This video addresses the challenges faced by individuals aiming for leadership or C-suite positions, particularly in improving communication skills. The presenter emphasizes the importance of articulating thoughts clearly, giving opinions with confidence, and maintaining empathy in communication. Simple changes in language and approach can earn respect and position individuals as decisive and transparent leaders.

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. articulate [ɑːrˈtɪkjʊlət] - (verb) - To express an idea or thought clearly. - Synonyms: (enunciate, express, communicate)

Leaders who are good communicators have also mastered how to articulate complicated thoughts clearly.

2. empathetic [ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk] - (adjective) - Showing the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. - Synonyms: (compassionate, understanding, sympathetic)

empathetic communication has been kind of a hot topic in recent years.

3. conviction [kənˈvɪkʃən] - (noun) - A firmly held belief or opinion. - Synonyms: (belief, opinion, persuasion)

People who share their opinions with confidence and conviction are the ones who get respect.

4. exaggerations [ɪɡˌzædʒəˈreɪʃənz] - (noun) - Statements that represent something as better or worse than it really is. - Synonyms: (overstatement, hyperbole, embellishment)

Absolute terms were used... which are both exaggerations and not true.

5. authority [əˈθɔːrɪti] - (noun) - The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. - Synonyms: (power, leadership, control)

The style of communication that was more used back then is a more authoritative style of communication.

6. inclusive [ɪnˈkluːsɪv] - (adjective) - Not excluding any section of society or any party involved. - Synonyms: (all-encompassing, encompassing, comprehensive)

Nowadays, the style of communication that is more favored in companies is a lot more inclusive.

7. vulnerable [ˈvʌlnərəbl] - (adjective) - Exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed. - Synonyms: (susceptible, defenseless, unprotected)

All of these things can create a work environment that makes people feel vulnerable.

8. compassionate [kəmˈpæʃənɪt] - (adjective) - Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others. - Synonyms: (sympathetic, caring, considerate)

But I think nowadays the style of communication that is more favored in companies is a lot more inclusive and a lot more compassionate

9. dialogue [ˈdaɪəˌlɔːɡ] - (noun) - A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie. - Synonyms: (conversation, discussion, exchange)

Lastly, you open up a discussion to create a dialogue.

10. comprehension [ˌkɒmprɪˈhɛnʃən] - (noun) - The ability to understand something. - Synonyms: (understanding, apprehension, grasp)

It makes the other person feel listened to and increases your comprehension.

C-Suite Communication Skills You NEED to Master

So sometimes when you're aiming to move up to a leadership position or to the C suite, you might be concerned that your communication skills are not quite adequate. Maybe you can't articulate complicated thoughts with ease. You always seem to get your thoughts muddled. Maybe you struggle to share your opinion with others because you're worried about them disagreeing, or you're worried about conflict. Or on the other side. Maybe you've been told that you come across as too aggressive and you want to know how you can sound more empathetic when you communicate.

In this video, we're going to look at how you can improve your communication on seven different points so you can look like you're somebody who was meant to be a leader and meant to be in the C suite too. The first C suite communication skill that is really important for you to master, but it doesn't come naturally to everyone, is to give your opinion with confidence. I don't know about you, but I grew up being a very passive communicator and whenever someone asked my opinion, I would freeze. Sometimes I would reply, I don't know, or I'm not sure. Other times I'd simply repeat what other people in the room had said.

It wasn't until I realized that people who share their opinions with confidence and conviction, they're the ones who get respect from other people in the room. They're the ones who are seen as decisive, as strong, and as transparent because other people know what they think and they know what they stand for. And this is the kind of result that you can achieve too, if you make some simple tweaks to the way that you give your opinion, instead of saying you don't know or repeating what the other person said like I used to do.

There are many other phrases you can use to share your opinion. Like I think I suggest in my opinion, from my perspective personally, I think that in my view, from my point of view, and in addition to these phrases, you will sound much more credible if you ground your opinion, in fact, not emotion. If you use a strong and a firm voice, and if you avoid exaggeration and speaking in absolute terms. Let's look at an example of what is not a confident opinion. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I have a feeling that the second option could be a better choice. Everyone in Gen Z reads digital books nowadays. Nobody reads physical books anymore.

Let's look at what is wrong with this example. None of the phrases I suggested before were used when giving the opinion. Instead, I have a feeling was used which is actually not giving an opinion. A lot of hesitant language was used, like I'm not 100% sure, but and the second option could be a better choice, which both of them communicate. Uncertainty and a lack of confidence. Absolute terms were used. For example, everybody in Gen Z reads books digitally nowadays. Nobody reads physical books anymore, which are both exaggerations and not true.

This is what you should say. Instead. I think we should pursue the second option because feedback from our client survey suggests that 80% of Gen Z read books digitally, whereas only 20% of them read physical books. The way that I used facts and data, a firm voice, and I didn't exaggerate the numbers, helped me to give my opinion in a confident and a persuasive way. Leaders who are good communicators have also mastered how to articulate complicated thoughts clearly, and this stems from the fact that they organize their thoughts in their mind first before they go and communicate them.

Either they map their thoughts out visually, like visual thinkers do, or they create lists, like linear thinkers do, and more seasoned, articulate communicators can do either of those things on the spot pretty much as they speak. I want to let you know that this on the spot kind of thinking is pretty rare. Most of the time, people can only do it when they've worked in their area of expertise for a really long time, where they know their content really well, and when they have trained themselves over a number of years to map out their thoughts, to organize their thoughts and map them out before they speak about them.

Once you have that kind of practice, then you can articulate and communicate those thoughts using a simple four step structure where you announce what you're going to talk about, set expectations, expand, then discuss. For example, I'm going to share a complicated idea on our product development by talking about three different options. The first option is to see what our customers are doing. The second option is to survey our clients and find gaps in our current product range. And the third option is to innovate and create a never seen before product. What are your thoughts on this?

Let me break down why this example works by saying, I'm going to share a complicated idea for product development by talking about three options. You announce your idea which helps you to focus people's attention to the broader topic and to remove distractions. Next, you set expectations by using numbering 1st, 2nd or third, which gives the audience a map of what you're going to talk about so they know roughly how long they should pay attention to you. Then after each number, you expand on the relevant idea by giving people the information they need to know what why it's important, the supporting data and the results.

And lastly, you open up a discussion to create a dialogue. empathetic communication has been kind of a hot topic in recent years where a lot of people want to know how they can speak with more empathy and with more kindness. I think with the shift in workplace generations, empathetic communication is becoming more important and required for leaders, say in the 1950s. The style of communication that was more used back then, from what I've seen in movies anyway, is a more authoritative style of communication. You could even say the same is true for the 1980s and the 1990s as well.

But I think nowadays the style of communication that is more favored in companies is a lot more inclusive and a lot more compassionate. I know for some people it comes really naturally to them to speak in a more empathetic way, but for others it can be a real struggle to sound more empathetic and compassionate when they speak. I know this because a lot of the students who take my assertive communication skills masterclass are more on the aggressive side with their communication and they want to learn how to tone it down and that is why they take that course.

Basically, when you want to adopt a more empathetic style of communication, you have to make a mental shift. You have to communicate with a curious and a compassionate intention and with the goal of wanting to know more. Letting the other person speak is really important because empathetic dialogue is not about you. It's about letting the other person speak and letting them share what they are thinking and feeling and experiencing. Phrases like that must be difficult or I understand that must be really challenging, help you to convey that you understand what that other person is feeling.

Listening actively is really important. Now I will talk about that in more detail later on in this video asking thoughtful questions like how did that make you feel? Or why is that important to you? Or what was the driver in that decision shows that you are curious and you want to know more about what they're saying. Overall, if you have the mental approach of wanting to know more, then that will help you come across as a lot more empathetic. Good C suite leaders know that they are in their position partly because of the hard work and the effort of their team.

Of course, the C suite leaders own dedication to their career played a large part in their success, but it's also important to recognize that the team's effort played a role too. And in most cases, the C suite leaders were able to build a strong team because they allowed and they encouraged people in their team to share their ideas. This is really important because the people in your team were not hired to be robots. Each person in your team has a unique background and experience and this influences their ideas, their viewpoints and their overall contribution as well.

You can leverage this unique talent pool to generate exceptional results for the company, but sometimes people are reluctant to share their ideas. This often happens if they are new, inexperienced, with senior professionals, or in a team that lacks trust. All of these things can create a work environment that makes people feel vulnerable. And because they feel vulnerable, because they don't want to be laughed at or ridiculed or even attacked, they decide that it's safer to keep quiet and they don't share their ideas at all.

If you want to generate exceptional results for your team and reach a c suite position, then it's really important that you embrace your team's brilliance and encourage them to share their ideas. Tell them verbally that you want to know what they think, that you want to hear their ideas and suggestions. I'd really like to hear what ideas you have about XYZ or I'm eager to hear your suggestions on how to solve this problem. These are great phrases to use. Create thinking time if people don't react well to being put on the spot, you can either ask people to come up with ideas before the meeting, or you can create allocated time during the meeting where everyone can brainstorm their ideas together.

And when people do share their ideas, it's really important that you listen without judgment. So be careful of your facial expressions here. Always look interested and eager to know more because remember, sharing ideas can be a vulnerable process, which leads us to the next C suite communication skill, which is listening. And there are two parts to this listening actively and check for your understanding. Listening actively means you have to master a whole range of skills including body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, maintaining your attention, and being aware of and controlling your emotions.

