How to Communicate Clearly
A mini-guide for talking to people
Clear and concise communication is crucial in the workplace. Being a clear communicator allows you to improve your interpersonal relationships and command respect. How you share your thoughts and ideas indicates to others how they should react to you.
Use an appropriate volume of speech
Speaking at an appropriate volume impacts how others will respond to your input. Vocal volume contributes to how well you can communicate with others, as it shapes the perception of your intended meaning. Consider the venue, audience, and what you want them to take away from the conversation.
Are you in a small conference room speaking to executives? Or are you in a large space speaking to all employees? Are you hosting a meeting online? These factors impact the volume necessary to capture and hold attention. Most often, a middle-ground volume is best. Like Goldilocks, most people don’t want things too loud or too soft… it needs to be just right.
For example, if you speak too softly, people are more likely to talk over you. If you speak too loudly, people won’t pay attention to your words - only your volume. Practice speaking at a conversational volume, and observe how much more confident and sure of yourself you sound.
Pay attention to your cadence and tone
Similar to volume, the speed at which you communicate influences reception.
Speaking too quickly signals nervousness or impatience, which negatively impacts the power of your words. Also, use a steady inflection. If you raise your voice at the end of a sentence, it reads as a question, which alludes to uncertainty.
Instead, speak at a steady pace and utilize pauses to draw attention to the importance of your most recent statement. Use a neutral and positive tone when speaking to portray confidence and command attention.
Thoughtful word choice
Word choice also carries clues for how people will receive your message.
Don’t use filler words such as “um, uh, like, er,” etc. Filler words are widespread in speech, but they can minimize the impact of your statement. They show uncertainty in what you’re stating. If you’re speaking and being thoughtful about your delivery, simply pause instead of using a filler word. That will demonstrate mindfulness rather than hesitation. Better yet, practice what you want to say for clear delivery.
Avoid diminishing language such as “just,” “I feel” or “I think.” Also known as weak language, these words diminish your authority and confidence. If you don’t seem confident in what you’re saying, how can you expect someone else to?
Get in the habit of utilizing strong language to replace common diminishing phrases:
“I’m confident…”
“I’m optimistic…”
“I expect…”
(Photo by Shubham Dhage)
Communication goes beyond the words and tone you use.
Own your professional autonomy
It’s common to feel obligated to justify your decisions or over-explain your actions, especially to authority figures. However, owning your actions is important to project gravitas and command respect.
I used to be guilty of this, especially as I was still working on developing gravitas. When I did lots of on-site client work, one day, I had a ton to do that required uninterrupted focus. Unfortunately, the client’s office was often distracting and noisy. Luckily, my own office was only a few blocks away, so I headed there to complete my tasks.
The client CEO messaged me, asking where I was. I felt the urge to explain, in detail, why I decided to shift location. After typing out a whole message over-sharing my thought process, it ended up reading as asking for forgiveness. I didn’t need forgiveness; I had taken control to complete my work efficiently. I am an expert in this field and have professional autonomy. So, I deleted my long message and simply told her that I was in my office around the corner doing some heads-down work. She said, “Okay! See you later,” and that was the end of it. If I had maintained my assumption of her judgment (where none existed), I would have seriously undermined my authority and expertise.
Be direct, don’t assume judgment, and take ownership of your choices as a professional.
Mindful participation
We all know that coworker who speaks up in every meeting solely to say something, even if it doesn’t contribute meaningfully to the conversation.
To develop gravitas, be mindful of when and how you share your thoughts and ideas. It’s better to be the person who doesn’t speak often, but when they do, everyone listens rather than getting tuned out.
Show up as your best self (aka presentation)
Whether you’re working from home, in a corporate office, or in a casual work environment, show up as your best. Note, I’m not saying “dress professionally” because we all know that is often coded language for a wide array of -isms (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.)
Dress in a way that makes you feel like your most confident self. When you feel like a badass, you’ll be perceived as one. How we show up in the world tells others who we are and how to relate to us. Since gravitas is all about respect and interpersonal communication, having visual cues of how you want to be treated can go a long way.
Note you can dress casually and still project confidence and ease within yourself. Be intentional about it and carry yourself as if you’re on top of the world. And don’t apologize for your appearance - ever. It draws attention to your personally perceived flaws that likely would have escaped notice otherwise.
Some tips:
Feel put together. You don’t have to be dressed to the nines, just dress with intention. Wear what makes you feel confident in yourself, as how you feel has more impact on perception than how you look. People pick up on what you’re projecting.
Pay attention to your non-verbal communication:
Make eye contact, even on Zoom calls. People can absolutely tell when you are gossiping in the backchannel.
Have good posture (if you’re reading this hunched over your laptop: sit up, roll your shoulders back, and lift your chin up.)
When standing, ensure a confident stance with two feet planted firmly on the ground. You’re entitled to take up space.
Want to become a better communicator? Let’s chat!
