Four Communication Resolutions to Make '24 the Best Year Yet
By Christina McKenna
Ready, set, go!
Now that we’ve made it through the season of gifting and getting, eating, and drinking, and hosting and toasting, it’s time to get down to work, folks, making 2024 the best year yet.
Whether you’re a CEO striving to become a more impactful leader or a rising star trying to raise your own profile, resolve to become a better communicator in 2024. After all, no matter your role, age, or industry–engaging, inspiring, and influencing stakeholders is always an essential skill.
Here are four surefire communications resolutions to help you drive results in 2024:
Resolve to never speak without first identifying your goal. Before every speaking opportunity, be it a TED talk, a presentation, or a critical conversation, take a moment to first consider the outcome you’re hoping to achieve. In fact, this should be the first step in your preparation process and one you take BEFORE creating slides and crafting talking points. If you don’t identify the outcome you want, there’s little chance you’ll get one you like.
Resolve to stop sending slides to do a speaker’s job. Remember, whether it’s a presentation, town hall, speech, or employee video, the magic happens between the speaker and the audience---not the slides and the audience! It’s fine to rely (a bit) on slides to help make your key points. But changing minds, or hearts, or lives? That’s on you, the speaker!
Resolve to rehearse. If you’re like most people, the first time you rehearse you’re probably awful. That’s OK. You’re working out the flaws. Rehearse again and you’ll start improving. Do it yet again and you may make a change that significantly improves your performance. Best of all, when it’s go-time, you’ll worry less about your content and be able to focus on engaging your audience and getting results.
Resolve to ask for help if you need it. At Bluestone, our client roster is filled with professionals who are brilliant business leaders, innovators, and leaders ---but not natural communicators. Serious professionals know they can’t afford to be mediocre in this realm. Whether it’s with one-on-one or group coaching at Bluestone, or within the ranks of your own organization, if you lack front-of-the-room skill and confidence, ask for help. It just might be the difference that makes 2024 the best year yet.
Give it a try and let us know if it works for you or if something else has worked better. For more great ideas and tips for rock solid communication, visit us at bluestoneexec.com.