There can be no doubt that one thing every professional must have is the ability to make an impact on the people around you. If you cannot command attention and make your advice heard, what use are you? But the question that flows from this is too rarely asked. And it’s one that too few of us learn at the start of our careers. The consequence is that your ability to make an impact grows slowly as you acquire these skills. Seasoned professionals at the peak of their career can influence their peers and clients because they have gained experience and expertise in their professional domain – but also, because they have learned to present their ideas with impact. What is it that we can learn about making an impact? It isn’t about fancy ties and splendid jewellery. The behaviours that will give you professional impact are equally simple to explain, however, and, with a little practice, you can easily master them.
In my book How to Speak so People Listen, I define six levels of speaking. At each level, you increase the impact you have on the people who are listening to you. Levels 1 and 2 are about making what you say compelling. Level 1 demands that you draw people in, so they want to listen – and keep listening. And level 2 requires that you make the information easy to absorb. Levels 3 and 4 require more: that you persuade them. At level 3, you must explain your ideas clearly, so people understand them accurately. And then level 4 needs you to justify them to your audience, to create agreement. To achieve levels 5 and 6, you must also speak powerfully, using psychological and emotional cues to change the way your listeners think and act. Level 5 is about creating ways to ensure they remember the important parts of what you say. And finally, at level 6, you are influencing people to change their minds, and do what you ask or recommend.
There are many ways to build the impact you want. So, we need to be selective. Treasury advice is complex and subtle. I get it. But you are an expert, and that gives you a handicap when you want to communicate with impact. It’s called ‘the curse of knowledge’. You don’t have one point to make; you have 10. And you know that the cause-effect linkages form a web of weak and strong interactions – not a chain. But many of the people you need to persuade are drowning in information. If you want to make an impact, they need a buoy that floats in one direction only – one solid thing to hold on to. The skill of a great communicator is to find the prime message, and to deliver it with clarity. When you do this, your listener thinks, “Aha, I get it. I trust this person”. Only then have you earned the trust you need, to move to the next tier of subtlety and complexity. This allows you to offer a couple of secondary factors, and perhaps a flavour of those cause-and-effect linkages.
At the start of our careers, we easily fall prey to a simple fallacy. “If people are going to take me seriously”, I used to think, “I need to have plenty to say”. And there is some truth in that. But if you want to be interesting, be interested. Nobody ever listened themselves out of a job. Listening is the master art of a great communicator. It helps you to gain trust by demonstrating that what I say is important to you. So, when you speak, I’m going to listen to you. Not just because that’s a fair exchange, but because I believe you understand my own point of view. And, unless I believe that, I won’t believe that what you say is relevant to me. You must never underestimate how much impact you can have by giving someone the benefit of a good listening to.
There’s a lot of complicated guff spoken about body language. That’s OK. True experts can help us a lot. And secondary, so-called experts have taken that wisdom and aim to make an industry out of it. But generations beyond count have known a set of simple truths that are as helpful today as they were to Cicero. It may not surprise you to know that this wisdom is much the same as my dad told me. You probably heard it, too, when you were younger. First of all, a good upright posture creates confidence, and communicates it. Not only that, but research teaches us that we give more credence to taller people. So, why would you do anything but draw yourself up to your full height? If you need to present something important, do so standing. Poise is the way you carry yourself. It reminds me of two postural factors that make a big difference to your impact: square and symmetric. The more you position yourself square on to the person you want to influence, the greater your impact. Also, sit or stand symmetrically, using symmetric gestures. Asymmetry does convey impact. But it conveys to people that you have doubt at best, and are deceitful at worst. It should come as no surprise that eye contact is important. Not a deep, meaningful gaze, nor a freakishly alien stare. What you want is to lock eyes when you are speaking, and break contact just before the other person starts to become uncomfortable. This is hard. It’s easier to make good eye contact when you are listening, so listen more to improve your eye contact. And don’t worry. If you make good eye contact, you’ll unconsciously feel when it’s the right time to look away.
Think of your message as a hierarchy. At the top is your central idea – the thing you must get your audience to understand. From that, you have a choice of whether to clarify with:
Each of the clarifying sections should have three, ideally, and no more than five sections. You can save greater levels of detail for the third tier of your hierarchy. Now you can give detailed evidence to a hooked audience. Close your message in two steps:
For good posture – standing or sitting – imagine you have a puppet string attached to the top of your head. Imagine it is pulling gently upwards and let your neck, shoulders and spine follow it lightly. For good poise, pay attention to the angle of your feet. If you draw a line that bisects that angle, it should go through the person you are addressing. But, if one foot is pointing away, it’s often pointing to where you subconsciously want to go. And that message will get through to the other person. For good eye contact, try to notice the eye colour of the person you are talking to. That will remind you to make eye contact – hold it for a while.
Dr Mike Clayton speaks at corporate events and delivers seminars and training. He has written 14 books, including How to Speak so People Listen. Contact him via his website This article was taken from The Treasurer magazine. For more great insights, log in to view the full issue or sign up for eAffiliate membership