Influential Communications
The ability to influence others through confidence, skill, authority and sincere intent is something anyone can develop. Whether we are seeking support from one person, presenting a business case to decision makers, or speaking to a large audience - how we come across is the sum of what we’ve done to prepare.
That preparation, however, isn’t just about collecting up relevant facts and drafting points of view. Showing up with the right presence and fluency of skill is crucially important. If your delivery isn’t powerful, the ideas and data points won’t have nearly the impact you are looking for. And if it’s a win/lose situation, we’ll likely lose.
This ability to deliver is what I refer to as Influential Communications. Four key principles:
The ability to influence others is a fundamental life skill.
We must train this deliberately, and not leave it to mindless learning and repetition.
All of our communications benefit from influential communication skills.
Our capacity to become expert is only limited by our efforts and beliefs in ourselves.
In my youth, I would turn beet-red when I had to present in front of a class. My heart would race and my voice would shake. My fear of speaking in “intimidating” environments continued into my early work life as a sales professional in my first real career job. I knew this limitation was something I needed to overcome, so I addressed it through a combination of strategic learning, practice in safe environments and real-world experience.
Fast-forward to my current profession as an executive advisory coach, speaker and leadership consultant, I am still fascinated by the abilities of the powerful communicator. In recent years, I’ve been focused on how the holistic practice of influential communications can elevate even highly experienced leaders.
I’ve evolved my approach, continue to stretch my comfort zones and help others increase their level of influence. As I gain more and more feedback from my leadership clients, the frameworks continue to improve.
Below is my high level expression of the Influential Communication skill set. Each block is a skill that can be learned and mastered. The more skills we have working for us at any given moment, the more effective we will be.
There is a wide range of ways to achieve proficiency in this area of personal development. It’s an incredibly rewarding journey. The road to be travelled is never-ending, and is made possible through honest self-awareness and constant, incremental improvement.