation of the meeting, the input or output management of the meeting can prevent us from wasting time in the meeting. Because you know what kind of meeting to hold, you will prepare the necessary information for this meeting in advance, such as discussing the possibility of cooperation on the basis of the first meeting and understanding the current situation of the two companies. The information to be input in this meeting is the company profile of both parties, the list of participants, product introduction and other information. The output is "building a trust relationship and moving each other".

Landing form: refers to the style (form) of meeting design.

A meeting is the discussion and adoption of a plan, and the decision must be made by the recipient. How to improve the pass rate of our scheme? Then it is necessary to design a scheme that caters to each other's style and follows each other's understanding mode and thinking mode, so that it is easier to get each other's understanding. In a word, the plan we put forward should be in our own interest. This is a tactic. So how do you find out each other's style? The author offers three suggestions:

1. Is it a reader or an audience? Some people like listening but don't like watching, so they are called "listeners", while others like watching or not are called "readers".

2. Is it "looking at the overall situation" or "grasping the chain"? Looking at the global school, it belongs to horizontal logic. Zipper school belongs to vertical logic. Looking at the overall situation, when submitting the plan, I like to grasp the whole and want to submit the plan from the general to the sub-plan. Chain owners are only interested in what they care about.

3. Is it "top down" or "bottom up"? Top-down school likes to think from the conclusion, first listen to the conclusion and then listen to the reasons, while bottom-up school is used to listening to the background and reasons before asking the conclusion.

The landing forms (styles) of the press conference are actually various. For example, if the vice president attends an internal meeting of Wanda Group, the general manager must report; If the president attends the meeting, the vice president must report. This is also a meeting style. This top-down model can ensure that leaders fully understand their own industries, make decisions and take a holistic view.

Meeting design skills are especially useful for business elites at the executive level. Negotiations and cooperation between companies and international organizations are becoming more and more frequent, and the use of conference design is becoming more and more frequent. Master this skill. You can definitely upgrade a few grades from ordinary staff.

The production of business texts is a necessary knowledge for professionals. Especially suitable for newcomers in the workplace. In the book, Mr. Takada provides five steps to make business texts: making short messages, charts, slides, data packets and data groups.

The first three steps are to integrate the ideas you want to convey into slides with words and charts, which is a process of highly concentrating and refining information. Mr. Takada illustrated four methods of condensed text information and concise expression, as well as detailed methods of making charts and slides.

The next two steps are to sort out and arrange the slides made earlier. The key point of this link is to sort out a reasonable business text framework according to the positioning of the meeting and the thinking mode of the participants.

In this chapter, Takada made a detailed decomposition, and put forward the matters needing attention and main points. Decorate examples with clear pictures and words. For new employees, it is indeed an introductory textbook for learning text production.

These four skills in the book "Accurate Expression" teach you how to make your plans and suggestions accepted and implemented. In addition to the form of marriage proposal, there is also perceptual cognition that goes deep into the psychological level of the other party. The four abilities in the book are not only used for business communication, especially logical thinking ability, which can be used in all occasions in life, such as job application documents, salary increase proposals, rationalization suggestions and so on.

Thorough learning and accurate expression can not only improve your workplace skills, make you feel at home in the workplace and become an elite in the workplace, but also make your thinking grow in many fields.

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