DEVELOPMENT
elements will give you a huge advantage.
Clarity: How easy are you to understand? If people
frequently ask you to repeat a sentence, or you see
them straining to listen, chances are you are not
speaking with clarity. If you have a strong accent
or tendency to mumble, make a conscious effort
to speak so people can understand the words you
are saying.
Do you have the
voice of a leader?
Many EAs are not reaching their full potential
because they struggle with communication
skills says Anthony Laye
THE EXPERT
Anthony Laye works
with entrepreneurs,
professionals and
executives who want to
amplify their speaking
and communication
skills, so they can stand
out, win trust and
influence.
As an EA your ability to communicate has a direct
impact on how skilled, trustworthy and effective
people perceive you as being. You could be a highly
skilled EA, but if you are not able to communicate,
people may never notice your amazing talent,
leaving you feeling under-appreciated and not
presented with the opportunities to take your
career to the next level.
Communication broken down to its basics,
consists of three parts:
w Verbal—the words we say (a.k.a the data)
w Vocal—the way we say the words (use of voice)
w
Visual—gestures, posture and movement (body
language)
Have you ever been in the situation, just before
you pick up the phone and think to yourself, “oh,
what am I going to say?” Did you also think, “and
how am I going to say that?”
Most EAs think about the words they are
going to say, not putting much thought into how
those words will be said. According to the UCLA,
38 percent of communication comes from the
tone of voice. Learning how to use your voice
effectively will instantly improve your ability to
communicate, allowing you to showcase how
skilled you are and creating maximum impact.
I run a session called Voice Of A Leader where
participants are guided through six elements of
Vocal communication. Improving just one of these
54 Chief of Staff | Issue 1 2020
Speed: Are you a fast talker? Something I see often
in people who are nervous or excited, they are
so focused on getting the words out, they end
up bombarding people with a tsunami of words.
A mistake many people make is they think they
have to slow down and end up sounding boring.
If you have clarity in your speech, it may be you
need to add more pauses rather than slowing
down.
Tone: Are you feeling your words? Anyone can
blurt out a collection of words. Communicators
who captivate an audience will ‘embody’ the
words, causing the listener to feel the emotion
of the words. Feeling your words is as simple as
elongating the vowels, read the following out loud
to experience for yourself:
w
Read normally—Today I woke up feeling
amazing.
w
Read elongating the vowels—Today I woke up
feeeeeling amazing.
How did you feel reading it the second way?
Pitch: Think Bee Gees vs Barry White (if you have
no idea who I am talking about YouTube will give
you all the information you need). Most people talk
with a default pitch, which can lead to sounding
monotone, but by varying your pitch you will
create a more interesting and engaging sound.
Volume: Do you sound like a megaphone or a
mouse? While you don’t want to shout, increased
volume demonstrates a sign of certainty in the
message you are communicating, while a lower
volume can draw people in.
Pause: Are you comfortable in the silence? The
pause is one of the most powerful vocal tools you
have. Many EAs fear the pause—silence creates
a feeling of discomfort and tension—it is this
tension though that has influence. Start to explore
the pause, force yourself to stay in the silence for a
couple of seconds longer than normal.
One final note on the voice: contrast is the key.
Don’t stay at the same pitch or volume, imagine
using your voice is like a dance and allow yourself
to play with the sounds you produce. S
www.anthonylaye.com