When COVID shut us all down three years ago, the first online courses we were asked to teach focused on communication for leaders. Whether the programs were touted as leadership or not, the idea was to create skills for people leading teams and the need to bridge the communication gap since face-to-face live communication was no longer possible. |
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In the middle of a program for a large international firm across multiple continents, I inadvertently (and unintentionally) used the phrase/word Communicator-Leader. After class that day, I started thinking about what that meant. Although it’s probably redundant, I like it more and more. And it describes perhaps the most important task a leader can focus on and the result of someone who is effective at communication.
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For the past two years, I’ve been helping lead a program in St. Joseph, MO that is centered around leading in such a way that a team maximizes their effort, creativity, and cohesiveness. That experience has helped contribute to my personal definition of leadership as empowering others to perform at their highest levels. I’ll measure my leadership success based on what others are able to accomplish.
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How does communication fit in? We’ve all seen leaders (by title/position) who were poor communicators. Whether it’s the inability to lead a compelling meeting, putting people to sleep from the stage, or crafting too many and confusing emails and memos on a never-ending basis, there are lots of practical aspects to communicating well. But just like defining leadership by the results of those you lead, I choose to define communication by what the audience takes away. Just this week I asked a coaching client who had claimed that her topic was boring this important question: “What do you want your audience to repeat?”
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That is the secret sauce that links leaders and communicators. If you aren’t an effective communicator – if people can’t spread your message as you intended when you’re not there – then your influence is limited to you being present. If your team and leadership require your presence, then the scale of what you can accomplish is severely limited. Individuals can only be in one place at a time. We don’t scale well as humans. |
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But messages live on without us. Great leaders convey ideas which are heeded and repeated accurately. The burden for effective communication falls squarely on the shoulders of the presenter. |
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Here are three tips to make your message more repeatable, and by inference, your leadership more impactful: |
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Start all your message preparation with the question: “What do I want people to repeat?” Not facts. Not diagrams. Not stories (and I LOVE stories!). Start with what you want the audience to take away.
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Flag the core message. Some ways to do this are “If you don’t get anything else from our time together, know this…” or “Everything we’ll cover today is less important than this one thing…” or from my teacher days, “If you’re taking notes, this is worth writing down” or “If there was going to be a test, this would certainly be on it…” Don’t neglect repetition as a powerful technique. That which gets repeated gets remembered. Handouts and visuals can reinforce this message as well.
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Ask someone from your audience (or anyone consuming your message) to summarize what they heard. “What did you hear me say?” is not just a good parenting and relationship tip, it’s good leadership. When the message isn’t repeated clearly, don’t blame the listener, go back to tip #1 and refine what and how you deliver your message.
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Great leaders are effective communicators. Great communicators are leaders with or without the title. Communicator-Leader… a position worth mastering |
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Communication matters. What are you saying?
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Most of you reading this have subscribed as follow-up to our courses and ideas on communication. While that’s still our core competency, we also have multiple programs for leaders and teams. These can be offered as keynotes for gatherings, half-day workshops, or a series of training sessions investigating the true power of a team. Call or email us to design a program for your team. |
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Our in-person workshops are back to their regular schedule. We’ll be in Raleigh, NC on May 22-23, and September 11-12, 2023. Sign up here. Of course, we can come to your team on your schedule and customize programs for your specific needs. Call us to discuss.
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We have added another live, public workshop, The Power of Storytelling in Business and in Life. In this half-day, interactive workshop, you will partner with other participants to discover what makes a great story, when to tell stories, and apply techniques to your own stories so you’ll be able to use them in your workshops, meetings, interviews, presentations, and general conversation. We have been delivering this to corporate clients for the past few years but this is our first public offering since COVID began. May 24th, Raleigh, NC. Sign up here. (Early-bird discount through May 3.)
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We have launched our new online training initiative, MillsWyck Academy. This new format allows us to share our timeless insights in an asynchronous format for access on your schedule. Our first course, YOU are the Presentation: Unlock the Power of Slides is available now. Stay tuned: we are in the final edits of our flagship course, Foundations of Effective Communication and editing our third course, Presenting in the Online World.
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MillsWyck Communications
Communication matters. What are YOU saying?
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Alan Hoffler, Philorator (Teacher & Lover of Speaking)
(919) 386-9238
email: info@millswyck.com
Alan Hoffler is the Executive Director and Principal Trainer at MillsWyck Communications. He is a Trainer, Speaker, Author, and Coach who passionately moves others to effective and engaging communication.
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