Recently, I was a guest on the Inspiring Leaders Podcast hosted by Terry Lipovski. The theme was persuasive communication, and we had a brilliant discussion on how leaders should hone their communication skills to become effective in their roles.
Now Terry is a leader in his own right and an experienced executive coach. For at least a decade, he has worked with executives and leaders to help improve their presentation skills. We thus shared similar ideas on effective communication. When I recommended that leaders prioritise the three beacons of effective communication—simplicity, brevity and clarity—to boost their influence and credibility, Terry explained something I found intriguing:
When he worked in sales, sales professionals were expected to first overwhelm potential clients with the minutiae in complex presentations. Then they would offer clear (and easily understood) solutions for the perceived complicated problems. In this way, Terry and his peers would become the trusted people to handle projects, thus making it easier to close deals.
That tactic was clever and effective…for that era. Nevertheless, when I mentioned simplicity as one of the beacons leaders should instil in their communication, Terry wanted to know more. Our discussion progressed and we explored other angles of the subject.
After the show, I reflected on the topic. The more I thought about the three beacons, the more convinced I became of this premise: complex business communication kills influence and is thus the bane of strong leadership.
To worsen matters, two traits, when added to complexity, increase the risk of failure: the gift of the gab (because you rely heavily on your persuasive speaking ability and don’t ask for feedback), and the ‘curse’ of knowledge (because you become complacent in your expertise). The latter manifests itself in the aversion to change or the unwillingness to consider new insights that would be beneficial to your role. Thus, like a resolute captain, you might prefer to go down with your ship if crises hit, rather than seek help. When you believe in your superior speaking skills or deep experience in certain areas, you cannot become the trusted, flexible leader who is required in this fast-paced era.
If you’re unconvinced about the need to shun complexity in all your business communication, so that your messages are simple, brief and clear, the reasons below should help you reconsider.
1) Complexity stalls progress
Your role often requires you to communicate with different audiences, some of whom might be high-profile professionals, government officials and other powerful leaders. You thus need to project credibility to influence these tough circles. Therefore, you feel justified using complex vocabulary, emphatic language and an overly stiff, formal style. Depending on the context, you also demonstrate your analytical skills by delving into the intricacies of your material.
Your reasoning is valid; the stakes are high in such circumstances. But remember that save for some proprietary or sensitive data, people can easily retrieve the information they want. Thus, they don’t need you to tell them, and in such a tedious, longwinded manner, what they could find with a click of a button, or by a swipe of a mobile device.
As an inspiring leader, you must be brave enough to become ‘exposed’ by stripping away the safety blanket of complexity. By communicating in simple terms, you ensure that people understand you. As a result, you’d know relatively quickly whether your plans will be supported, enabling you to revise your strategy or change your direction.
But hide behind a humdrum speech or a lengthy, ambiguous formal document, and watch progress halt—while your unmotivated teams make weak attempts to decipher your intentions—until you revise your style.
The choice is yours.
2) Complexity diminishes collaboration
The dark side of this digital age is the stress we endure from information overload and multitasking. It’s no wonder that having the ability to capture people’s interest and to keep them engaged is somewhat like possessing a superpower.
If people can’t understand how your suggestions would affect them or your company—because you bombard them with information that has multiple facets and links to many factors—they would become disengaged.
Whether it’s a presentation that is cluttered with figures, phrases, and acronyms or a meandering keynote that does little to introduce the theme in the first 10 minutes, your complex communication will not win you advocates for your initiative.
People just won’t be willing to make sacrifices for your vision if your content does little to inspire them to work with you or to collaborate with your teams to get results.
So before you overwhelm your audiences with complex strategies, consider keeping your content concise. Also, use analogies or metaphors to break down your difficult topic. Warren Buffett, business magnate and billionaire investor, has mastered this technique, and he effectively sells his point in a concise manner.
3) Complexity limits actions
Perhaps you’re a leader who exudes executive presence. You’re known for your intelligent speeches and can write a document with 100% grammatical accuracy.
Yet, these won’t get long-term results. Critics are not won by intellect alone. Similarly, followers are not inspired by complicated plans.
Without clear communication that specifically lists a strong call-to-action, people will be unsure of how to proceed, so they’ll do nothing. Moreover, if you’re considered an aloof leader, your followers will feel justified distancing themselves from your vision.
Complexity does nothing but to create a you-versus-them scenario, which doesn’t translate to actionable support.
Conclusion
Leaders, among other expectations, are saddled with the responsibility of running profitable organisations. Moreover, because of easy access to information, followers demand more transparency and are more critical of their executives.
Thus, one way you as a leader can win hearts and change minds is to eliminate complexity in your communication by prioritising simplicity, brevity and clarity. These pillars, alongside a good dose of emotional intelligence, will make you relatable and will inspire people to become advocates of your causes.
After all, what good is a leader without followers?
And now over to you:
How can an inspiring leader eliminate complex communication?
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N.B – First image is courtesy of Cooldesign, via freedigitalphotos.net. Second, fourth and fifth images are courtesy of Stuart Miles, via freedigitalphotos.net. Third image is courtesy of Sira Anamwong, via freedigitalphotos.net.