Corporate Leadership Communication – Or Lack of it!

Effective communication is the greatest challenge facing the business world today and the most important skill set a leader can bring to their organisation. Remarkably, however, research shows that it is an area where business and business leaders dramatically underperform and under invest. Poor communication remains the number one reason that employees are disengaged, that suppliers underperform, that customers are confused, that investors make poor decisions and that leaders are not respected and yet little is done to redress the lack of understanding of the basic principals of communication.

It is the chain of understanding that integrates the members of an organisation in every possible direction and at every possible level. It is the key area of business competence that most directly correlates to business success and, as a consequence, many of the problems that occur in an organisation are the direct result of people failing to communicate.

Despite all of this the communication process is not understood by most leaders or organisations. Most leaders and organisations do not invest in developing this vital competency. Most leaders and organisations fail to communicate with a communication gap of up to 75% between how leaders perceive the effectiveness of their communication and how everyone else rates their effectiveness.

The greatest problem with leadership communication is the illusion that it has occurred.

If you have been through media training, presentation skills training and basic communications training you will now realise that you need something more to make you truly effective. Brett Rutledge is a mentor and coach to some of the most high-profile people and organisations in the business world and is your next step to improving your communication.

As a leader, communication is the most vital contributor to your success. The mastery of communication is therefore the most important skill set a leader can bring to their organization.

Mastery is the product of understanding, technique and skill. The traditional approach in developing communication is to focus on technique and skill but this is doomed to failure. Technique and skill are only useful to the highly skilled. Depending on the degree of natural ability it requires a long period of dedication that is measured in years rather than months or weeks. At best a focus on technique and skill results in a gradual improvement if any at all and is not a realistic approach because either the starting point is too low or the dedication required is not feasible.

The key to effective communication is understanding. Improved understanding results in an immediate improvement in the effectiveness of communication. Specifically we need to understand:

• How our communication is interpreted and evaluated
• The channels of communication that must be simultaneously
• used to be effective
• The definition of effective communication
• How to measure the effectiveness of our communication
• How to position and structure our communication
• What our specific style of communication is, how to maximize it and achieve consistency

Developing such an understanding is the most realistic way to improve the effectiveness of our day-to-day verbal and written business communication. Combined with coaching support it guarantees a result regardless of an individual’s skill level or knowledge of communication techniques.

Brett Rutledge is one of the very few people outside the USA to win the World Championship of Public Speaking and a truly gifted communicator who knows how to engage people and make your business message heard. Brett is a specialist in executive leadership communication who can immediately improve your communication by developing and deepening your understanding of key principles. Brett is currently sharing his insights on Channel 9’s “The Apprentice” as the expert ‘Communications Coach’ for the aspiring apprentices!

For further information on Brett Rutledge and effective communication for your organisation contact Platinum.

Platinum Speakers & Entertainers provides expert advice, knowledge and assistance to engage the perfect keynote speaker, MC and entertainer for your next event or conference. For further information and assistance with your next event contact Platinum on 03 9673 7400, or theteam@platinumspeakers.com.au we can be found at www.platinumspeakers.com.au