Rethinking Business Communications Blog

You had it all along.

You had the power to persuade people, nurture collaborations and create a massive impact with your ideas, work ethic, or intellect.

You’ve been blessed with that ability since childhood and you’ve influenced people unknowingly to get the results you wanted. Whether it was as a child convincing your parents to get you some toy, or as a teenager persuading a friend to back you up on a plan, or as an adult negotiating terms in an interview, or even bargaining and getting a better deal at your favourite dealer shop, salon or club, you coaxed people to action with persuasive communication skills.

Then over time, due to setbacks, disappointments and other factors you had little control of (for example, the coronavirus pandemic) you lost that conviction that you can make things happen.

But hope isn’t lost. Now is the time to reclaim your power. Now is the time to be clear about the value you bring. And now is the time to boldly take steps to get the results you deserve.

The ‘secret’ to influencing people

What I’ve discovered, say over 19 years—from the time I landed my first job after my postgraduate studies to my current work as a communications trainer, coach and author—is this: Great communication skills in speech, writing, and interpersonal interactions open doors. They also position you as a person of influence, with or without a ‘big’ title to back up your profile.

But to get the outcomes you desire, your communication should not only be superb, but it must also be effective. This means that it must help you accomplish a goal, or assuredly bring you closer to getting a significant result.

Even considering other important attributes such as credibility, likeability, charisma, and presence, effective communication is your secret weapon to influencing people and thriving in your field.

And that’s the reason I took two years and four months to write and publish my latest communication blueprint, Influence and Thrive: How Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Business Leaders, & Corporations Use Effective Communication To Get Results.

Why ‘Influence and Thrive’ isn’t optional

The book, ‘Influence and Thrive’, which reveals best practices (backed up by science e.g. storytelling), also shows you how you should use effective communication to get favourable outcomes.

Below is the synopsis of the book:

Effective communication will never go out of style. It will outlive the critics, survive shifting trends, and thrive in this tech age.

As a professional, entrepreneur, or business leader, you must amplify your communication skills to accelerate your career, grow your business, or sharpen your credibility.

As a corporation, you must use purposeful communication to nurture trust, coax employee engagement, boost your reputation, and steer actions to profitability.

But how can you get the results you deserve with effective communication and position yourself for long-term success?

In this book, you’ll find the latest insights on non-verbal communication, public speaking, and business writing to build your knowledge of best practices. Then you’ll learn practical techniques for honing these communication skills to influence people and thrive in your arena.

Lucille Ossai draws upon recommendations from thought leaders and practitioners in the field: from researchers and authors to communication experts. Written in the author’s signature simple, yet authoritative style, the book is enhanced by her experience as a communications trainer, advisor, and blogger. From her anecdotes and interviews with successful professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, you’ll discover what to do, what you must avoid in your communication – and how to proceed.

This evergreen resource will become your invaluable companion as you strive for excellence in your industry.

Still, beyond the enticing description and glowing advance reviews from professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, the book explores four critical themes:

1) Nonverbal communication to boost credibility

2) Public speaking to win hearts

3) Business writing to trigger results

4) Organisational communication to increase productivity and cement a healthy corporate image

The screenshots of the book teaser below highlight the main segments of the book.

To make the book more ‘complete’, I interviewed six professionals and entrepreneurs in various industries: ranging from oil, legal, and academia to medical services and media. I dug deep into their experiences and asked the questions you would have wanted to know about why they advocated for effective communication in their fields. They graciously provided valuable tips on communication based on their experiences, which will motivate you to take action. The interviewees included US entrepreneur, author and professional speaker, Robin Farmafarmaian, and Emmy-award-winning former CNN anchor and communications expert, Gina London.

I might be biased, but I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t buy ‘Influence and Thrive’ or why you would think ordering this book is optional – unless you no longer wish to enhance your existing efforts with effective communication and excel in your career or business. Getting the book for yourself, executives, and teams will be the best and most inexpensive investment you can make today that will yield consistent results. Trust me on this.

I even recorded a quick video when I unboxed the first print run for Nigeria, and I advised you to get the book for everyone you know.  I’m confident that it will give you an unfair business advantage. Watch the video below to share my excitement.

Where to buy ‘Influence and Thrive’

It’s everywhere!

1) The US

a) Grab your Kindle, paperback, and hardback versions from Amazon.

b) Barnes & Noble.

2) The UK

a) Order from Amazon UK.

b) Waterstones.

3) Nigeria

Buy the special colour PDF version directly from the ‘Influence and Thrive’ book website.

This colour version is better than Amazon’s Kindle format because it retains the original stylistic elements from the book designer. Paystack (now a member of the Stripe family) powers the payment platform so your financial transactions are secure.

Nigeria and African countries

You can also order the paperback online from the Roving Heights bookstore. Alternatively, you could pop into their prestigious stores in Lagos and Abuja for the shopping experience and excellent service. 

I’d be adding more Nigerian bookstores to the mix, so please follow me on Twitter and Instagram to keep abreast of the latest information.

Roving Heights ships nationwide in Nigeria and internationally.

4) Rest of the world

Excluding Amazon, which ships to over 100 countries, you’d find the book online in other international outlets, including:

– Kobo.

– Tales (Europe).

– LibroWorld.

– KulturKaufhaus (Germany).

– Booktopia  (Australia).

– Wheelers (New Zealand).

You’ll also get the book at numerous bookstores, libraries, and shops –  at attractive discounts, so please support your local store by ordering from there.

Do me a favour? Please leave a review on any site you buy the book from. Read, absorb the insights, then kindly shoot me an email at Lucille@lucilleossai.com. I’d be delighted to read from you and learn how the book has helped you in your career or business.

Conclusion

So wherever you are in your career or entrepreneurial journey, know that you can ‘reclaim’ your persuasive power and then amplify it to influence people and to thrive.

But to succeed, you should learn how to use your nonverbal communication to build trust, your speaking skills to change minds and win hearts, your writing chops to compel results, and excellent organisational communication to increase productivity and remain relevant in your industry.

Therefore, arm yourself with ‘Influence and Thrive’ and rediscover the power to influence that you always had.

Your future self will thank you.

Over to you:

Do you need help in boosting your communication skills? Sign up here for my free quarterly newsletters and learn best practices. When you sign up, you’ll receive my evergreen resource on giving persuasive presentations. Ensure you download that document and refer to it before any high-stakes presentation or speech.

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N.B: First  image  is  courtesy  of  Markus Winkler via Pixabay. Book teaser is courtesy of Lucille Ossai. Video is courtesy of Lucille Ossai’s YouTube channel. Last image is courtesy of Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.