Life Lessons from a Communications Specialist
a guest post from Martha Denton of The Presentation
School
A communications specialist is someone who helps other
individuals communic
ate through writing, presentations,
navigate cultural differences, visual graphics and/or presentation
coaching. We either do this through
completing these tasks for our clients directly, training them to do it on their
own, or some mixture of the two. I’m one
of the rare breeds that do all of the above for presentations. Sure, a lot of my work involves grammar,
margins and talk of software function, but it’s all for the same end: helping
one individual be understood by another individual. In fancy communication specialist lingo, we
start that with something called “stakeholder analysis,” which means we walk
people through thinking about everyone who could care about that speaking
engagement and what it’s like to be in their shoes. The other big task I help people through is
feeling more confident when they speak to other people. And most importantly, I help people avoid
this statement, “Wait, no, you didn’t understand me. That’s not what I meant.”
In my work, there are some life lessons that I've learned
that I try to integrate into my
life all the time. Lessons that I think anyone could benefit
from, especially anyone who wants to feel more connected to other people in a
more authentic manner.
- Think
before you speak. If you’re about
to say something that you know will have a huge affect on the person you’re
speaking to, think about the wording.
Try not to insult them. Find the
right tone for what you really mean (firm but kind, supportive, boundary
setting, etc.)
- Put
yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Think about how they like to communicate, it can be revealing. Sometimes just going through the exercise of
wondering what it’s like to be the other person can help you find compassion
for them.
- Good
posture goes a long way. There are
various studies that have been done that prove that standing up straight will
help you appear more confident. There
are even a few studies that have found that good posture changes your brain
chemistry so you actually feel more confident.
- Repeat
questions that you don’t understand.
When facilitating a group, I suggest that facilitators repeat the
question they hear in a way that more of the room could understand. This is worth doing with your loved ones,
too, especially if you’re emotionally charged up and are trying to calm your
system down.
- Rehearse
tough talks. Definitely rehearse your presentations so you can go into autopilot
when on stage (we never know what can happen during a presentation). It can also work for tough things you need to
tell people. Say it out loud; see how
your message sounds. Maybe you’ll
realize you’re saying something offensive.
You’ll also gain some practice in saying tough things so it’ll be easier
to stay calm the next time you need to deal with your issues.
- Look
people in the eye. When giving a presentation, it helps you connect with
your audience. It also helps you connect
with whomever you’re speaking with.
Avoiding eye contact can make you look shady. We don’t want to be shady with our loved
ones, do we?
Hopefully these tips can help you communicate with your
loved ones more authentically and effectively.
We all know that can help us feel happier!
Martha Denton is the Founder of www.ThePresentationSchool.com,
a communications consultancy that helps individuals plan, write, design and
deliver presentations more effectively.
She also designs infographics.
Some of her clients include major companies, non-profits and startups
like: McKinsey & Company, The
Economist, VF Corporation, Legolas-Media, and NYRR. You can follow her on Twitter at @marden928
and @presoschool
.jpg)
There
is a physiological benefit from the reduction in stress that people receive
from regular use of a process group. A process group is an open-forum where one
can discuss the week’s issues, vent, seek counsel, get advice, and offer
support to others. To facilitate this lowered stress and increased happiness,
Clear Mind Group is offering process groups for men and women beginning in June
on Wednesday evenings. Please contact Autumn at 954-612-9553 to reserve your
seat at our new office in Weston.
