The Secret to Being a Great Communicator

Humility is a trait that endears speakers to an audience.

On Saturday, in my golf club, the prizes for our Order of Merit competition were presented to the winners.

The winner of the men’s Order of Merit acceptance speech was an example of how to be modest while at the same time acknowledging his achievement of being the ‘best golfer’ in the club over the period of the competition from May to September.

The comments at our table were about how well he spoke, demonstrating humility while not downgrading the importance of the competition and his achievement.

This social occasion reminded me again of how necessary good communication skills are, no matter what the event, be it personal or business.

When an audience is listening to you speak, the qualities they like to see and hear are the following: humility, passion, excitement, honesty, truthfulness, encouraging – you can add your own qualities to this list, not forgetting humour most important in any situation.

This is what Rory McIlroy did in the interview after his final round in the Ryder Cup.

Sometimes it’s good to wear your heart on your sleeve. It relieves tension, endears you to others, who may have a view about you and who you are that is not true.

Open yourself up a little to people, let them see who you are, it can be a great help in building relationships and friendships.

Today is a day where my mind is being very reflective and possibly I am honestly speaking to myself about areas in which I need to improve.

Why not drop me a line telling me about the memorable speeches/talks that resonated with you.

P.S. Rory, having cleared the decks, went on to win again within a week or two.

By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie