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Simple Communication Skills from a TED Talk

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Simple Communication Skills from a TED Talk

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" Take your science, subtract your bullet points and your jargon, divide by relevance, meaning share what's relevant to the audience, and multiply it by the passion that you have for this incredible work that you're doing, and that is going to equal incredible interactions that are full of understanding. "

- Melissa Marshall

The equation above is TED Talk speaker Melissa Marshall's method for teaching scientists how to communicate better. She offers simple communication skills that students studying engineering and science need to promote their work. Marshall's advice works effectively for scientist and presenters alike. Scientist often deliver presentations based on their research but may not realize not everyone in their audience can follow along. Improve your communication skills by following these guidelines by Marshall.

Timely Topics

The first tip Marshall offers to scientists is to explain why your work is relevant. Many people may not understand why all those hours spent in a lab are so important. So, come out and say it. This goes for your presentation as well. Your audience should know before they attend your presentation why it's timely and important. This begins with your presentation title. Craft a compelling title that intrigues your audience and reveals your topic. Learn how to write the best presentation title with these posts:
The 5 Elements of a Perfect Presentation Title Types of Presentation Titles to Attract a Larger Audience Fast Template Tips: Creating a Unique Title
Simple Language

Part two of Marshall's communication skills focuses on the language. She says to avoid using jargon and make the message easier to understand for all audiences. "Making your ideas accessible is not the same as dumbing it down," Marshall says, "Instead, as Einstein said, make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler. You can clearly communicate your science without compromising the ideas." Marshall instead says forget the jargon and tell a story to create a connection with your listeners. Presenters need to include this tip in their communication skills.

Simple language will make you sound smarter. Some of the best speeches are written at a 5th grade reading level. Speakers do this to reach a wider audience. Using jargon will lose your audience's attention and interest. To edit your presentation content with the help of these posts:
Your Presentation Should Be Simple - Not Simplistic Simplify Your Language to Sound Smarter in Presentations. Here's Why. The Complete Guide to Editing Presentation Content
One Main Idea

One of the most essential communication skills is sticking to one main idea. Overloading an audience with too much information leads to nowhere. Marshall expresses the same frustration we feel when it comes to bullet points. Just don't use them in your presentation. Instead, use one main idea per slide to ensure your message comes through to your audience. Bullet points kill presentations for every speaker. Check out these better alternative in these posts:
How to Avoid Using Bullet Points A Simple Alternative to Bullet Points Why Bullet Points Kill Presentations
A relevant topic, simple language and clear ideas are all effective elements of an impactful presentation. If you are looking for more ways to improve your communication skills, download our free ebook Signals. This ebook will give you an indepth look at understanding your audience and improving your message. Combine all these resources to become an empower presenter.

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Simple Communication Skills from a TED Talk | Ethos3

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" Take your science, subtract your bullet points and your jargon, divide by relevance, meaning share what's relevant to the audience, and multiply it by the passion that you have for this incredible work that you're doing, and that is going to equal incredible interactions that are full of understanding.

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Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation | TED Talk

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When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations -- and that most of us don’t converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. “Go out, talk to people, listen to people,” she says. “And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed.”

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11 TED Talks on Effective Communication in the Workplace

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11 TED Talks on Effective Communication in the Workplace

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If you are part of management in your organization, then you know the importance of effective communication in the workplace. Learning how to lead and communicate is a conscious effort that must be learned consistently. No matter what type of internal communications software you use, there's still plenty to learn about communicating effectively with your employees.

TED Talks is an amazing platform to learn how to improve communication in the workplace. These talks spread the force of good and learning in the world. With over thousands of speakers sharing ideas to improve humanity, it might be tough to sift through all of them to learn how to communicate better. After sifting through tons of talks, we've narrowed the, down based on their potential to help you communicate better at work.

Below are 11 TED talks that can help you master the art of communication and leadership.

1. Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Using examples from some of the most popular brands and people, Simon Sinek reveals how great leaders think, act, and communicate. Using "The Golden Circle" Sinek shows why some leaders are able to inspire while others fail to do that.
What drives behavior? Do people buy what you believe or why you believe?
By asking why, how, and what questions, Sinek shows why people buy, accept, and follow ideas.
http://go.ted.com/YxD
2. Seth Godin: How to Get Your Ideas to Spread

People who can spread ideas and know how to do it properly, win. To make this happen, Seth Godin shows how to cause the change you want to see by getting your ideas to spread. With way more choices and too little time, people have learned to ignore all of the marketing and communication messages companies are pushing out into the world.
What determines which idea spread? How do you find a group that truly cares for what you have to say?
Godin answers the above questions in this captivating talk.
http://go.ted.com/YxB
3. Drew Dudley: Everyday Leadership

In this 6-minute talk, Drew Dudley gives a funny talk on what it takes to become an influential leader. Dudley talks of that "lollipop moment" where leaders make a powerful impression on people without knowing it. He admonishes leaders to realize how impactful their role can be.
http://go.ted.com/Yxx
4. Roselinde Torres: What It Takes to be a Great Leader

With her 25 years of experience observing what makes truly great leaders, Roselinde offers her insight into leadership preparations. In this talk she discusses why leadership gaps are widening and what successful leaders are doing today.

Roselinde distills the characteristics of leaders and preparation practices that enable people to grow to their full potential.
http://go.ted.com/Yx4
5. Seth Godin: The Tribes We Lead

Tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big permanent changes. Seth Godin talks about creating and growing an idea. According to Seth, we are living at a time when making a change has changed and it is happening through leadership. He also talks of the importance of true believers in helping create a movement.

