Effective, Persuasive Communication – the 4 Ps (not the ones you are expecting)

by Jane-Michèle Clark

We’ve all heard that speaking in public terrifies more people than death itself. In one survey, it didn’t even rank that far below torture! Ironically, we all communicate in some way, with someone almost every day – and most of us are born with the skills needed to communicate well. What we lack though, is courage. Many voice and presentation coaches maintain this fear is the result of people not knowing how to present well – or how to make sure their message is well-received. So what do we need to know?

Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, and foremost authority on effective communication, was the first to show that, in spoken communication…

• 7% of the meaning is conveyed by the actual words,
• 38% of the message comes from the way you say the words (your vocal quality, pitch, speed, volume, etc.), and
• 55% of your intent is portrayed through your facial expressions.

He also went on to prove that when your vocal and visual communication are out of synch with your words, that you are less likely to be believed or to engage your audience.

Think about it. Have you ever met someone who mumbled, “Pleased to meet you” while looking over your shoulder to see who else might have entered the room? You knew instantly that they hadn’t even registered your name, let alone were truly pleased to meet you. Clearly content and delivery were out of synch.

Or perhaps you can remember sitting in an audience and feeling that sinking pit sensation as the speaker slowly took the stage, hid behind the lectern and started reading his notes in a monotone. Or worse, the dread you felt as you squirmed in your increasingly uncomfortable seat, realizing that there were still 30 minutes left in the presentation and you had yet to hear an interesting word. What was missing here? Everything except the very words you couldn’t absorb.

The advice most often given includes such tips as

• Becoming familiar with the room ahead of time
• Having AV back-ups and phone numbers
• Not eating and drinking ahead of time
• Dressing appropriately and being well-groomed
• Practice, practice and more practice
• Being well-rested
• Etc.

(To read “The Nitty Gritty of Great Presentations”, which provides some excellent suggestions in each of these areas, http://www.reallygreatinfo.com/putinfoon.aspx?sec=article&articleid=437&catID=3.)

But what else can you do to ensure that you give a great presentation?

If you’ve ever taken any business courses, you were likely told about the 4 Ps (Product, Place, Price & Promotion) as part of your introduction to marketing. Well, in speaking there’s a different set of 4 Ps to consider: Posture, Pronunciation, Passion, and … Pauses.

Posture

The first impression you create is made within the first few seconds of an encounter. What happens in the following 4 minutes adds, negatively or positively, another 50% to that initial impression.

Posture is the single largest conveyor of confidence. So, stand tall as you take centre stage. Keep your shoulders down and back, head high and lean slightly towards your audience as though you are eager to talk to them. Don’t make the mistake of shifting your weight to one hip, or rocking back on your heels, as you will subtract from both your inner confidence and outer poise.

Even if you have to sit to communicate (which is the case with most business meetings), make sure you maintain good upper body posture. You’ve probably heard the NLP-based suggestions of mirroring the body positions, postures, and gestures of the people with whom you meet – save this until you get into the discussion phase of the meeting. When it’s important you be “on”, project confidence.

Pay attention, too, to your arm movements. You should use your hands to emphasize important points, include the audience, etc. To use gestures well, make them as natural as possible, yet large enough to be noticed in a large room if that’s where you’re speaking. Get feedback from other people when practicing, and videotape yourself. The first few times I saw myself I cringed when I saw my nervous gestures. If you find that you, too, have “ugly” movements, concentrate at first on simply eliminating these gestures as the rest will somehow naturally take care of itself when your mind is otherwise occupied. Make sure you tape yourself from time to time, too, as new ones can creep back in unexpectedly (again, this is the voice of chagrined experience talking here).

When you are not using your hands to make a point, they should be resting loosely at your sides. Not held clasped behind your back, at right angles to the floor, or held in fig leaf position in front.

Under posture also comes position. Make sure that you move when you talk, rather than being glued to one spot – and come out from the podium whenever possible.

Pronunciation

Good articulation and separation of words are important to ensuring clarity – especially if you have to address a large audience without a microphone. Common mistakes include not fully pronouncing “t” and “d” and running words together. The biggest ones: a) eating the “ed” at the end of a word, b) saying “a” instead of “of” and c) saying “in” instead of “ing” as in “You’re goin’ to make a lodda money” instead of “You’re going to make a lot of money.”

Obviously, good grammar and correct word usage are crucial. Common mistakes include a) using plural forms of verbs with singular nouns (e.g. it is ‘none is’ and ‘each is’ not ‘none are’ or ‘each are’), b) qualifying ‘unique’ with anything other than ‘truly’, and c) making up words (‘irregardless” is not a word – regardless of how many people use it!).

Passion

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), a renowned pastor, speaker and author once said "Your enthusiasm will be infectious, stimulating and attractive to others. They will love you for it. They will go for you and with you." Just as Professor Mehrabian proved that 93% of the impact of our spoken communication comes from everything other than the actual words, Dr. Peale knew that passion is crucial in order to persuade.

Watch and listen to the best orators, the ones you feel to be most credible and compelling, and you’ll find that the excitement of their voices works with the animation of their faces and bodies to reflect their conviction of their words.

To convey passion when you speak, vary your tone, tempo, volume and make good use of dramatic pauses.

Pauses

Mark Twain once said, “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as the rightly-timed pause.” What more can I say?

So, master the 4 Ps, learn to take care of the Nitty Gritty Details, and you, too, will soon be a master communicator.

Copyright @2005-2010 Jane-Michèle Clark. All rights reserved.


Jane-Michèle Clark is president of The Q Group ( www.theQgroup.com ), a strategic positioning and marketing communications firm that has worked with many blue chip companies over the past 30 years. In addition to being seasoned business strategist and marketing expert, Jane-Michèle also teaches MBA level marketing at the top-ranked Schulich School of Business York University). Jane-Michèle is also a corporate trainer and speaker and 9-time nominee for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Jane-Michèle can be reached at jmc@theQgroup. or by calling 416-424-6644.


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