Communication Skills

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If I had to identify one competency that can have the most dramatic impact on your career, it’s your communication skills. If you have the ability to captivate listeners, and you use this tool to your advantage, you can achieve great things. I recently attended a speaking intensive with Alan Parisse, a truly gifted speaking coach. In his opening remarks he suggested that speaking is overrated. Great speakers can get ahead quickly. Bad speakers can implode their careers. Most of us know someone who put their foot in their mouth in front of the wrong person and did irreparable damage to their career. You probably also know someone that is so gifted in their verbal delivery that they have progressed way above where their other skills would have gotten them. Maybe they schmoozed the right people or manipulated their way through. Either way, their ability to communicate effectively got them there.

Being a great communicator isn’t just about getting up in front of a group of 100 people and delivering a great presentation. It can be a small office meeting, the across the desk discussion with your boss, the job interview, the interaction at the Rotary Club, or even a first date.

When you anticipate being in a situation where your communication is important, take the time to do the following:
1. Analyze your audience–understand who you will speaking to and look at your message through their eyes. Will your message resonate? What objections might they have? What’s in it for them?
2. Prepare what you want to say in advance–the best communicators take the time to craft their message. It must be concise, impactful, and well organized.
3. Rehearse—if you take time to prepare, get in the habit of practicing out loud. Do it in the mirror, role play with people around you, practice it when you’re driving (with Bluetooth in most cars, nobody will think you’re crazy, they’ll assume you’re on the phone).

Imagine coming to your next staff meeting after you’ve done this. You’ve looked at the issues through the eyes of your audience, anticipated the discussion, thought though the objectives, prepared compelling responses, and practiced articulating your language. Think about how much more compelling you become and what it could do for your perception in the eyes of others.

The most successful people are often those with the greatest communication skills. Put some preparation into what you plan to say and watch the benefits you experience in your business and your career. Give it a try and shoot me an email to let me know how it goes. [email protected].