👋 Hey, it’s John and Scott. Welcome to our weekly newsletter for leaders who want to master communication, drawn from 20+ years of public speaking, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership.
Read time: 2 minutes
I used to think communication was the effective transmission of information. But I was wrong.
In his book Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, Matthew Lieberman writes:
“To the extent that we can characterize evolution as designing our modern brains, this is what our brains were wired for: reaching out to and interacting with others.”
Our need for social connection is deeply rooted in our biology, and words are the most significant medium through which this connection occurs.
Think about this: the origins of the word "communicate" are found in the words “common” and “community.”
Communication is the connective tissue that binds people together. Your words create a powerful shared reality between you and others.
While that may seem like common sense, many people default to merely transmitting information in their presentations and putting their audiences to sleep.
Next time you present, use these four strategies to move from transmission to connection:
Story — Reframe your content as a narrative journey. Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain encodes memories through narrative more than facts. When you tell a story, your audience’s brains light up, make associations, generate emotion, and create memories.
Authenticity — Don’t fake it. Communication is a means of connection, but trust is the mechanism for connection. If an audience or teammate can’t access who you really are, they are less likely to trust you and less likely to connect.
Clarity—Confusion kills. If your audience can’t follow along, they’ll mentally disconnect. To create clarity as a speaker, practice the three Cs: concise, concrete, and cohesive.
Empathy — Understand your audience. Speak to their hopes, pain, needs, fears, or desires. Make them the hero.
We’ll cover these strategies more in future newsletters. Until then, use them in your next presentation, team meeting, or investor pitch, and let us know if your audience feels more connected to your content.
Thank you for reading, and see you next week!
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Thanks,
John and Scott