UNFAIR ADVANTAGE – The 7 hidden secrets global leaders know about communication mastery

People today are all looking for the unfair advantage. The greatest of all advantages is having mastered communication for influence.

The best leaders know how to communicate clearly and persuasively.

Developing outstanding communication skills is the key to professional success.

Communication skills have always been instrumental for senior leaders and super successful entrepreneurs. But they’ve become equally important for aspiring leaders & ambitious entrepreneurs and are also imperative for experts and thought leaders.

Yet, these ‘high level’ communication skills are rarely taught.

Having met US Presidents, global entertainers, best selling authors, spiritual leaders and some of the best communicators in the world, I have learnt that there are 7 hidden secrets that make up a master communicator. These are:

1.     Creating Intentional Presence

First impressions matter, they always have and they always will. What is your intention of how you want to come across? Your initial presence in how you come across is imperative to mastering communication in creating the atmosphere you want around you.

2.     Consciousness

You must always be very aware of who you are talking to. What are their view and the lenses in which they listen to you? Having a consciousness of your audience and who you are communicating with, and how it lands for them, are the keys to mastering communication for influence.

3.     Pitching you

Masters of communication have a healthy ego but are not arrogant, PIE (Positive Intentional Ego). They know their value and how to communicate it effectively. They sell themselves well and can position themselves as authorities of their field. They create respect through communicating effectively their experience and skills humbly.

4.     Transcendence Connection

The greatest connectors on the planet know how to tell stories as powerful metaphors to getting their message heard, believed and actioned upon. The peak of masterful story telling is transcendent story telling. This is where the story has a sense of timelessness and can transcend it’s listeners into a moment of anticipation and curiosity that inspires transformation.

5.     Followership (knowing how to lead and people want to follow ACF)

The unfair advantage of master communicators is that they have learnt the framework to effectively communicate to engage followership. They have used this framework to get buy in and lead. We call this the ‘Authority Communication Framework’:

–        Problem: Address the problem

–        Idea: Solve the problem with a unique disruptive idea

–        Evidence: Build the evidence that supports your idea

–        Metaphor: Move the listener by telling a powerful story to get them truly connected

–        Call To Action: Give them take away and a formula to implement

6.     Non-Verbals

Research tells us that 87% of all communication is non-verbal. Mastering the non-verbals of communication is essential for any leader that must communicate effectively. Gestures, tonality, movement, eye contact, face expressions and pauses are all vital ingredients in mastering non-verbal communication.

7.     CANEG (Constant And Never Ending Growth)

Leaders are always on a journey of growth. Though growth is difficult, progress equals happiness. As our journey of communication mastery matures, we must always be learning, growing, listening and developing ourselves towards effective communication for affecting change.

Sam Cawthorn is the CEO and founder of the internationally awarded ‘Speakers Institute’. The Speakers Institute exists to empower and transform the next generation of speakers and influences around the globe. We run online events and live events around the world. Partners and supporters include Google & Gallup among others.