The Leader's Voice

The ability to communicate consistently is identified as one of the most critical skills in business. In leadership is it even more critical to success. Positive communication is linked to everything from greater alignment to improved productivity. This program teaches you the principles of strong leadership communication - how to communicate with passion, meaning and impact. You will explore how to communicate your message on three channels: factual, emotional and symbolic.

This hands-on program is a fun, interactive and positive learning experience. Based on the book The Leaders Voice, this program combines lecture, discussion, video exercises, case study and other activities to focus on the principles of effective leadership communication. You will participate in and receive feedback as the program incorporates case studies, role-playing, individual coaching, group interaction, experiential and hands on exercises.

Program Highlights

Learn the principles of strong leadership communication
Identify how to communicate simultaneously on three channels: Factual, Emotional and Symbolic (FES)
Observe successful presentations through written and video case studies
Discuss how to communicate the importance of your organization's mission and purpose
Learn how to create stronger communications in meetings, presentations and written documents
Practice these principles through video presentations

Length

2 days

Based on the Book, "The Leader's Voice"

"The Leader's Voice" by Clarke and Crossland

From Bluepoint Leadership's website:

"This book blew me away. Full of delightful stories, quirky facts, and inspiring imagery, I will recommend this to every leader I know."

- Jim Kouzes, coauthor of best-selling The Leadership Challenge

From the book jacket of The Leader's Voice:

"The leader speaks. Followers applaud on command. There is an illusion that communication took place, but it didn't. Unfortunately, this communication failure breeds additional communication static. Over time, leaders resort to commands rather than communication. This leads to breaking talent, not starting it. The Leader's Voice is the language of your associates and your constituents. They listen in facts, emotions, and symbols."

Through engaging stories and detailed research stretching over more than 10 years, Clarke and Crossland reveal that effective leaders communicate in three channels:

Facts
Emotions
Symbols

While every leader, every human being, communicates in these three channels, most have an overreliance on just one. It's the MBA religiously devoted to the facts of business or the creative vice president speaking with pure emotion. With the brain hard-wired to listen and think in facts, emotions, and symbols, there is often a disconnect. In fact, what often happens in leadership communication is what the authors call "The Four Fatal Assumptions." Leaders speak and then assume that their constituents:

Understand
Agree
Care
Act Accordingly

Business leaders who often speak on just the factual channel and then don't understand why their messages didn't resonate must understand that constituents will always put the message through their own emotional and symbolic filters. By focusing on the principles of communication outlined in this book, leaders can conquer the four fatal assumptions by inspiring their constituents to align and unite toward a professional vision. Speaking in The Leader's Voice will help companies achieve greater results, including:

Better alignment around key strategic initiatives
Improved productivity spurred by higher levels of trust among employees
Greater leadership credibility
Higher morale
Increased efficiency through crystal clear clarity
Better communication among all employees

From Bluepoint Leadership's website.