You don’t have to be Steve Jobs to be a great communicator – every innovator can capture the power of communicating well. And you must! If you want to shape your idea’s destiny, find your eloquence and speak out!
There are six basic components to great communication – whether you’re giving a huge keynote or trying to run an effective senior staff meeting. Here they are in brief:
You deliver a clear, compelling vision – your message is the essential thing
- You have a truly provocative, useful idea. What do you see that others don’t see? What do you do that can help? What are you showing that can transform? What are you building that can inspire?
- You tell powerful stories: Stories inspire people because they impact us on a subconscious level (our brains get a dopamine hit when they experience the satisfying pattern of a story). Stories engage hearts and minds – which is the best way to inspire your employees to follow you in chasing that big vision.
You have an audience mindset – it’s not about you, it’s about them!
- A speech is a gift, not a performance: Give your audience something that will make their business or lives better. You do this best when you know who your audience is and what matter to them.
- You know where you are: You understand the context (and culture) you are speaking in – tone and content for your all hands meeting and your board meeting are different, obviously!
You remember that you are in a body – your body
- Your body is what’s actually giving the presentation – even if your brain is trying to direct it: You ground yourself in your body before you present your QBR or a keynote. You use gestures naturally (not in a weird, fakey calculated way), make eye contact, pause and breathe. Because you are human! And because your body is speaking louder than you are – the research on mirror neurons is stunning!
- Technique and preparation: So many people underestimate how much preparation a great speech takes. But not you. You invest seriously in preparation to reap real rewards. Whether you’re presenting at the company holiday party or TED, you pay attention to the physical setting and your needs – notes, mike and earphones, teleprompter, slide display, water, etc.
Every innovator can become a much more effective communicator by embracing these six steps. We’ll dive more deeply into each in upcoming posts!
[This post also appeared on LinkedIn on February 25, 2016.]
