COMMUNICATION
EFFECTIVENESS:
TRUST THE
RIPPLE EFFECT
Hilary Blair will be presenting at
the 2017 Education Conference
by Hilary Blair
C
hoose one thing. In order to be more
effective, authentic, and aligned,
choose one simple adjustment, new
practice or habit to create or replace.
Consistently practice this one simple adjustment,
and then let the ripple effect work its magic.
Adjust your posture. Stand up tall. You are
perceived to be more confident. You feel more
confident. When you feel more confident, you
communicate more clearly and with more author-
ity. Physically, when you are sitting upright your
voice works more efficiently, which in turn often
comes across as more authentic. When people
respond to your authority and authenticity then
you feel respected… and you feel more confident.
You are perceived and received as more competent.
You relax and you breathe more deeply. Your ideas
flow more clearly. They love the idea. They have
confidence in you. You
smile. They believe in
you more and you re-
ceive a promotion.
For the insertion of good posture, a promotion
was had!
Trust the ripple effect; The chain reaction; The
snowball effect or the butterfly effect…when a
slight adjustment has a greater impact than we
could have imagined.
The ripple effect, for good or bad, for better
or for worse*, of our voice, non-verbals and mes-
sage is extremely profound. It ripples out into
how we feel, how we are perceived, and thus how
others feel about us. It’s a volley back and forth,
building up and up – from your action to their
perception, resulting in their action, and your
perception into your next action.
So don't think you're doing too little, or not
enough. If you adjust one thing the chain reaction
will impact all of your communication and
your executive presence.
So make that first step. Don't think
you have 10 things to
work on. Choose
one thing and let
it ripple out.
» »
Adjust
your posture to
be open and
upright
» » Use affirming language – practice “YES And”
» » Let your full voice be heard
» » Stand
» » Smile
*Warning: The ripple effect works in both
directions and you can end up devolving a fabulous
first impression.
Poor posture, lacking eye contact, or a tight
voice and the resulting rippling story can lead to
us being unheard and assumed unavailable – and
even incompetent.
If I don't make eye contact, inside I feel safer
but also disconnected. When I feel disconnected,
I feel distant and not a part of the group. And I
may not deliver my message in a way that can be
heard. Then I feel like I've miscommunicated, I
feel misunderstood, isolated and on and on. On
the receiving end, if I didn't make eye contact,
they think I'm rude. I lose the connection and the
opportunity!
Hilary Blair is a presentation and speaking voice expert
and is the CEO & Lead Coach at ARTiculate: Real &
Clear | www.articulaterc.com
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APRIL 2017 • TRENDS | 33