How many of you believe you are good at communicating outside the company and going internal is tough?
How many of you if looking at your relationships outside, they are stronger than inside the company?
I have to admit…I was 100% like this. For my whole corporate career I was good at networking outside of the company and not inside. I was very insecure about building relationships internally. I never felt as if I had a high enough title to be taken seriously. I’d sit quietly in meetings and felt kind of shy. What a shame! How many of us sit mute in meetings with something meaningful to say and don’t because we don’t believe we can provide strong value?
So here’s the truth:
• We can all influence – it’s knowing who you are and how you show up in the world that is critical
• We all have value - know the value you bring to others and what you want to be known for – what is the signature you
• We all need to know the audience we’re speaking to - know who you are speaking to and speak through “their eyes.” What is valuable for them? When you want to speak only from your perspective, not so great; communicating from someone else’s shoes – stellar work!
To be an influential communicator is actually pretty simple, however the dedication and devotion to do it day in and day out when you are happy is much different then when you are completely stressed – it takes lots of fortitude and courage.
After almost 20 years of doing communications work, here’s my formula for influential communications:
Influential communications formula
1. Know yourself
2. Own your brand
3. Value your audience
4. Steep your relationships
5. Seek private buy in
6. Courageously speak with understanding
We'll delve into each step in the next blog post. More to come with the next blog entry…
