The Hindu Business Line : Add some zing to your communication

Requirements for corporate employees and executives have changed dramatically over the last ten years. It's no longer adequate to sit in an office or cubicle and do the work. The new business paradigm has added "show" to the resume. Expectations are high. Attention spans are short. Time is precious. And presentations and communications must reflect the new business paradigm by being interesting and engaging, as well as intelligent.

Didn't sign up to be an actor? Left brained analytical thinkers are required to perform right brain creative tasks. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and Pixar Animation Studios, while not an actor, has set the performance bar high. He's comfortable in front of an audience, enthusiastic about his products, interacts well with support media, addresses technical issues, embraces competition head-on in a humorous way and takes audiences on an emotional journey.

THREE PILLARS

When assembling information for e-mails, phone calls, in-house meetings, Webinars, seminars, sales presentations, podcasts, blogs, videos, conferences, e-learning modules and trade shows, three main rhetorical elements are essential — ethos, logos and pathos. Ethos establishes authority; the reason why you speak and audiences listen. Logos is the logical reason and content. Pathos is the emotional component that moves the audience to take action viscerally.

Handing out a business card or stating a name and position in the company do not automatically establish ethos. Body language, voice modulation, confidence, and passion create an aura of authority that bring audiences to a speaker and make audiences want to listen. Logos, when presented in succinct, organised headlines and bullet points, is easy to assimilate. The more verbose, unstructured and rambling a presentation, the less likely listeners are to take action. Pathos is the emotional bridge between the speaker and the audience. This emotional through line gives the message purpose.

Every story has three sections: situational set up, body of information, and resolution or call to action. The set up establishes authority (ethos) and the reason why we deserve the product or service (pathos). The body of the presentation is primarily composed of logic (logos) mixed with a little authority (ethos), as content is defined and clarified. Emotion (pathos) is sprinkled in strategically to connect with the listener. Finally, pathos and ethos unite in the concluding statements to confirm a positive feeling about the speaker and the product or service. Logos is used to summarise information.

PROBLEMS

If we understand that communication is a story that includes ethos, logos and pathos, why is it difficult for speakers to achieve communication perfection? Discomfort in front of a group, fear of public speaking, disorganisation, lack of conviction and low self-confidence wreak psychological havoc on many presenters. These insecurities manifest in stutters and stammers, inappropriate or repeated comments, foot shuffling, rocking motions, poor eye contact and closed body positions. Actor Al Franken who created `Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley' on the television show Saturday Night Live had a mantra for dealing with these insecurities, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and doggone it, people like me." By taking a few slow grounding breaths, relaxing the body, and reminding ourselves of our self worth before we begin speaking, many of the insecurities that live inside us rescind and allow confidence in.

Albert Mehrabian, known for his pioneering work in the field of nonverbal communication, developed the `7 per cent-38 per cent-55 per cent Rule'. In face-to-face communication, three elements account for the meaning of the message: Words 7 per cent, tone of voice 38 per cent and body language 55 per cent. All three areas must support each other for the message to be congruent. If a person has excellent verbal content but avoids eye contact, shifts weight repeatedly and has a closed body position, the listener is less likely to accept or fully comprehend the information.

When we approach communication, we need to select our emotional end result. Do we want the listener to be relieved, amused, concerned, proud, confident, entertained, inspired or motivated? That emotional through line helps define our body position and creates vocal nuances. For most people who make presentations, the majority of the time is spent preparing content rather than defining the emotional pain point. Therefore, how one makes a presentation is often an after thought. Here are some suggestions:

Define the emotional problem. Is it frustration, lack of confidence, anxiousness or nervousness? (Select one)

Define the solution. Is it ease, confidence, pride or calm? (Select one)

State the understanding of the problem. For example, `I understand we have a tight time constraint to get the product to market.' In this acknowledgement, the presenter can hold a little tenseness in the body. This establishes the emotional link between the presenter and the listener's concerns.

Emotional arc. The content of the message should now chip away at the pain point, guiding the listener from dis-ease to ease. Vocally and visually, the presenter becomes more and more relaxed and fluid with each new bit of information.

Calm, confident close. No tenseness is in the body. The presenter's shoulders are back. There's a personable smile on the face and a confident twinkle in the eye. When successful, the listener appears relieved and confident too.

Emotions lie in the breath. It is what ties one sentence to the next. When afraid or nervous, breaths are quick, shallow and quivery. A quick gasp of air happens when suddenly surprised. Breathing is deep and slow when relaxed. A sigh is often a sign of relief. Pay attention to breathing. Shallow breaths often signify tenseness, nervousness or dissatisfaction. Slow deep breaths are contemplative and accepting.

Communication is a reciprocal event. It involves talking and watching. Pay attention not only to yourself, but your listener's vocal and body signals. Adjust to change. Take the listener on an emotionally arced journey. Think when you prepare the information. Feel when you communicate it. And remember, good listeners are just as valuable as good speakers.

(The writer is a US-based communications expert, award winning actor, producer-director and author of the book `There's Money Where Your Mouth Is')