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By Neil Flett CEO

Why is it that some people seem to go through life without being noticed, while others seem to lead naturally? The difference is at least partly because leaders are effective communicators?

Effective communication behaviours can be learned, not only the delivery skills such as eye contact, voice modulation, movement, gestures, pausing, facial expressions and energy levels, but also the skills of preparation that lead to your communication  being more effective.

Here are some key steps to becoming a better communicator. They are proven and taught by the world’s best-known consultancy for exceptional performance, rogenSi. rogenSi is a global consultancy that helps business leaders and their teams deal with three of the toughest areas of business: leading, inspiring change and growing sales.  Each year it coaches more than 20,000 business executives in more than 20 countries.

Step 1 – The only thing that matters is what the listener hears.

It really doesn’t matter what you say or how you say it, if the listener hears something different. All communication starts with understanding the needs and wants of the listener. The most fundamental step in preparation for any presentation, public speaking engagement or even a one-on-one conversation is thinking about the audience. It can take the most time - but it carries with it the highest rewards.

The higher the stakes of the communication, the more research we do into the listeners. Useful questions to consider or research are:

• Who are they?
• What is their interest in this topic?
• How do they feel about me and this subject?
• How much prior knowledge do they have?
• What questions will they want answered?
• What are the likely issues they bring up??

So before you decide to communicate, know who will be listening and how it might affect them. You don’t want to bore them, talk over their heads or waste their time. And you want make sure that they become engaged and if possible enjoy the experience.

And remember, the best communicators are great listeners so try to make every communication two-way and seek to really understand your listeners.

Step 2 - Set Objectives

This is where we decide what is our objective for the communication? A good way to consider this is to ask:
What do I want my listener to do as a result of this conversation, or presentation?

Note that the question is very specific. It does not say: “what do I want to tell them?”. It demands that they DO something as a result…and that could mean changing their mind, buying something, agreeing with you; or thinking differently about the subject. But if you are to be effective, you must cause an effect. The more specific and simple we are about this, the easier it will be for our listener  or listeners to walk away with the key messages that we intended.

Step 3 - Collect Evidence

So now you know about the audience and what they currently think about your subject…and you know what you want them to do as a result of your communication. But what will they need to hear to get them from where they are now to where you want them to go? It will be a blend of evidence: facts, statistics, examples, case studies, analogies, demonstration, testimonials, hypothetical examples and even visual aids.
And when you have the right amount of the right kind of evidence needed to convince the listener, you’re on the way to being effective as a communicator.

Step 4 – Structure your thoughts

Think about what you will say first, second and last. Because it’s important. Effective communicators get their listeners ready to receive their communication, then they communicate and then they make sure the communication has been received and understood.  So think about telling the listener/s what you are going to cover (the subject and areas you will be talking about), then cover the areas and finalise summarise the key points from each area and ask them to do something. rogenSi has some 30 different structures for everything from an impromptu chat to a week-long conference…so you have plenty to choose from.

Step 5 – Can you add a visual aid?

Visual Aids are just that "aids" - for emphasis and to highlight and support our message. Can you use a picture to demonstrate, or a chart? They can be a powerful keepsake of your message, and you can use PowerPoint, samples, diagrams, whiteboards, video clips and slide shows. Visual aids are essential in business presentation, but they are not the communicator – you are.

Step 6 – Be the audience

This is where the rehearsal begins – by speaking your communication or reading your presentation out loud – and listening to yourself from the listener’s point of view. This way, you can eliminate phrases that don't sound right when spoken, but might have looked fine when you wrote them down. We also discover whether the messages flows naturally or not - if not, time to correct!
As you read it out, pause after each sentence and  ask yourself "So What?" Is this relevant and interesting to your audience? If it's not relevant - don't say it.

Step 7 - Rehearse

Every time you rehearse you find something that could be improved. If you don’t bother rehearsing you find all the mistakes at once – and it’s too late.
If it is a high-stakes presentation, allocate plenty of time to rehearse. Try to rehearse in an environment as similar as possible to the actual event and do get an audience of friends or colleagues to come along and give feedback.
Rehearse everything, not just the words you want to say but how to say them, pauses, tone, pitch, volume. And rehearse all gestures and movement.

Step 8 – Delivery is critical

rogenSi surveys show that more than 53% of the impression made by any communication is made by HOW you do it. What you say is actually only 7%!
Of the delivery skills, eye contact is the most critical. A high level of eye contact provides the connection between you the listeners. So don’t talk to the back wall, or to your notes. Talk to individual listeners in the audience and hold eye contact at the end of important thoughts.

It is natural to gesture and so gesture. Use your hands as visual aids, to emphasize and describe. Don’t remain fixed in the one spot, but move with purpose. Go to the screen to point out a fact; go close to the audience to say something especially important; sit down, stand up and walk to each side of the room, but do it for a reason.
Use the pause to emphasize both what you just said and what you are about to say. It is a powerful tool! Modulate the voice in both volume and speed to provide interest and again to emphasize.

If you haven’t been trained in presenting, get yourself trained.

Step 9 – Review

And the final step is to review your communication when you have finished. Ask yourself how you went, and ask others. Then next time, make sure you continue doing what worked; and stop doing what didn’t.

If you follow these steps, you are on the way to being an effective communicator.