Sharing your ideas in a speaker forum is scary.  To share your key points, building them up authentically, speaking with intent, helping others understand your thoughts and ideas is powerful but often not wholly successful in connecting with your audience.  Impact is often confused with having a big presence, a loud voice or a polished ‘performance’.  But isn’t it funny that Maya Angelou’s reflections ring through …. it’s how someone makes us feel that really has an impact. 

How we connect with others – whether it’s with our teams, with our peers, with our friends – starts with speaking from the heart, actually caring enough about the quality of the engagement to think about how best you can communicate your ideas in a way they will understand and resonate with.

The lens thought which we interpret powerful or impactful influence seems far too narrow.  The current zeitgeist leans towards certainty, purposeful opinions, dominance, speak rather than listen, doing rather than reflection and giving other space to think.  How much of this communication resonates or reflects those who are listening?

For any leaders who feel they are not ‘enough’, lack the showman gene or simply don’t believe they have the communication style to be an impactful leader, please revisit Jim Collins, Good to Great and his thoughts on Level 5 Leadership and the impact of humility – it’s an interesting reflection on how thoughtful, authentic and genuine communication makes us feel – and how dynamic it is to be in a room with someone who communicates in their own unique way.