Sunday, March 3, 2013

How to be a genuinely masterful communicator?

How to be a genuinely masterful communicator?
Steve Knight
Director: Steve Knight Business Communications Adjunct Professor of 
Business Communication: INSEAD



Take control; switch off your autopilot and find your true Self.

A client once told me he would rather have four teeth removed without anaesthetic than stand in front of an audience and speak! As for talking to the media, another client said "No thanks, I'd rather go swim with the sharks!"

We don't need to check out any of the "biggest fears" surveys to know that the majority of people really do have a genuine fear and dislike of 
presenting at meetings and conferences. Even general communication can be a challenge for many.
I know this first hand from my clients and from my own experience. When I started my career in the genre of communication 25 years ago, as a radio 
journalist and presenter, I used to be physically sick before each show and I wanted to do the job!! When I made the transition to television I used to get huge red blotches on my neck… not a good look on camera!! I wish I knew then what I know now, but as a dear friend said to me recently, "Steve, back then you weren't ready."

So what do I know now that I didn't know then and how will that help you put your widely felt fears behind you and become a communications champion?
Even if you rate yourself OK, good or very good, how can you become excellent?
My goal, as we start our journey together here on Linkedin Influencers, is to offer you practical and tangible actions that you can take to become an
excellent communicator.

Here's the first action…

Allow your Self to slow down; to stop and think
When you rush through life, from one task to the next, flitting here, speeding there, you barely give a tiny fraction of who you are and what you are truly capable of being, in all aspects of your life. Before you can truly stand or sit in front of an audience with real presence and genuine confidence, totally comfortable in your own skin, you have to fully understand your Self. Who are you? What are your values? What is your passion? What is your purpose? Who is the genuine you?
When you allow your Self the time to slow down, to breath deeply, to be aware of your surroundings and those around you, to take joy in the simple
pleasures of life, your life takes on a whole new meaning and you find there's a natural rhythm.
This 3 minute video is about helping you find that natural rhythm. When I saw it in a movie theatre in Australia, just before the new year, I thought wow this really captures the very core of what I help my clients with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rRwfwyaHXDk

As the stunning footage of the graceful whale shark in the film so perfectly shows, nature understands the natural rhythm of life completely. Well, the good news is that deep within the very fabric of your DNA and deep within your heart, so do you.

In my next post it will be my honour to help you slow down and guide you on the journey inwards, to discover your true Self. When you release the 
person you are truly capable of being you won't have to look for that On switch when you start to present or communicate because You will be On all
the time. www.yourvoiceispower.nl

I welcome below your questions, thoughts, observations, and experiences.


Edited by: Lawyer Asad

No comments: