Social media memories are always interesting.
This morning, I saw that it had been ten years since I watched one of my favourite TEDx talks of all time.
It was: How to use one paper towel. A lesson in drying your hands more efficiently!
I still remember the talk vividly – 12 shakes of the hands after washing them with a specific fold of the paper leads to dry hands.
Using only one towel and saving huge amounts of paper towels every year.
The lesson that lingers for me from the video is the huge impact that mastering basic skills can have.
Communication may seem basic.
I assure you that investing time, effort, and energy into improving your communication will have a huge impact on your performance and results.
I’d challenge the definition of the word “basic”. From implying something is simple, to meaning something that underpins everything that follows.
The foundations of the building.
Out of sight, basic to a successful building.
And imperative.
From a professional point of view, here are three I’ve noticed in the last few months alone:
1. Pitching
Pitching effectively can be the difference between the success or failure of your project.
Whether looking for investment, sales, time, resources, or trust, the ability to shape the message around us is often overlooked.
At Pink Elephant, we encourage participants to get to the point.
Simple? Absolutely. And yet still so often missing from presentations.
More so, it’s important to get to the most relevant and specific point for your particular audience.
You’d naturally want to present differently to your board than to your team, and different again for external audiences.
A basic principle that, when done right, immediately improves your communication.
2. Emails
The messages are immediately transferable to our written communication.
Positive language is one of our golden rules of communication.
The ability to tell our audience what is happening, rather than what isn’t happening. Or what would never do. Or what they shouldn’t do.
I won’t take up too much of your time. I’m not telling you how to do your job. Nothing to worry about. Don’t hesitate to contact me.
Our audience has just read the words ‘too much time’, ‘telling you how to do your job’, ‘worry’, and ‘hesitate.’
I can think of more motivating emails to receive!
By switching this to positive language, we allow the audience to have a clearer picture of our message.
3. Psychological safety
Positive language led me to think about psychological safety – the number one factor determining a team’s success according to Google.
The idea is that everyone is welcome to contribute ideas, ask questions openly and share/receive constructive criticism.
As individuals, one of the best ways we can nurture psychological safety is to directly answer questions. Yes, even the difficult ones.
We share our tips about how we can effectively and directly answer these questions to build trust with our colleagues and audiences, before going on to reinforce the positive messages we are keen to share.
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Photos in Public speaking training: How to master the basics by Pink Elephant Communications.
Public speaking training: How to master the basics was written by Stuart Fenwick and edited by Maxine Montgomery.
