As a proudly women-owned business, we understand the unique challenges that women encounter in the professional realm. And as experts in the field of leadership development, we understand few are more galvanizing – for women or men – than achieving clarity of communication.

There are many reasons we struggle with clear communication. For women, we have been socialized to be more nurturing and polite so we tend to use qualifiers, hedging language, or indirect speech, which can dilute message clarity. For any of us, lack of preparation, fear of judgment, lack of confidence and often, the sheer complexity of a topic can get in our way.

Yet, even with a general sense of communications overload, the onus is on the speaker to be clear in message to enable deliberate action from all those in the room. And it’s as simple as getting CLEAR with the Power of Three!

• C – Clarify Your Message: Identify no more than three key points you want to convey. Keep your message concise and focused to ensure your audience easily grasps the core ideas. Check out the “Three Word Exercise” tool in the next section for practical application.
• L – Lay Out Your Points Clearly: Articulate your key messages using straightforward language, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and providing clear examples or anecdotes to illustrate your points. Pay attention to tone, pace, and body language to enhance your effective messaging.
• E – Engage Your Audience: Actively involve your audience to foster understanding and connection. Encourage questions, seek feedback, and create an interactive dialogue to ensure everyone is on the same page. Engaging your audience not only reinforces clarity but also cultivates a collaborative atmosphere.
• A – Adapt to Your Audience: Tailor your communication approach to resonate with your audience’s preferences and needs. Whether addressing a diverse team or a specific stakeholder group, adapt your language, examples, and delivery style to ensure maximum impact and receptivity.
• R – Review the Results: You’ll know you were clear in your messaging if the action taken by your team matches what you believe you communicated. If the actions taken don’t match, this is a good time to re-evaluate how you presented the message and adjust as needed.  

Studies have shown that leaders who communicate clearly inspire trust, foster collaboration, and drive results. Clear communication isn’t just a skill; it’s a strategic imperative for those aspiring to lead with confidence and impact. So, get CLEAR with the power of no more than THREE key points to enhance your leadership effectiveness and pave the way for success in today’s competitive business environment.

TRY:

One way to practice getting CLEAR in your communication is the Three Word Exercise. Here’s how it works:

1. Identify the three key points you want to convey.
2. Challenge yourself to summarize each key point in 3 words.
3. Practice out loud until your messaging becomes second nature.

It’s as simple as getting CLEAR with the Power of Three! So be thinking of the next opportunity you have to deliver a clear and simple message and apply these tools. We’d love to hear from you about how these tools enabled action! Email us at info@lei-consulting.com.