How To Maximize Communications Energy

How To Maximize Communications Energy

Great communicators can maximize their communications energy. You may have an important message to give, but the impact will get lost if you don't bring the right energy. People can feel the energy you bring.

When you have strong communications energy, people will be drawn to you and your message.

If you want your message to impact the audience, you have to maximize your communications energy. This means being intentional about bringing energy to your communications. Below are three strategies to help you learn how to do this.

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1. Tone Of Voice

One way to maximize your communications energy is to focus on your tone of voice. Your tone can bring energy to your message. There are several ways you can use your tone of voice to maximize your communications energy.

Consider the following:

• Speak from your stomach - Speaking from your stomach is one way to bring more energy to your communications. To speak from your stomach, you need to breathe more deeply through your stomach and project from there. For example, when you take a short breath from the top of your chest, you don't have a lot of air to support a deep resonating sound. On the other hand, when you take a deep breath from your stomach, you have enough air to really project your words. Speaking from your stomach, or using your stomach voice, will allow you to bring more energy to your message.
• Use Inflection - Using inflection is a great way to add energy to your message. Inflection also makes your message more exciting to hear. One way to use inflection is to emphasize specific words. You can do this by punching up your message. For example, consider the two examples below; the bolded and italicized words should be emphasized for maximum impact.

"Did you know, our department was the only department to meet their quarter three goals this year? Yes, we are on track to break another record."

"Did you know, our department was the only department to meet their quarter three goals this year? Yes, we are on track to break another record."

In the first example, the bolded and italicized words make the message more exciting. In the second example, there is no inflection. While you still got your message across, it wasn't as exciting or interesting to your audience.

• Vary Your Pace - Differentiating your pace can help you bring more energy to your message. For example, if you want people to stop and pay attention, you may want to speak more slowly, giving each word you say a moment of pause. This is a technique many TED talk presenters use. They will often say a phrase very slowly and emphasize each word. On the other hand, if you quicken your pace, you build excitement. This is similar to how many classical music pieces were written. A crescendo follows a quickening of pace. Pay attention to how varying your pace can maximize your communications energy.

Using your stomach voice, varying your pace, and using inflection will help bring energy to your message. 

 

2. Body Language

Your body language can help you maximize your communications energy. You've probably experienced a time when someone very charismatic entered the room.  This person probably didn't even speak, but you could feel their energy. This is someone using body language energy. You need to focus on your facial expressions, eye contact, and gestures to do this.

Consider the following:

• Facial Expressions - When delivering your message, whether in a conversation or in front of a crowd, your facial expressions can boost the energy behind the message. For example, one of the easiest ways to bring more energy to your message is to smile.  Smiling can help your audience interpret your message the way you intended. Other facial expressions can also bring energy and clarity to your message. You can furrow your brow, roll your eyes, purse your lips, or raise your eyebrows. These facial expressions bring energy to your message, and make your message more interesting.
• Eye Contact - Looking at people will bring more energy to your message. This is because, eye contact engages other people. When others engage with your message, you can feed off their energy, giving you more energy. For example, have you ever given a presentation and the audience seems completely uninterested? It can be hard to ramp up your energy when this happens because you are getting nothing from your audience. On the other hand, when the audience is fully engaged with you, it is much easier to bring more energy to your message because you can use the audience's energy to your advantage. Make sure you are engaging your audience.
• Gestures - Gestures are an excellent way to bring energy to your message. For example, using your hands to emphasize points can maximize your communications energy. If you tell a story about a large problem your department faced, use your arms to illustrate how large the problem was. The gestures you use can help you paint a picture for your audience. When you do this, you increase your energy and use it to convey your message more effectively. 

Using body language to convey your message will maximize the energy you bring to the message.

 

3. Be Present

For you to maximize your communications energy, you have to be present. Remember, communications is a two-way street. The way you engage with another person while they are speaking will also require you to bring energy. This means actively listening, acknowledging others, and avoiding any distractions. 

Consider the following:

• Practice Active Listening - If you want to bring communication energy to a conversation, you must practice active listening. This means responding to the person who is speaking. For example, one way to do this is to nod your head. Nodding your head shows you are paying attention. You can also use small reaction phrases to show you are following along. As someone speaks, you can say something like, "Oh, wow," or "Uh-huh." These phrases let the speaker know you are actively listening.
• Acknowledge Others - Another way to show you are present is to acknowledge others. You can do this when you are listening and when you are speaking. For example, one way to acknowledge someone else when speaking is to say their name. You can say something like, "The project went really. Mark, you were pivotal in making sure things ran smoothly."  Saying someone's name acknowledges and engages them. When you are listening, you can acknowledge the other person by responding. For example, when the person has finished speaking, you can say something like, "What I think you meant when you said the project deadline has changed is XYZ," Or you can respond by saying something like, "What I heard you say is XYZ, is that correct?" When you acknowledge others, you show you are being present.
• Avoid Distractions - Distractions can take you out of the moment and decrease your communications energy. This is because when you are distracted, you cannot actively listen. For example, checking your phone when someone else is speaking, or clicking on internet tabs while in a virtual meeting, are both distractions that take your energy out of the conversation. To be present, you have to focus on the person who is speaking. Avoid doing anything distracting while someone else is speaking.

Being present will help you stay in the moment during a conversation. You will be able to bring your communications energy when someone else is speaking. 

When you maximize your communications energy, your message becomes clear and more interesting to the audience. Focus on your tone of voice, gestures, and being present.

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