poseycorp helps innovators become great communicators. (Sometimes by sending out helpful stuff in a newsletter.)
ISSUE 148
Communication Kaizen
“Excellent [communicators] don’t believe in excellence - only in constant improvement and constant change.”
-- Tom Peters
There is so much being
written and podcasted these days about the effectiveness of incremental improvement because it works. B. J. Fogg’s Tiny Habits, Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit and James Clear’s Atomic Habits each cover the virtues of humble, consistent, daily practice as the way to create real change.
If you want to get management consult-y about the power of incremental change, look at Kaizen, which Wikipedia describes as a commitment to continuous improvement across all functions from CEO to
assembly line workers. From there you can look up The Toyota Way and a slew of
management and spiritual development books.
But we’re not building cars here, we are learning how to be better communicators. Well, here’s the truth. Exceptional communicators achieve mastery not by delivering just one brilliant keynote a year, but by practicing continuously, consistently, and courageously to get a little bit better every time they are on stage.
Have you learned some great concepts about being a better presenter? Find a way to implement those learnings every week. Even your Monday morning scrum is a chance to distill your message for your audience, to deliver clear soundbites, to make
impactful but not creepy eye contact.
No matter how many concepts you’ve learned, you don’t truly improve as a speaker unless and until you embrace continuous improvement.
Here’s a thought. Pick one thing - pausing, soundbites, energy, engagement. Work on that one thing for a month, whenever a chance presents itself. After that one new skill seeps into your brain’s good habits database, move on to the next thing. At the end of 2024 you’ll not only be a more effective presenter, you’ll be more natural too. You won’t have to remind yourself to pause and breathe. It will be something your body
does on its own - a habit.
Want to be a better writer? Draft and then edit every single email you send. The more of your writing that you review for clarity, the clearer your writing becomes. You have an endless supply of emails, Slack messages, and texts to use as an exercise in deft, convincing writing. Sure, it takes more time to edit every time, but imagine how much misunderstanding you’ll avoid if your writing is clear in the first place. Better still, you’ll find those improved writing skills impacting everything you do - including writing presentations.
“Excellent. Best media training I’ve had,” said a jaded CEO.
If you’d like great results, schedule a conversation with me! It’s easy! Reach me at inquiries@poseycorp.com.
Not sure how to crush your next presentation? Persuade that difficult customer or team member? Navigate tough questions from regulators, press, your boss? How about some pragmatic, actionable communications advice?
If you are a startup founder, an intrapreneur at a company, or a leader looking to grow, consider Office Hours with Lisa, a great way to get bite-sized, personalized communications coaching. Because your business must scale and you must
scale with it. Because it’s the great communicators who create change!
