Key notes: You are your most effective message

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—There's something to be said about knowing who you are and where you fit.

And that's what Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum is designed to do. Hosted Nov. 14-15 in Nashville by Rubber News and Plastics News, the event is designed to give professional women the chance to come together, network, learn and grow. And the program this year was built around the theme of finding your voice.

Throughout the two-day event, women from across the industry shared insights and inspiration to help those attending better understand how they can best achieve their goals while effectively communicating as leaders.

Kristin Kelley, head of corporate marketing and communications for Amcor Rigid Packaging, kicked off the second day of the event with a keynote presentation that challenged attendees to not only find their voice, but find the most effective way to use it.

Here are four key notes from her presentation.

The things we say—and the words we choose to express ourselves—matter. But our message is bigger than our words.

More precisely, we are our messages. It's in the way we carry ourselves, the way we dress, the tone we use, the inflection of our voices and the mannerisms we innately lean into. This is true of the way we conduct ourselves in our professional and personal settings every day. But it's also true about the formal presentations we may give or pitches we make.

"A lot of times we think about: I have a presentation, let me get my slides ready (and) let me figure out the words I'm going to say, which, yes, is part of it," Kelley said. "But let me get it in your head that you are not just the messenger, you are the message."

When we can learn to frame our communications around the idea that we—not our words only—are the message, we can begin to become more effective communicators.

So how much do our words matter? Plenty.

But you may be surprised just how much.

Ultimately, Kelley said, we communicate in three ways: through verbal language, speech (think voice inflection or tone) and through visual language.

"And they aren't all equal in terms of the impact," Kelley said.

When broken down, our visual language—posture, body language, clothes we wear—accounts for about 50 percent of the way our message is perceived. Our speech accounts for about 40 percent and the words we choose to say account for about 10 percent.

"What I don't want to leave you with, though, is that verbal doesn't matter," Kelley said. "You have to have your knowledge. You can't go up there and totally bomb it. There is a level of competency that is going to be expected of you … (and) you better know your stuff.

"The words we choose, how we put our words together—our verbal language (creates) impactful meaning," Kelley said. "The appropriateness of our word, how we craft them to make maximum impact is really important."

When we understand how much of our message is perceived through our speech and visual language, it allows us to better prepare to effectively communicate the broader message. This understanding allows us to take our know-how and add the confidence, mannerisms and tones that will best convey what we know we know.

"How we think about our performance is really important," Kelley said.

Knowing our messages are wrapped up so tightly in how we present ourselves visually and auditorily, puts more weight behind the oldest adages: Walk the walk or lead by example.

As leaders, it's critical to think about the actions we go through every day. Are they in line with our or our company's vision?

Sometimes, Kelley said, the best course of action is model the goals and expectations before articulating them to your team.

Be the example. Do the work.

"A lot of times, leaders say 'we are going do this or we are going to be this—here is what we are going to be in the marketplace'—before they take the appropriate actions," Kelley said. "Sometimes our 'say' gets ahead of our 'do.' Like, just trust me, it is going to work out. And people have a hard time following that.

"I counsel leaders to lead with the 'do' before the 'say.' And when you start to do that, you've already got equity in the bank," Kelley said. "So by the time you come out with the 'say,' people think: OK that feels right because I have already seen actions consistent with that."

Effective communicators know their greatest strengths and their greatest challenges. And one of the best ways to harness your potential as a communicator is to pinpoint your communication style.

Generally, Kelley said, there four communication styles:

• Analytical—Facts and data matter most to them, they are task-oriented, slower to move and make decisions. They often lean back while talking, control their facial expressions and keep indirect contact.
• Driver—They also lean into facts and data, while focusing on the tasks at hand. They tend to speak louder with more monotone and move quickly forward. They tend to lean forward to make points, keep eye contact and control facial expressions.
• Amiable—Speaking up may not be their thing, but they have plenty of ideas to share. They share ideas and opinions through stories and often focus on others. They tend to lean back while talking, keep indirect eye contact and a casual posture with animated expressions.
• Expressive—When they speak, they speak up and do so with inflection. They focus on people, share opinions and use stories to convey their messages. They tend to lean forward, make eye contact and hold a casual posture with animated expressions.

When we understand our communication style, we can work to leverage our strengths to more effectively communicate because we understand how we are perceived.

"A really big factor in how effective we are is what we say. How we appear and how we sound has a very profound impact on how we are received by others," Kelley said. "If you use it right, you have a tremendous impact on how you were received and how your message is received. This is not to be underestimated."

At the same time, understanding communication styles allows us to adapt our messaging to best communicate with those who exhibit other communication styles.

"There are some verbal clues that allow you to understand what kind of person you are interacting with," Kelley said. "You want to know how best to adjust your style or content to influence (their) style."