Pace — Effective conversational pace (the rate at which we speak) is dynamic. It's connected to our content, our listeners, and our own presence in the moment. A common misconception is that faster pace is associated with higher intelligence. In practice, though, listeners associate overly-rapid pace with impatience, disinterest, disconnection from the content, or nervousness. Speaking too quickly also undermines many of the other fundamentals of communication (both verbal and non-verbal).
Pause — We often underestimate the role that pauses play in our conversation. Not only do pauses give listeners time to process the information that we're communicating, they contribute to many of the other elements of communication, including fluidity, breathing, listening, connection, presence, and more.
Enunciation — The clear mechanical formation and enunciation of words is a basic but critical part of communication. Weak, slushy, or mumbled speech is hard to understand and negatively affects listeners' perception of the speaker. Clear enunciation helps an audience listen without effort, and contributes to communication that feels confident, intentional, and meaningful.
Clear tone — The tones of our voice carry rich amounts of information that can either support or undermine the content of our message. A tight or unstable tone (muscularly constricted), for example, can convey tension, discomfort, or frustration. An open or stable tone (muscularly relaxed), on the other hand, contributes to perceptions of confidence and calmness.
Volume — Speaking with appropriate and responsive volume plays a critical role in delivering an effective message. Even when listeners can hear the words being said, overly soft or low volume can convey timidity and lack of confidence, which undermine the content of our communication.
Breath — Breath is a critical component of communication that affects many other factors like tone, pause, volume, and even physical stress. We can learn to connect with our breath, and how to use it to power our voice and communication.
Sentence endings — Listeners remember the ends of our sentences. Fading sentence endings can make us sound disconnected or lacking conviction; uptalk (ending a statement as a question) can convey uncertainty or a sense that we're seeking validation or approval. To communicate certainty or confidence in our message, on the other hand, it's important to finish sentences with a downward inflection in pitch.
Many people achieve early success with communication styles based on logic & rationality. Ironically, that same approach can limit growth or achievement beyond a certain point. Many logic- or IQ-primary communicators need to learn emotion- or EQ-based communication practices in order to successfully build trust, rapport, and strong team performance.
Gestures — Gestures allow an audience to not just hear your message, but to see it as well. The effective use of gestures makes it easier for listeners to connect with, understand, and retain our messages. We can also use gestures to deliver higher-fidelity and more nuanced content.
Stance — The first impressions you make aren’t based on verbal communication; they’re based on what your audience sees. Before you say a word, your body is already communicating for you. How you stand, how you sit, how you take up space in a room — how you physically “show up” — are all powerful components of our communication.
Movement & Stillness — Our movement affects how we are perceived and understood. A fidgety or overly-busy body — extraneous or excessive movement — undermines the speaker. A lack of movement or an impassive, non-responsive manner, on the other hand, can do the same. Finding the balance with intentional, purposeful movement is a key part of effective communication.
Active Listening — Active listening is dynamic, interactive, and responsive. It’s neither claiming the conversation nor being a wallflower. We use active listening to understand and connect with people, not to correct or negate; to collaborate with, not compete with. It’s about connection and inclusion via genuine curiosity and interest so that we can do better work together.
Responding, not reacting — when we stop listening, we often react to a person or their message, instead of responding to them. Response is thoughtful, considered, and rational. Reaction is more often careless, defensive, or irrational.
Presence is being in the moment: attentive focus on the people you’re with and the conversation you’re in. It’s the ability to turn off your inner dialog and actually see what’s happening, to get out of your head and into the conversation. The more present we are, the better the communication flows, always.
Mindfulness — Mindfulness is about intention. It’s one of the ways that we tie together many of the other elements of communication. Are we conscious of how we’re communicating, of our body language, listening, and speech? Are we thinking of our audience — who they are, how they feel, preconceptions they may have?
Assertiveness — confident communication is assertive communication. It’s not aggressive, and it’s not passive. Assertiveness is the ability to communicate your wants and needs while also understanding the wants and needs of others. It’s based in large part on confidence in who you are, your worth, and the value you bring.
Managing high-pressure situations — despite the athletic heroics we see on TV, many people don’t perform at their best in high-pressure situations. Those high-pressure situations, though, are inevitable. Instead of avoiding them, we can provide you with a variety of tools and techniques to navigate these situations and perform when you need to.