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Commanding Attention

Telling stories is no easy task, and telling good stories that people actually want to listen to is even more challenging. Throughout the course of taking MSLD 500 Leadership Communication I have learned many communication techniques, but what may end up being the most impactful is verbal communication and presenting. Most of the time in my career, I find myself speaking to people live, over zoom, or on the phone. It is more seldom that I am required to submit a written report.  

Image from: https://minutes.co/how-to-grab-an-audiences-attention/

It is easy to tell when I am telling a boring story. People lose eye contact with me. They look at the time, or they might even start scrolling on their phone for entertainment. Julian Treasures provided some excellent and useful information about telling stories “that people want to listen” to (QuickTalks, 2016). In his TEDTalk Treasures lists the seven deadly sins of speaking. They include gossip, judging, negativity, complaining, excuses, exaggeration, and dogmatism (QuickTalks, 2016). I know I’ve been guilty of almost all of them, but perhaps mainly exaggeration and complaining. In an effort to improve my communication, I intend to practice mindfulness about how I communicate. Treasures also made note that the timber, prosody, pitch, and volume used also affect how your communication is received (QuickTalks, 2016). These elements of speech McKay et al. (2009) called paralanguage and as discussed in previous assignments provide much of the meaning beyond the words being said. Seeing how these nuanced elements of verbal communication are conceptualized in different ways reinforces just how important tone of voice is in communicating.  

The excellent storyteller and comedian Kevin Hart masterfully ensures that he is commanding attention so that his stories achieve a maximum effect (Charisma on Command, 2016). If nobody is listening, why tell a story? Kevin Hart commands attention at every point in his storytelling including when interrupted and by fully committing to the story. When Hart begins telling a story he often does so using a signaling phrase. He will ask the audience to listen or ask permission to tell a story. Only once attention is secured will he proceed with his story (Charisma on Command, 2016). My intention is to take key points from both of these speakers and apply them to my presentations now and in the future. Not only during presentations but in conversations too! Mindfulness about when I have captured my audience’s attention, and what I speak about will make me a speaker that people want to listen to.    



References

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages The communication skills book. New Harbinger Publications.

Charisma on Command. (2016, February 22). 3 tips to instantly tell better stories [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vn_L4OPU_rg 

QuickTalks. (2016, May 18). Hot to speak so that people want to listen | Julian Treasures (Ted Talk summary) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dEkEAFaV818


 


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