Great Communicators have an edge. They can get people to pay attention and act on their requests (sometimes even if the action is knowingly illegal or immoral). Communication carries immense responsibility, and as such, we should handle it seriously. If you think communication is merely information transfer, think again. That’s what email and websites are for.
Great communication is an opportunity to connect, build trust and rapport, and ultimately enhance relationships. If you’re a weak communicator, everything is hard work. You can’t get that raise, convert that client, or convince your team that your idea is THE best thing to do. As leaders, we don’t want our listeners to just comply; we want them energised by what we say. To give them clarity and hope.
Here’s what makes Great Communicators great.
- They are 100% clear and confident in their message – vague messages are confusing and demotivating
- They have 100% self-belief and conviction in the people around them. If they don’t believe in themselves or have allies who believe in them, their requests will seem weak and carry a lower priority to their own agendas.
As a Leader, you need to build a strong network around you. - They lead with understanding and empathy and relate ideas to people rather than demand and command. A coalition of the willing will always move faster than trying to wrangle a group of misaligned, unmotivated individuals who are unclear on the next actions and the bigger picture.
Great Communicators are able to knit the loose ends of multiple concepts and agendas into a unified vision. When you’re about to share your next important message think about the following:
- Could you summarise your message in a single compelling sentence? That defines clarity. Clarity is power.
- Do you have a team of willing listeners? What would it take to build that to achieve common objectives?
- What is the quality of your relationship with the stakeholders? Make it easy for yourself and build this over time rather than at the last minute.
Everyone has the potential to achieve their goals and lead with influence and engagement. Don’t leave it to chance. Practice good preparation and effective communication.
We need a system for effective communication.
I like to quote James Clear – “We don’t rise to the level of our potential, we fall to the level of our systems”.
What effective influence systems do you have?
That is why I’m partnering with Charmaine Keegan to help you build quick, effective systems for influence and engagement. We hope to see you soon.
Piece written by Jon Yeo, TEDxMelbourne Licensee holder.
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Piece written by Jon Yeo. Jon works with Leaders and Changemakers to understand incremental influence.
While leading TEDxMelbourne, he saw the YouTube data for, “what causes someone to pause, rewind or abandon a TED Talk?”. He combined this data to better understand how to design for empathy, engagement and simplify complexity. Jon has been the Licensee for TEDxMelbourne since 2009 and is a past National President for Professional Speakers Australia
Interview by Charmaine Keegan, author of over 20 eBooks, is a sought-after guest speaker, panellist, and keynote. She is a Certified Trainer Extended Disc System, of Situational Leadership, of NLP (how we operate), Hypnotherapy (unconscious communication) and Timeline Therapy (recognising your beliefs about sales and money – and recognising that of your customer). She has studied the psychology of human behaviour and is considered an absolute authority and true expert on sales techniques. She has ‘walked the walk‘ so her content, programs and key notes are highly practical and focused on results.
Smarter Selling is sales and mindset coaching for high-performing leaders and teams