How you can communicate your way to success
Mastery of the art of communication is the gateway to great leadership. If you look back at all the great leaders that you know, now and in history, the one thing that rings true to all of them is that they were, or are, all great communicators. Communication is not just about talking, but rather about harnessing a deep ability to connect with an audience in delivering a message. The greatest communicators motivate and energize their audiences through their interaction. It is that interaction, an interaction which goes beyond just relaying a message, that when wrapped up gives meaning to the term ‘communication’.
Without great communication skills one will find it difficult, if not impossible, to build, connection, drive inspiration and create alignment, all necessary elements in driving an organisation towards great execution of strategy. Not every leader however has these skills sitting naturally among the skills he or she can easily reach down and pluck out from his or her bag of tricks. For some they need to be harnessed and developed. So, how then does one build this skill?
The first thing is to approach your intended audience with an open and flexible state of mind. As you begin to deliver your message be prepared to flex your pre-determined style to suit the audience that you find yourself in front of. Audiences, whether comprised of one or many people, are different and will respond differently to different methods of communication. Sticking to your predetermined style may be the first error you will have made in trying to connect with yours. Flexing your style on learning the kind of audience you are dealing with is the start to winning their trust, a key attribute in effective communication. Furthermore, a sure way of enhancing the trust is to develop a ‘two way’, rather than ‘one way’ style. This requires that you develop an adult relationship with your audience in the sense that your style brings out a dialogue, where you have a conversation, rather than a monologue where you talk at them. You will find that messages will stick better when you involve the audience in them. A keen listening ear will therefore be necessary as you deliver your message as that will help you facilitate that dialogue. Opening a dialogue however puts one at the risk of entertaining views that conflict with those that they are intending to communicate. This is a very scary prospect for anyone not used to entertaining opinions that differ from theirs. This kind of style therefore demands a high level of leadership maturity where one is not only comfortable with handling dissenting views but also where one is well conversant with the topic at hand to be in a good position to debate off those views.
Once you and your audience have warmed up to each other it is important that you take full advantage of the cozy relationship by ensuring clarity of message. Depending on the audience you are dealing with you may need to dissect the message down into manageable chunks ensuring that all ambiguity is dealt with as you do so. Going through this process as clinically as possible helps you to keep your audience involved and therefore attentive as you go about your delivery. Failing to get to the point soon enough sometimes causes them to quickly lose attention.
Honesty is another very key attribute for successful communication. Any audience that you communicate to will look out for signs of disingenuity through such indicators as your language, body and otherwise, as well as in the way you package your message. Your message needs to be delivered in a calm, relaxed manner and should be spiced with facts that are relatable to the audience and which they can test for certainty as they take it in. Any sign of a slipped date, a wrong timeline or such fact will immediately throw doubt to the message and cause loss of trust and interest.
All the above cannot be delivered without a high sense of confidence. Your audience needs to be filled with the belief that you have the capacity to deliver whatever you are promising within your message and this is where the need for them to see you as confident comes in. A message delivered waveringly does not inspire belief. Confidence however can easily turn into arrogance if due care is not taken to ensure it does not flow overboard. A genuine healthy respect for the audience takes care of that.
Finally, keep it light, keep it simple and sprinkle over it with humour to make it fun to take in, all without taking away the seriousness it deserves. Your audience will love that.
