How to communicate successfully?

For a leader, possessing business acumen and savvy can only take you so far. Garnering support for your vision and rallying people towards a shared objective hinges on your ability to effectively communicate. This is what Michael Foley, a clinical assistant professor of leadership and communication at the Kellogg School and founder of Clarity Central, a consulting firm focusing on communication skills, emphasizes in this article Want to Connect with Your Audience? Stop Trying to Impress Them (northwestern.edu). He goes further to add that success demands not only brilliant ideas but also clear and concise communication to sway investors, stakeholders, and clients. Very insightful and interesting takeaways from this article.

Whether delivering a crucial pitch to potential clients, presenting findings to the board, or engaging in a town-hall meeting, simply having great ideas and technical expertise won't suffice if you can't resonate with your audience and ignite their interest.

I would therefore summarize as under:

For leaders to be effective communicators, they need to go beyond just having great ideas and technical expertise. They must tailor their message to resonate with each specific audience by understanding their priorities and framing the content in a way that matters to them.

Rather than scripting everything or winging it, leaders should aim for "structured improvisation" - preparing key talking points ahead of time while leaving room for natural conversational delivery. A simple structure like 3 main points each with 3 supporting sub-points helps keep the message crisp yet allows for flexibility.

When supporting the main points, strike a balance between using objective data/statistics and subjective stories/examples. The mix should be adjusted based on the particular audience. Stories work well for general business audiences while data resonates more for analytical/technical audiences.

Ultimately, the goal should be to educate the audience, not impress them. Practicing out loud multiple times until comfortable, while staying focused on providing value to the audience, allows for a relaxed and effortless connection during the actual delivery.

The key is tailoring the content, using a flexible structure, balancing data with stories, and prioritizing education over impression. This requires more preparation work upfront but leads to much more effective audience engagement.