If you’re in a leadership role today, you surely didn’t get there by accident. You have vision. You’re confident. And you’re at the ready to offer support and lightning-quick responses. But if you don’t effectively communicate these qualities to your people, how will they know you embody them? Frankly, they won’t. Despite leaders giving themselves gold stars in communication, only 13% of U.S. employees say their leaders communicate well, according to Gallup research. And that’s a colossal problem: 93% of workers surveyed by the Brunswick Group report that “leadership that communicates directly and transparently” is what keeps them on the job, bested only by pay and the ability to move up. The most powerful tool you have as a leader—to inform, engage, and inspire—is your voice, says veteran leadership communications coach Joel Schwartzberg. Yet all too often, our words fall flat; we get caught in our head, fail to truly understand our audience, or simply flub the landing. But it’s our words and awareness of their impact that make the difference between simply managing teams and inspiring them to do their best work. 

 

Joel Schwartzberg is a leadership communications coach whose clients include American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, State Farm Insurance, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Comedy Central. He is the senior director of strategic and executive communications for a major national nonprofit and previously held senior-level communication and editorial positions with Time Inc., PBS, and Nickelodeon. Schwartzberg’s articles on effective communication have appeared in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Toastmaster magazine, and he’s a sought-after business and communications podcast guest and conference speaker. He is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter, which Seth Godin calls “a manifesto for giving talks that make a difference,” and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; July 13, 2021), which Kevin Eikenberry says “will make your communication more purposeful, meaningful, and inspirational.”



Topics

During this interview Joel and I discuss the following topics:

Why communicating clearly and effectively is so importantWhere leaders make mistakes with their communication skillsHow to change your approach based on your audienceHow to appear more empathetic and authentic How to effectively communicate in the virtual environmentAdvice on communicating in various situations

For the complete show notes, be sure to check out our website:

https://movingforwardleadership.com/192