Confident communication is about expressing how you feel

A number of my clients that are facing a career transition are senior managers and executives.  When working with them to prepare for job interviews, I often ask them to tell me what they think the difference is between leadership and management.

This question gets a number of answers.  Most answers focus on leadership as how they inspire others and make them feel “passionate” or “energetic” rather than technical expertise and process.

Kevin Bullock, a leading UK headteacher and inspiring speaker, spoke about what makes people outstanding leaders at a HR Forum in Cambridge this week.  Leaders have:

• Outstanding Communication Skills
• High Expectation
• Emotional Intelligence (how you feel and make others feel)

And Kevin's research showed you need to have ALL three of these to be outstanding.

In your job search, when networking, on your social media profile and in meetings – are you demonstrating your leadership skills by communicating what is important and the impact it has on others?

Think of the outstanding leaders and entrepreneurs in business today such Sir Richard Branson and Barack Obama.  What are the qualities they demonstrate?

• They have learned to simplify their message so that people know what they are supposed to do and why it is important to do it
• They have learned to listen with genuine interest and respect to everyone and act on what they have heard
• They engender a sustained sense of enthusiasm and make people feel they are important
• They are overwhelmingly positive, optimistic and future-focused and very persistent.

Confident communication is about practice. And most importantly, about understanding what makes you and others tick.  If you would like to learn powerful techniques to communicate what you can offer a future employer, come along to our “Promote Yourself with Confidence Workshop” on 22 March.

Recrion is a People and Career Management Specialist that works with groups and individuals to differentiate themselves in the job market.  Visit www.recrion.co.uk or call 01780 484910 for more information on how we can help you.