What is communication?

We all have different ideas about what communication is defined as, but it’s really quite straightforward.

Communication is simply creating understanding from your raw information.

Good communication

When someone is communicating very well they do three things:

1. They tell their audience why they should listen.
2. They put their data together in a meaningful way like a great story. They also use examples and simple language to make sure the audience can understand the concepts.
3. Finally, the presenter ensures the messages are memorable by the correct use of visuals and stories.

They are doing three very simple things:

1. Hooking
2. Telling a story
3. Being remembered

A slide I use in my talks to illustrate the three simple things that great communicators do.

Communication at school

We all experienced our best examples of great communicators in our classrooms at school. Think back to the one great teacher you had among the many average educators. What made that teacher so great? The reason they stood out is because they were not just dumping data and theory on you, they were communicating.

If you look even closer you will see what all memorable educators have in common:

• They made it about you.
• They made the data easy and digestible.
• They had clear messages and points.
• They structured their data.
• They really believed in their message.
• They controlled their nerves.
• They were prepared.
• They were open to you and they talked to you directly.
• They did not use the slides as their notes or crutch.
• They looked at you.

They made it easy, and they made it about you.

Great presentations tend to follow the checklist above.

Great presenting is simply great communication

Great communication is about making sure your audience engages, understands and remembers your key points. It is about taking the driest of topics and making it relevant, interesting and even enjoyable for your audience. Great communication is about you doing all the work to create a great experience for your audience.

To be a great communicator you must know your audience inside and out. You must talk to your audience about them and things that interest them. To explain your ideas you must find great stories, examples and analogies your audience can relate to. You must talk with passion and interest in your own subject.

Great communication takes work on the part of the presenter as you must research, develop, organise, structure, shape and rehearse your presentation. Communication is the missing ingredient in all the business presentations I see today. Presenters are standing up and simply transmitting data rather than taking the time to tailor that data to the needs of their audience.

The real X factor

This is what I was told by a business development manager about his team recently:

‘The problem with my team is they have no impact. I need them to have the X factor.’

When I then had the team in a room together I asked them why they felt they needed training. They repeated back to me what their superior had told me. ‘I have no impact; I don’t have the X factor.’

I asked the team to tell me exactly what their messages were. Not one of them was clear in their answer. I asked their manager what value they were offering to a potential client. He looked at me blankly. ‘It’s hard to put into words,’ he said.

The X factor was not what was missing here. The team I was training did have value to offer but they hadn’t developed a message to sell it. There was no clarity in their presentations.

How can a team feel empowered and passionate about a product or service that is not completely clear to them?

The reality is this team were paralysed. In trying to motivate and develop his staff the manager had actually created a situation where the team felt powerless. Despite their college educations and business experience their presentation skills were insufficient.

If you are a business development manager reading this I want you to ask yourself these questions:

• Could you tell me in a couple of sentences why I should buy from you?
• If I asked your team what they were offering of value would they all give me the same answer?
• Do your team believe in your product or service?

Your potential clients cannot be reached by staff who feel incompetent or worse powerless to fix the problem of not having the elusive X factor.

Companies believe this intangible quality, the X factor, is the secret to presentation success. The truth is the X factor can be a matter of taste, moral background, viewpoints and preferences. The secret to presentation success is much more real; it is good communication delivered by a confident individual who believes in himself and his offering. This is the X factor you should be focusing on.