“The Power of Leadership”

In Everyone Communicates, Few Connect; John C. Maxwell, expands on communication to teach us how to make real connections with others and makes the point that connecting goes beyond words.

• What we say accounts for only 7% of what is believed.
• The way we say it accounts for 38%.
• What others see accounts for 55%.

So, more than 90% of the impression we convey has nothing to do with what we say.

Here are Four Components to help you Connect:

1. Be aware of your appearance and the visual impression that you make.  Ensure people are paying attention to the right things and are not distracted.  The old Dress for Success theory plays a part here as well.
2. To effectively connect intellectually you need to know your subject and yourself.  There’s no substitute for personal experience when we want to connect with people’s hearts.
3. Whatever is inside you, positive or negative, will eventually come out when you are communicating to others.  People hear your words, but they feel your attitude, in fact, your attitude will often overpower the words you use when speaking to others.  Julie Rose says, “The exact words that you use are far less important than the energy, intensity, and conviction with which you use them.”  Tone, inflection, timing, pacing, and volume also communicate powerfully.  People pick up more than they might think from the way others say things.
4. People respond to the language we use.  Words are the currency of ideas and have the power to change the world.  What we say and how we say things make quite and impact.

“Subtlety and modesty are appropriate for nuns, but if you’re in business, you’d better learn to speak up and announce your significant accomplishments to the world.” - Donald Trump

Have a great day!

Shawn
Performance Institute – A Global Leader in Human Capital and Business Development

Russ M. Miller, LLIF – Chairman and CEO

Sunny Hong Zhang – Managing Partner – China

Shawn M. Miller – Managing Partner – USA

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