Finding the power in your communication

Learn how to empower your communication in order to achieve your goals with these top tips from a communication coach.

Skip to:

1. What is effective communication?
2. 3 Questions to audit your communication skills
3. How communication impacts peoples' impression of you
4. 3 tips to empower your communication  

Your power to communicate is crucial to your success

Communication is an inescapable part of life, both within and outside of the workplace.

We live in an increasingly interconnected world in which tasks and projects are often shared across multiple units and individuals. If and when communication breaks down, these activities grind to a halt and we are left in a stalemate position in which neither we nor our counterparts are able to move forward.

It’s not just about the business at large not being able to function, or suffering from long and inefficient processes. It’s about us as individuals not being able to gain the attention, commitment or buy-in necessary to achieve our own goals.

Lindsey McAleer, Training Co-Ordinator at Corporate Coach Group, explains further: "If you are able to effectively communicate, then you are more able to gain the cooperative assistance of others, and thus more easily achieve your goals. If you are not able to effectively communicate, then you will fail to gain this assistance, and thus fail to easily achieve your goals."

What is effective communication?

You may have noticed that power tends to gravitate to those who communicate well. They are able to draw people in, keep their attention and attribute a real importance to what they are saying. That’s what makes others want to listen to what they are saying.

The important thing to realise is that communication isn’t just about what you say – it’s how you say it. And that’s the reason why powerful people don’t just tend to be good with words –they also have a distinctive visual appearance and way of speaking. These are the characteristics we refer to when we talk about body language and tone of voice.

Are you a good communicator? 3 Questions to ask yourself

Like most soft skills, communication is part innate and part learned. While some people are naturally better at communicating than others, this doesn’t mean that you can’t train yourself to be an excellent communicator.

But in order to do so, you need to be honest with yourself and take a moment to reflect on where you currently are with your communication skills.

Lindsey recommends asking yourself these questions:

1. Are you good with words? Are you able to find words that express exactly what you mean, or do you find it difficult to find the words you need?
2. Do you look the part? Does your visual image indicate to others that you should be taken seriously, or do you look like someone who should be disregarded?
3. What about your voice quality and speech habits? When you speak, do you come across as authoritative, confident and in full control? Or does your voice betray a lack of authority, a lack of self-confidence and a lack of enthusiasm?

How communication impacts peoples' impression of you 

"People need to realise that, whenever they communicate, they leave impressions in the minds of others", says Lindsey.

"They are like footprints in the snow. What you say and what you do – your actions – leave impressions in the minds of others, in the same way that your shoes leave footprints in the snow. The moment you take that first step, you will be leaving an impression, and it can either be crisp and well-formed or messy and undefined."

The difference is that where snow melts, impressions endure.

They are linked to emotions that are not as easily changed or overcome as we would sometimes like to believe. So while your footprints in the snow won't last long, a bad mental impression can take years to undo. This is why it's worth investing time and thought into getting it right, setting the tone for a positive relationship in the long term.

The positive thing is that, while you can’t make it snow, you have the power to control what you convey to others and the picture of you that they ultimately make up in their minds. It’s all about impression management, which involves considering the image you are currently portraying and thinking about how you could better manage the impression that it leaves in the minds of others.

Lindsey lists the key things you should take into consideration to make that impression a positive one.

Empower your communication with 3 simple tips

Communication Tip 1: Choosing your words

Don’t be excessively casual. Be professional and, above all, think before your speak. If it is a written piece of communication, think before you write it and re-read it before you send it.

"Ask yourself: Are those words likely to achieve the outcome I want? Or are those words going to make this situation worse?," suggests Lindsey.

Remember that in many cases saying the wrong thing can be much more damaging than saying nothing at all.

Commnication Tip 2: The power of visual communication

Think about the impression your visual image is making on the minds of your colleagues and customers.

Are you adding to your chances of success or detracting from them?

Remember people don’t react to who you really are. They react to who they think you are. And what they think is influenced by what they see.

Though we’ve all been told that we should not judge a book by its cover, most of us would be lying if we said that we didn’t think the cover mattered at least a little. Appearances are not everything, but they matter. People do indeed judge others on what they see, and often your appearance translates more or less directly into the opinion they form of you, in the sense that:

• If you look disorganised, they will assume you are disorganised.
• If you look defeated, they will assume you are defeated.
• If you look confident and in-control, they will assume you know what you’re doing.

Dressing appropriately is crucial to creating an impression in the minds of others that is consistent with your goals.

Consider that most powerful people are acutely conscious of their visual image – if you want to demand people’s attention and respect, you too need to be conscious of your visual image and what it is portraying.

Communication Tip 3: Alter your tone and how quickly you speak

"Try to use the lower end of your voice and, within reason, try to use a slightly louder voice tone; this tends to imply that you feel confident", says Lindsey.

A shrill voice, on the other hand, will tend to give the impression that you are wound-up or anxious. This may translate into your counterpart being more concerned in analysing your facial expressions and determining whether you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown, rather than focusing on the content of what you are saying.

Most importantly, don’t race ahead.

Slow down and use a measured pace. This makes you seem as if you are thinking about what you are saying. It also gives the other person the time to mentally digest your message.

"If you speak too quickly, then you tend to sound a bit glib and you tend to confuse your listeners, because they cannot process your words quickly enough to keep up with your speech; as a result, they soon tune out. heir eyes glaze over. They stop listening. Your message gets lost."

So slow down, take your time and make sure that message gets through. It will be worth it.