There is a brilliant article written by Amy Gallo titled what is active listening? Where she goes into what is active listening and how to practice it, as well as fantastic examples that you can follow. I'll put a link to the article in the description below. I highly recommend that you read it and if you have access to readwise like I do, then what you can do is you can highlight the key points in the article, either on the webpage or by saving it to reader, which you actually get access to if you sign up to readwise.

So I highlighted this paragraph in the article. At some point in the conversation, you'll likely need to share your perspective, but for now, take in what they have to say. Avoid hijacking the interaction. It's far better to ask questions, it makes the other person feel listened to and increases your comprehension. I wanted to record this paragraph somewhere because I felt that it had a lot of wisdom in it. So, because I had saved this article in my reader, which is part of readwise, like I explained before, when I made my highlights, it automatically kept and recorded those highlights in my readwise account.

And because I have readwise synced with my obsidian, which is the note taking app that I use whenever I make any highlight in readwise, those highlights are automatically exported to my obsidian, where I can then go back to them later on and add my notes and add my own thoughts as well. So this process works really well no matter what note taking app you use. If you use notion, if you use Evernote, or if you use Google Docs, Readwise has been really instrumental in my knowledge building, particularly this year. If you want to check out readwise, then look at my affiliate link in the description.

Now, when it comes to checking your understanding, which is the second part to listening involves a lot more than simply repeating what that other person has said or by saying I see or I understand. Good communication requires you to not only show that you understood what that person said, but that you're also curious as to what they didn't say. Because just like an iceberg there's a lot left beneath the surface. The article what is active listening? Shares an example where an employee says I'm worried about my presentation for the board meeting.

Rather than switching the focus to you and replying something like ah, don't worry about it. It took me years before I could present to the board without being nervous. You should respond with something like this instead. I was nervous when I started presenting to what's worrying you. Do you see how this question shows that you are listening but you're also inquiring about what that person is feeling or what they're experiencing? Then when that person does share how they are feeling, you need to find the main points in what they say to you.

This approach is particularly important for group meetings where you want to summarise what someone has said for clarity and also for the benefit of the entire group. Because people rarely communicate in a linear way, most people communicate in a really roundabout way that's full of detours and curves. So it's often the role of the leader to find clarity in disorganized communication part of your job in meetings. To sum up what people say in a clearer and a more concise way. Now, following on from the previous example where the employee was saying how nervous they were for the presentation, they might continue on with something like this.

I don't know if I can do it. I'm not sure if I'm ready to get up and talk about this topic in front of a whole audience? What if it's like my last presentation where everyone was so confused and when my boss told me in the one on one meeting that I did such a bad job? You can unpack this and as you listen actively, you can identify the main concerns that person has. For example, not enough practice, bad experience in the last presentation and the boss gave negative feedback.

And you can continue your conversation by talking about each of these points individually and perhaps sharing your suggestions. But overall, the fact that you brought clarity to what they said by itemizing the points and the things that they were worried about, this will help them to understand the situation better, and it would help them to realize that it's perhaps not as confusing or as overwhelming as what they thought. Once you have identified and highlighted the main points, then you can go on to a dialogue because communication, especially in group situations like meetings, it happens like person a communicates their message, the leader listens, checks for understanding, identifies the main points, then dialogue starts.

This three step process is particularly important for group meetings because it helps to make sure that everyone in the room is on the same page. And when you look at each step in in this process, it really becomes clear how much work the leader has to actually put into it. They can't just sit passively and not participate because the success of the meeting and of the communication during the meeting rests on that leader's shoulders. So when we're looking at how the leader can create dialogue, it's really about asking questions in the meeting which loops us back to .4 in this video and then encouraging people in the team to share their ideas and to share their viewpoints.

You could ask any range of questions that you want to encourage a discussion. It really depends on the topic that is being discussed, but I want to share with you some sample phrases or sample questions that you can use instead to prompt your own questions. When you ask your team what challenges and opportunities do you see with this idea? What are your key takeaways from the information that was just shared? What questions or concerns do you have about this direction? And as they answer these questions, you want to employ what we talked about in, .5 which was to listen, and also what we talked about in, .6 which was to identify the main points and summarize what they said and feeding into that.

You also might want to use what we talked about in, .2 which was to articulate complicated thoughts clearly as you summarize what they have just said and what we talked about in point one, which was to share your opinions confidently. And this can be done at the end of the meeting. So can you see how all of these communication skills are interlinked and how leaders, especially those in the C suite or who are aiming to be in the C suite, can benefit from mastering these communication skills?

Leadership, Communication, Empathy, Business, Education, Motivation, Kara Ronin