Executive Presence e-Tips from Paul Aldo

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January 5, 2005

Welcome to this issue of "Executive Presence Tips" by Paul Aldo, Managing Partner, IPS. Please send your feedback and comments to paul.aldo@executivepresence.com.

This tip is about being clear in our communications when verbally engaging with others. It addresses things we can do to make our messages more compelling by making them clearer and easier for our audiences to understand. It's a great way to start the new year.

Being clear consists of two things. One is the way we think, which affects the clarity of our ideas. The other is the way we talk, which affects the clarity of our expression. Although thinking and expressing are different, they are closely related and equally important in creating clear communications. This tip will deal with clarity in thinking; the next tip will deal with clarity of expression.

I recently read a definition of executive presence that said it was "the ability to think on one's feet." While I agree that executives must be able to think on their feet, I believe a big part of this is thinking before we get on our feet. Unfortunately, too many executives begin communicating - sometimes about very important things - without thinking through their ideas and the points they want to make. When this happens, clarity suffers. What can we do about it?

Here are five guidelines to help you clarify your thinking before you get on your feet. They're simple, easy to use, and consistently work if you take the time to conscientiously apply them.

Create a direct message that deals with the most important things first. Start with the result you want your communication to produce. What do you want your message to accomplish? It could, for example, be getting funding for a project, selling the executive team on a new product offering, or deepening a relationship. Whatever it is, it must be crystal clear to you. It is your destination. You will organize everything that follows around it. Writing it down in a single sentence or two is the best way to begin.
Layer your message so details logically unfold in support of the result you are after. While this is often difficult - more so for some executive styles than others - it is a key to clarity, since it prioritizes and organizes supporting detail. It is essential that you spend enough time with it to do it well. When you do, it provides an easy roadmap for your audience to follow on their way to your destination.
Keep your message simple and straightforward. Provide no more detail than necessary to support your main points, but all the detail necessary to do so. This is a balancing act, but one that becomes easier the more you practice. Often, you can summarize smaller details at a higher level to supply solid support without the distraction of too much information. Think of it as color coding your map to make it easier to follow. You can always provide more detail later, in response to questions or in a handout.
Personalize your message for the audience you are addressing. To help optimize clarity, visualize your audience, and then create a message with that visualization in mind. This will help you target the message to their interests, knowledge level, and background. It will also increase their interest in what you are saying and the perceived clarity of your message.
Use language that is appropriate for your audience. This is a reminder to keep jargon out of your communications. While you want to always be mindful of this, it's especially important when addressing people or groups from different functional areas of the organization or outside the organization.

Now that we've covered the essentials of creating clear messages, we're ready to talk about how to enhance our clarity in expressing them. This is the subject of our next tip. See you then.

* * *

Paul Aldo is the Managing Partner of IPS, an Atlanta-based executive consulting firm that helps companies quickly uncover and address the people-to-people issues that waste the time, talent, and potential inhibiting productivity and growth. You may reach him at 404.851.9699 or paul.aldo@executivepresence.com.

Thank you for your interest in executive presence,
Paul Aldo

www.executivepresence.com

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Though most people underestimate the power of communication, the ability to express your ideas clearly, and understand the ideas others express to you, can literally make or break your quest for wealth and status. And when it comes to personal relationships, there is no greater catalyst than the bonding power of well chosen words.
- Ray DiZazzo

Thought, like all potent weapons, is exceedingly dangerous if mishandled. Clear thinking is therefore desirable not only in order to develop the full potentialities of the mind, but also to avoid disaster.
- Giles St. Aubyn

People think that I can teach them style. What stuff it all is. Have something to say and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.
- Matthew Arnold

Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work, and the power to appreciate life.
- Brigham Young

It's clear that any manager's career hinges on his or her ability to master the art of face-to-face communication.
- Harvard Business School Press

Communications without intelligence is noise; intelligence without communications is irrelevant.
- General Alfred Gray, USMC

While I agree that executives must be able to think on their feet, I believe a big part of this is thinking before we get on our feet. Unfortunately, too many executives begin communicating - sometimes about very important things - without thinking through their ideas and the points they want to make. When this happens, clarity suffers.
- Paul Aldo, Ph.D.