It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

Over the last three decades, studies in acoustic science and the psychology of influential communication have continued to support the fact that it’s not what you say, but how you say it that determines if you will have the impact you desire.

As a potential candidate for a board seat, how do you nail your interviews?

Once you have a seat at the table, how do you have a voice at the table?

At a certain level, career milestones are no longer a differentiating factor. You need something to set you apart and leave a lasting impression. What does your voice say about you and what perceptions does it create in others?

You can be the most talented, intelligent, perfect person for the job. However, if you simply share this as information and fail to communicate in a way that actually gives a felt-sense-experience of those very attributes and assets you bring to the table, you will fall short and potentially miss out on opportunities.

Putting meaning into your message, by appropriately emphasizing certain words, will literally stimulate neuro-processes in the brain of your listener to establish trust, likability, buy-in, and retention.

Own your message, own your value and be intentional, without apology.

How to Own Your Message

If you don’t believe your message, no one else will. This is all about muscle-memory. Putting in the dedicated, focused time to practice your content—whether it be for an interview, presentation, or high-stakes conversation—will give you the foundation of skills you need to then be totally present for the exchange.

If you ever learned to play a sport or musical instrument, you can recall when you started and how awkward and unnatural things felt. But, with practice, what was not only once uncomfortable is now so powerful that it’s second nature and it allows you to be all that more proficient at your craft. Similar to an athlete or musician, practice can look very different than the real-life performance.

Intentional practice sets us up to be successful come game-time because we are ready, prepared, and available to be present to whatever may come. Set aside specific time to not only memorize your content but truly embody it. Practice in front of a mirror, walk around the house reciting it. Athena members can record themselves and send it to me for feedback.

Whatever you choose, give it intention. It is time well-spent that will have major ROI.