Fifteen years ago, when the first wave of business reengineering books called for a top-to-bottom rethink of every aspect of business, communication consistently showed up as an afterthought. Hammer and Champy’s Reengineering the Corporation, the top change-management reference of its day, devoted barely a paragraph to leadership communication. This was a stunning omission, when you think about it, since strategic communication is essential for making anything happen.

Let’s first nail down what we mean by strategic communication: clear, specific messages delivered at specific times and places, to generate specific actions among specific constituencies, to create momentum in a specific direction.

Even today, strategic communication is largely ignored or left to chance in organizational transformation projects and large-scale business initiatives. When it is addressed, strategic communication usually shows up as a calendar of data dumps, lengthy employee surveys, or “town hall” Q&A sessions where managers gamely try to have all the answers.

There are two main reasons for this. First is the astonishingly persistent fantasy that leadership communication just happens as a natural consequence of strategic planning, that all it takes is a reminder to leaders to “communicate, communicate, communicate” and all will be well.

Second, even where leaders clearly understand their role as communicators for action, very few understand what to say and how to say it. So managers tend to default either to bullying or scaring employees into action, or else shower their people with information in the hope that some good will come of it. Both approaches are time-honored and perhaps even logical, but they inevitably fail to get genuine buy-in from the rank and file.

So, what do successful leaders say and do that inspires people to extraordinary performance? Can it be learned? Can it be taught? Can anybody do it, or only a gifted few?

Working with business leaders around the world, we’ve confirmed that virtually everyone has the capacity to move, touch, and inspire others to action for the common good. What’s missing in most managers is a genuine personal commitment to a vision, a willingness to declare that commitment publicly, and a real interest in and connection with those they lead.

“Inspirational” or “charismatic” business leaders tend to show remarkable consistency in three areas:

Along the way, these leaders show other characteristics that make them stand out:

• They are not afraid to say “I don’t know” and trust that “the answers are in the room.”
• Their language consistently emphasizes possibility over need, and can over must.
• Instead of inundating people with information, these leaders typically use very few slides, and say only what’s necessary to generate the desired result.
• They make clear, specific action requests that leave no doubt as to next steps.
• And they intentionally bring up tough questions and issues, and expect others to do the same.

So what does this have to do with strategic communication? Plenty, because no matter how well conceived a business plan may be and how beautifully crafted the message, nobody is likely to come out of the stands and play for keeps unless he or she believes a leader is worth following.

Think of it this way: In a typical workplace, each of us willingly puts forth what we might call obligatory or “got to” effort. This includes the 8 or 10 hours we’re expected to spend at work, a certain attention to detail, reasonable attention to safety, and a willingness to pitch in and help. This effort is obligatory in the sense that we feel we owe it to our colleagues and the business in exchange for the money we’re paid.

But difficult, large-scale change such as organizational transformation requires more than obligatory effort. Every recent model for managing change stresses the importance of positive engagement and enthusiastic participation from everyone in the organization. We call this discretionary, or “want to” effort. Discretionary effort includes the ideas, extra time, commitment, and enthusiastic engagement that can’t be coerced, but can only be given freely.

Say, for example, that it occurs to a maintenance operator that her unit could save tens of thousands of dollars by using off-the-shelf tractor batteries instead of expensive, imported Swedish batteries that came with the equipment. (A real example, by the way.) Nothing can force her to share that idea with a supervisor or a team. She won’t be paid more if she does, or less if she doesn’t. The only thing that will cause her to come forward with this idea, this discretionary effort, is her desire to do so. And communication from leadership has a profound influence on that desire.

While we believe all good managers have at least the capacity to inspire others to outstanding performance, we also recognize that most have a hard time telling the difference between their communication strengths and weaknesses. Advanced Leadership Communication courses provide a laboratory for leaders to identify, demonstrate, and be acknowledged for their authentic communication strengths, and to drop habits that may be hindering employee engagement and business performance.

Authentic leadership communication can’t be faked. If a manager only pretends to care about employees, or only pretends to believe in the senior team’s vision, his constituents will know.

It’s not about being slick, or commanding, or having the perfect message. It’s about being real. For any leader who wants to engage the hearts and minds of the organization, the place to start is by looking in the mirror.

Why are some people captivating speakers and others just a snore? Why do some people come across as born leaders? Can executive presence be cultivated?

Though it is not easy to define what makes someone seem like a leader, we know it when we see it. Executive presence is a real asset because it can help you achieve your goals. People with executive presence are seen as credible. They are the go-to people for answers, and they look like leaders.

Leaders are excellent communicators. Doing that in a one-on-one situation is not as easy as it looks, and achieving executive presence before a group is even harder. So what do these magnetic personalities have in common?

Energy: This may not feel natural, but if you are not usually a high-energy person, pump up the level by 50% during presentations. Selling an idea requires that you give the impression that you are excited about it, that you believe. A drone will not get the message home.

Everyday language: Great communicators are conversational. They speak plainly and avoid jargon or acronyms the audience may not know. They use simple words, contractions and uncomplicated sentence structure. No need to lecture - just converse.

Minimal reliance on notes: It may look as though great communicators are winging it, but that is rarely the case. Delightful spontaneity is commonly the result of careful preparation. Strive to look at your notes no more than 15% of the time. Fluid delivery comes from knowing your material cold. That means practice – preferably three times, aloud, on your feet, into a video recorder.

Tell stories: Human beings, regardless of culture, are storytelling creatures. By giving people a concrete example, the speaker makes real the formerly abstract and gives the audience something to take with them. A story with a point or punch line will be remembered long after the data is dust.

Make eye contact: What do you think of someone who does not look you in the eye? Show your sincerity through your “windows to the soul.” Great presenters have mastered the skill of sustained eye contact, and they deliver one complete thought to one pair of eyes, then move to another pair. If the audience is quite large, focus on several individuals who serve as proxies for the entire audience.

PowerPoint: Yes, you should use less. We have said that for years, and we will continue to do so. While slides are useful for the presentation of visual information like pictures, maps, and graphs, word slides can usually be eliminated. They are deadly boring, and they make the audience read instead of listen to you. If you are using just a few slides, black the screen in between. Better yet, plan your presentation for nothing more than a marker and a whiteboard to challenge your need for any slides at all. Remember, the slides should enhance and support you, not the other way around.

Q&A style: Want to look savvy and smart when the questions start? Then answer them before you arrive by anticipating what the queries and objections will be. Prepare for what you think they will ask, what you hope they will ask, and what you hope will not be asked. If people are silent at the end, get the ball rolling by saying something like “One question I’m asked most frequently is …”

It is not uncommon for us to work with people who are sure that they are good presenters and have been told they are good, but when they get to the end of our session, they are amazed at how much better they have become.

If you want to take your skills from “not bad” to “great!” and you want your presentations to help you accomplish your goals, contact us for information on our one-day group seminars or half-day executive polishing sessions.