Insights for Empowered Communication

Insights for Empowered Communication

Basic communications courses teach the various forms of writing – informative, persuasive, promotional, or educational – and how each should be used to communicate a message. But communication is more than the written word. It is also comprised of verbal, nonverbal, and visual cues; direct and indirect
communication. As people everything we say and do communicates a message. As
leaders that message reflects back onto the organization we represent. How we show
up as individuals (warm, engaging, condescending, aggressive), how we show up in
writing (run on sentences = long-winded; numerous topic changes = scatterbrained),
how our content appears across marketing platforms and social media streams
(cohesive, confident, demonstrating expertise) is automatically equated with the
organization we lead. Is it any wonder colleges and universities offer degrees in
communication and enterprise level organizations have entire departments dedicated
solely to communications?

Last month we touched on being mindful of the vehicle we use to communicate our
message and setting a standard for that messaging. As we continue our journey
through the nuances of communication, let’s examine the main forms of communication
how leaders can avoid pitfalls within each form: verbal, nonverbal, visual, and written.

Verbal Communication is the form of communication by which thoughts and ideas are
articulated in speech. Verbal communication can happen over the phone, in a board
room, or from a podium on stage. Verbal communication relies upon the hearer being
an engaged participant through active listening. What good would it do to present a 30-
minute talk on the new vacation policy to an empty room? No one would know or
understand the change until the same talk was presented in front of the workforce.
When using verbal communication, it is beneficial to support the spoken word with
nonverbal and/or visual cues designed to keep the audience engaged and increase
understanding. Verbal communication without those additional supports is subject to the
misinterpretation of what was said versus what was meant.

Nonverbal Communication is the use of body language, physical actions, and facial
expressions to convey information. We’ve all seen the “Mom look” either in person or on
TV. This ideal example of nonverbal communication involves a narrowing of the eyes, a
tightening of the lips, and a tilt of the head that instantly communicates the message
“cut out your antics or you’ll be in big trouble”. Nonverbal communications of the face
express a variety of emotions from pleasure to displeasure (a smile versus a frown
versus a scowl). Physical actions include crossed arms, hunched shoulders, a torso,
and shoulder leaning toward or away from another person.

Leaders are served best by nonverbal communications which match the intention and
tone of their message. Discordant messaging between the nonverbal and the verbal
causes the audience to question the sincerity of the message. Your audience will be left
with more questions than answers if what you’re saying isn’t lining up with what they’re
seeing in your body language.

Visual Communication is used everywhere from billboards to television ads to
quarterly reports. Visual communications utilize pictures, graphs, and other images to
convey the message. Visual communication is a core part of every leader’s
communication arsenal in this digital age. Eye-catching images, infographics, evocative
advertising spots are some of the other ways in which visuals are utilized to
communicate messaging.

Consistency, clarity, and conformity to the brand is essential when considering visuals.
When used across media visuals should maintain the same look and feel as others.
Similar colors, fonts, and picture types will increase brand awareness and immediately
alert the viewer to the intention of the communication.

Written Communication can be the trickiest of the main communication methods.
Deciding how formal or informal the message needs to be, the interest level of the
intended audience, and the length of time for which they will be engaged all factor into
written communication. During business communications, the important points are to
keep the writing simple and clear, avoid waiting until the last minute to craft your writing,
and don’t rely on tone of voice. This last one is easily overlooked as leaders attempt to
engage their audience by conveying their personality in writing. Unlike verbal
communication, written communication is truly black and white. The nuances of
sarcasm, intonation, and inflection are lost on a piece of paper or a screen. Written
words, void of these auditory cues, will be subject to the reader’s interpretation of what
the chosen words mean. Give a piece of paper with the words “a woman” written on
them to five different people and ask them to draw a picture of what that means. More
likely than not, you will receive five different images of “a woman”. This simple example
is magnified when the message of the written words is a critical one. Take the time
necessary to craft, re-read, re-write, and simplify the written communication.

Communication is a field that is both deep and wide. In a world of sound bites, hot mics,
and quotes taken out of context leaders ought to allow themselves time to craft
messages prior to releasing them. Similarly, it is essential for leaders to have a firm
handle on their preferred methods of communication with which they are the most
comfortable and the most easily understood.

Schedule a Discovery Session to learn how to harness your Leadership Communication
Style to affect exponential growth this year.