Everyone speaks, whether verbally, through sign language or body language, everyone has something to communicate to the next person, a small group of people or a large stadium crowd. Communication is a basic but important action that happens in our lives and all around us. It is a more important technical skill to master in the world of business. In my entrepreneurship journey, I have come to appreciate many lessons about effective speaking. The way I communicate to existing and potential clients has played a crucial role in how successful I have been with selling, delivering messages and building my community of D-Tribers. As business managers, business owners and team leads in our respective corporate spaces, we may have been faced with the challenge of leading a team meeting, pitching a client or keynoting an industry event. The opportunities to share our thoughts, to communicate a message and to build connect with others is ever-present.
The Masterclass (2021) has the following discussion on effective communication: Effective communication is vital both in and out of the workplace because it allows you to clearly translate your intentions and feelings into easily understandable messages. Effective communication makes you a more productive worker and cuts down on unintended consequences that arise as a result of miscommunication. Developing an effective communication process helps you understand what others are saying and makes you a better collaborator and team member.
Although communication is an essential skill to have, public speaking is one of the biggest fears held by many. According to Forbes, 10 percent of people love public speaking, another 10 percent are terrified, and the rest of the population are uncomfortable to a certain degree with the thought of speaking in front of a group. We know some outstanding speakers that we admire, and we often think that they were born with the best communication skills. This is not true for everyone. These people that we applaud have gone through months and years of training. Either they’ve pursued formal public speaking education or coaching or they’ve taken every opportunity to stand on their feet and deliver speeches.
From everyday communication to professional speaking, we face barriers that prevent us from effectively communicating. I share a few of those barriers inspired by an article from the University of Waterloo.
- Lacking clarity: Sometimes, we use abstract, overly-formal language, colloquialisms, and jargon, which obscure our message more than they serve to impress people.
- Using stereotypes and generalizations: As industry speakers, we make unqualified generalizations and undermine our own clarity and credibility. We must be careful not to get stuck in the habit of using stereotypes or generalizing about complex systems or situations.
- Jumping to conclusions: We have a common tendency to confuse facts with inferences. We should not assume we know the reasons behind events, or that certain facts necessarily have certain implications. We should be more prudent in making sure we have all the information we can get, and then speak clearly about the facts versus the meanings or interpretations you attach to those.
- Dysfunctional responses: Ignoring or not responding to a comment or question quickly undermines effective communication. Likewise, responding with an irrelevant comment — one that isn’t connected to the topic at hand — will quash genuine communication. Interrupting others while they are speaking also creates a poor environment for communication.
- Lacking confidence: Lacking confidence can be a major barrier to effective communication. Shyness, difficulty being assertive, or low self-worth can hinder our ability to make our needs and opinions known. Also, a lack of awareness of our own rights and opportunities in a given situation can prevent us from expressing our needs openly.
So, what are the elements of good communication? There are a few key tenets of good communication that you can use no matter the type of communication it is. In particular, good communication:
- Clarity: Whether you’re sending a text message, drafting an email, or verbally communicating, the aim should be to to clearly communicate your message, leaving little to no room for assumptions.
- Listening: Communication is a two-way street. Even when giving event speeches, there are pauses required to allow the audience to react to a particular part of the message as feedback. Effective communication goes both ways. Every instance of communication in the workplace is an exchange of information—even if one person is only communicating nonverbally.
- Story telling: If you speak to people and just tell them some facts, there is a 5% to 10% retention rate of the information. If you now add some visual material and images, then retention can increase to 25% to 30%. If you tell a story with examples and emotion and it is engaging, then retention increases to 65% to 75%.
- A strong start sets the tone and pace for the communication: Your first 15 seconds You only have one chance to make a good first impression and that first impression is formed within 15 seconds. So look good, look confident, adopt peak physiology, start strong, lay the foundation and you will do a great job.
- Your body speaks also: The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus found that when people are speaking, approximately 7% of the message comes from the words, 36% of the message comes from your voice and 57% of the messagecomes from your nonverbal communication. Michael Grinder would argue that nonverbal communication is even more important than people realise.
I would love to help you have actionable steps on your journey to becoming a more effective communicator whether it’s with your business colleagues, friends or family. So, here are my 4 keys to help you communicate with confidence irrespective of the size of the crowd:
- Preparation: When it comes to preparation, consider two key things. Prior to stepping up the stage, prepare your visibility (how you look) and your vocality (how you sound). Know exactly what you will wear days before the event of speaking. Rushing on the day of the event to figure out what you should wear can wear you out even before you step up the stage. Remember to wear something that makes you feel comfortable and confident. The other half is to practice your message by recording yourself speaking on your message. Listen to your message and the tone of
your voice. Do this repeatedly to identify areas that you can improve and to get comfortable with hearing yourself. Inspiring presentations take practice—hours and hours of it. No one sees the hours of practice, but if you do it right, the excellent outcome will speak for itself.
- Positioning: One of the most common things to hear is this, “I get anxious when I have to speak to an audience.” Positioning your thoughts is important before speaking. Decide the main pointers you’d like to speak on and think on how you’d like to develop those points. Plan to speak in a chronological way such that you and your audience can understand and follow. Keep your points to a maximum of 4 so as not to lose the attention of your audience. Irrespective of the field of industry you are in, this will apply.
- Posture: This is not just about how you stand. Posture is about aligning the way you stand with your thoughts and words. The word posture comes from the Latin verb ponere, which means to” to put in place”. Posture refers to the position of the human body and its orientation (Britnell, 2005). Land on your thoughts and deliver your posture. Remember that your posture is also a form of communication. When you are delivering a thought that you want your audience to take away with them, follow it through with a posture that emphasizes the message.
- Perfection is not achievable: As you prepare to speak, do not prepare for perfection. Rather, prepare for the moments of imperfection. As you communicate authentically, you are likely to make mistakes. And as you become vulnerable, you may be challenged to the point of quitting. These are the vital moments that you should prepare for. How can you quickly bounce back when you have made a mistake? What should you do when you have jumbled up some pointers or forgotten them? What can you do or say when your audience ridicule you because you spoke on something they do not agree with? A strong mindset that supports progress is very important here because our greatness lies not in our ability to be perfect but in our capacity to keep going against
all odds. In any contemporary work setting, effective communication skills are key. Any employee looking to get to the leadership level in the company or organization they work for but lacks communication skills will find it difficult to get to that desired level, as such workers are unable to grow. Communication is at the core of effective leadership. If you want to influence and inspire your team, you need to practice empathy and transparency, and understand how others perceive you, through your verbal and non-verbal cues.
I have designed a second edition of my “Become a better speaker and an effective communicator” masterclass with you in mind. I’ll give you the tips, strategies, and tools you need to learn to enjoy public speaking and to make the most of the opportunities you have to take your career to the next level. I’ll help you nurture the confidence you lack, and the skills you need, to be the communicator you need to be. Read about all the details at www.dzigbordi.com. Excited to see and interact with you soon.
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