“EdgeUtainment“ E-message
April 2007
It’s Not Just The What…It’s The How!
What We Need To Understand: Communication is the common denominator that brings all things to life. Whether it’s an idea, a business concept, a philosophy or developing a relationship, the desired success of these things will require communication…EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION! So the point is, we all communicate. The question is, do we do it well? Our ability to communicate well will be a critical dimension and definitely plays a major role in our ability to succeed in all areas of our life.
Think about it. The greatest inventions, luxuries, enjoyments and opportunities (like rights and freedoms) come from great leaders who have the incredible ability to communicate their ideas in a persuasive way that moves people to purchase, approve or agree with it. That’s why a great idea is never great until enough people believe in it. So if you want to be a great leader, you must be a great communicator!
Let’s give you a simple breakdown of communication. There Are Three Distinct Parts:
1) Words = 7% – Believe it or not, words make up only 7% of communication. However, most people believe this would be the highest percentage and, therefore, confuse talking with communication. While words and talking are a part of communication, they’re the least effective part because what you say is not as important as how you say it and how you look when you say it.
2) Facial Expressions and Body Language = 38% – Have you ever had someone say something to you and the look on their face was completely incongruent with what they said? Or, what about someone’s body language giving off a different vibe than their words? If you’re a professional communicator, you can tell when people are sincere; you can tell by what they look like when they say it. Be very cons! cious of your facial expressions and body language because they have a big impact.
3) Tonality = 55% – This is huge! This is the “how” you deliver what you’re trying to say. Have you ever been to a lecture and the speaker was very monotone, basically meaning they spoke in a continuously boring tone?! And regardless of the message, it’s still not very enjoyable to listen to, is it? Or, how about the fact that you can say the exact same words in two different tones and two different facial expressions and body languages. For example, you can be irritated with someone and with an angry tone say, “You’re stupid” or you can laugh because someone did something silly and humorous and say, “You’re stupid”. Isn’t it amazing, that saying the exact same words can come across with two completely different meanings?
Now this is just a quick and simple description about what communication really is but, believe me, this is just the beginning of becoming a pro.
Start Doing It Differently: The first step with any improvement is that of awareness. You have to know what you need to work on before you can work on it. Hopefully, you will be much more aware about how you look and sound when you speak.
Finally, you need to know your audience. Whether it’s in a one-on-one situation or speaking with a group of people, you have to know who you are talking to so that you can communicate in a way and on a level to which they will be most receptive. So, if you know who you’re talking to and how to talk to them, you are well on your way to be an effective communicator.
Additional Things To Work On: Be great at asking questions and be a great listener. (To be covered in another E-message).
More To Come: There is so much more to cover when it comes to communication and you can expect more soon, but now you at least have something with which to get started. Also, keep an eye out on the pureedgeutainment.com website for an upcoming Forging of Leaders live workshop. Forging is an absolute pre-requisite to being a professional and polished communicator
Live with Zero Doubt!
Gregg Amerman