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I know a man who commands attention with his voice. At first, he is resonant. He’s articulate. He’s confident. However, as you listen, you realize he isn’t saying anything. Conversationally, he’s fine to talk to, but he doesn’t have a message. He sounds nice to listen to, but he doesn’t have influence.
I know another man with cerebral palsy. It’s difficult to understand him when he speaks. He’s loud. His words seem disjointed. It can feel awkward talking to him. He has an interpreter who translates for him. He speaks with intent, deep knowledge and with purpose. He has influence. He even molds public policy and shapes the way other leaders think and act.
Having a great voice and using clever presentation tools—it can help, but none of it is necessary.
What is?
1. Have a message
This seems obvious, but we’ve all listened to a leader who rambled. It can be like an unprepared student responding to an essay question—hoping that if they write long enough they’ll accidentally trip across the right answers.
Even worse, we’ve listened to leaders who had no message. They mistook having a podium for thinking that they, themselves, were so engaging that it didn’t matter what they did or said.
Coaching question: What is it you’re trying to communicate?
2. Know what you want to accomplish
It’s not enough to have a message. You need to know your vision and expectations. What is that meeting supposed to accomplish? That presentation? That article? That memo?
Be very clear about your vision and then craft your message to produce those outcomes.
Coaching questions: What is the most important, big picture outcome that you are hoping to accomplish with this message?
3. Be empathic with your audience
Empathy is the ability to convey that you genuinely understand and care about the experience of someone else. It doesn’t mean you necessarily feel it yourself—although, you might.
It also doesn’t mean you agree. It is possible to recognize and value where someone is coming from without needing to present a value judgment.
When your audience feels like you see, hear and recognize where they are, then they open themselves up to be influenced by you. There are many ways to do this.
Personal stories:I often use personal stories. They usually work better when they are self-deprecating. This is intentional and helps people connect.
Their stories:Use a story from someone in the audience, one that reflects the common experience. You don’t even need to tell the story. You can often bring that person forward to tell their story. When people see that you saw one of them, they often feel like you see all of them.
Mirroring:Reflect back what you hear or understand that they are going through:
“I’m hearing that this has been an enormously frustrating experience…”
“I know that these changes are creating some real difficulties….”
“That’s a great accomplishment! I’m glad to see that you are excited about it. You worked hard to make that happen!”
Coaching questions:
4. Cultivate healthy confidence
Much of our confidence is based on whether or not we keep the promises we make to ourselves.
When you do what you say you will do, your self-confidence will grow. When you don’t, you damage your credibility.
Keep the promises you make.
When you do, you’ll discover that doubts and fears will begin to fade. I don’t know a leader who doesn’t encounter them at times, but they become background which can be ignored.
Because you know you’re reliable, when you speak, you know you’re credible.
Coaching question: Which promise to myself do I need to take action on?
5. Be clear and concise
New executives sometimes talk too much because they don’t know what needs to be said. They say everything in the hope of covering all the bases.
Experienced executives can sometimes talk too much because no one will stop them and they’ve fallen in love with their own voice.
The clearer you are about what you want to say and the impact you want your words to have, the easier it is to say less and communicate well.
Coaching Questions:
6. Have a call to action
What should a listener or reader do with what you’ve said? Don’t make them guess. Tell them.
Never hint or hope that people will figure out what you want them to do. Invite, tell, guide, instruct, ask, but be clear.
Perhaps there are some occasions where a call to action isn’t required, but they are rare. Leaders typically call people to action.
Coaching Questions:
7. Communicate frequently and regularly
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but most of the time it just causes people to forget. Your communication needs to be frequent and regular. Then you can provide small, real-time reminders and encouragement.
Don’t save up for the big celebration or when things are about to go off the rails. When it comes to shaping culture and the performance ethic of your organization. You need frequent and regularcommunication. It’s how you shape culture and expectations.
I’ve heard it said, “People leak. We have to keep filling them up.” You can’t lead with action alone. People need your words. You don’t need a lot of words, but they need to be spoken.
Coaching Questions:
Calling you to action
Think of the main messages you need to communicate over this next week, month or season of your organizational life. Take 15 to 20 minutes to think through the questions that I’ve asked here. You’ll find that you are able to communicate more clearly, with less effort and achieve a greater response.
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 | Christian Muntean is a seasoned expert in fostering business growth and profitability. With a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership and certifications as a Master Coach, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), and International Mergers & Acquisitions Expert (IM&A), he guides entrepreneurial leaders through growth, succession planning, and exit strategies. He is an accomplished author of three books, including Train to Lead. Christian resides in Anchorage, Alaska, with his family. Learn More » |
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