Seth Godin argues against mass marketing since it requires average ideas. He advocates for the idea of tribes -- leading and connecting people with ideas.

Using his funny approach in explaining ideas, Seth will keep you glued throughout this 17-minute TED talk.
http://go.ted.com/Yxa
6. Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation

A former speechwriter for Al Gore and trained lawyer, Dan Pink makes an evidence-based case on how organizations should run their businesses. How should businesses motivate people? Do incentives sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity? How should organizations make their decisions about talent and people? How do you get high performance on 21 st Century definitional tasks?

Dan gives examples of how enticing people with a sweeter carrot or threatening them with a sharper stick may motivate or demotivate based on the tasks at hand. He also highlights 3 building blocks for today's businesses.
http://go.ted.com/YxE
7. Itay Talgam - Lead Like the Great Conductors

Italy Talgam demonstrates how to create harmony without saying a word. As an orchestra conductor, Talgam gives an animated funny talk and demonstrates how different orchestra conductors lead their orchestras. He offers a wide selection of conductors each with his different style and approach to leading an orchestra.

Talgam breaks down and breathes life to each conductor's approach to music and beautifully relates it to leadership. Use this as a communication tool. You are going to want to watch this talk again and again to grasp the idea he brings out of ' doing without doing.'
http://go.ted.com/YxV
8. David Logan: Tribal Leadership
What makes tribes different and how can one nudge tribes forward?
Logan reviews different stages of tribes and how a uniting characteristic can create a tribe that is aware of its own existence. He highlights a number of companies and organizations in each of the five stages of leadership and how to move a stage up.

In this captivating talk, David shows how great leaders connect people who don't know each other to something new.
http://go.ted.com/Yx8
9. Fields Wicker-Miurin: Learning from Leadership's Missing Manual
Is there a user's manual for leadership?
Wicker-Miurin tells stories of leadership that are of value to anybody looking to learn how to be an effective leader. Wicker teaches 3 models of leadership by showcasing 3 stories of leaders from across the world.

Her talk is very insightful on what it takes to change the world and how to do it. The awareness that a leader is part of a whole comes up consistently throughout the talk.
http://go.ted.com/YxS
10. Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement

Using a short clip, Derek Sivers break down the process of how a movement gets started. Having the courage to show others how to follow is the key to being a great leader as it is well demonstrated in this amazing 3-minute TED talk.

It's amazing how many things we can learn about leadership from this short talk.
http://go.ted.com/Yxh
11. Simon Sinek: How Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe
Where do good leaders come from? What role does the environment play in this? How can leaders create a safe environment that that would make their employees trust them?
Simon Sinek gives a captivating talk on the above subject and answers the above questions with a focus on leadership.
http://go.ted.com/Yxq

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11 TED Talks on Effective Communication in the Workplace

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If you are part of management in your organization, then you know the importance of effective communication in the workplace. Learning how to lead and communicate is a conscious effort that must be learned consistently. No matter what type of internal communications software you use, there's still plenty to learn about communicating effectively with your employees.

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Utilizing Culture to Improve Communication andSchool Involvement with Parents from DiverseBackgrounds as a Means to Improve StudentAchievements Levels in the United States

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Utilizing Culture to Improve Communication andSchool Involvement with Parents from DiverseBackgrounds as a Means to Improve StudentAchievements Levels in the United States

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The Importance of Effective Communication and What It Means for NHCS

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The Importance of Effective Communication and What It Means for NHCS

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Transforming Your School with Digital Communication

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Transforming Your School with Digital Communication

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Tell Me About … / Good Ways to Communicate with Teachers

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Tell Me About … / Good Ways to Communicate with Teachers

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6 Communication Skills That Will Make You a Better Leader

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6 Communication Skills That Will Make You a Better Leader

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Whether you manage employees, coordinate a team of volunteers, serve on a board or are in charge of juggling your family's schedule every day, your leadership skills hinge on your ability to communicate effectively with others. Here are six communication skills that will make you a better leader, improve your relationships with other people and boost your team's (or family's) productivity and morale.

Related: 8 Ways to Master the Art of Communication

1. Know yourself.

All good communication starts from a place of self-awareness. When you're communicating with other people, you need to be aware of your inner monologue so you don't end up taking out a bad mood on someone else, assuming the other person can read your mind, being discriminatory, appearing unconfident and so on. It's also important to know what you're hoping to achieve from a given interaction so you can tailor your message accordingly.

2. Know your audience.

The best communication arises out of understanding whomever you're speaking to. Knowing your audience's motivations, preferred communication styles, learning styles, etc., allows you to adapt your message and increase the odds of effective communication. Making a personal connection facilitates empathy, puts people at ease and builds trust. (Just one caveat: In order to be effective, personal connections need to be genuine, not exploitative.)

3. Be direct, specific and clear.

Clear-cut communication increases the likelihood that people will comprehend and take action on whatever you're asking from them. It's better to over-explain something than to leave room for misunderstanding.

Whenever you're delivering an assignment or asking for assistance from someone, focus on providing simple, actionable and specific instructions. It's helpful to prepare your thoughts in advance so you include all the relevant details. Don't end a conversation until you're sure the other person understands your objectives and how to achieve them. Deliver these instructions in a friendly, open way so the other person knows they can approach you with follow-up questions.

4. Pay attention to nonverbal communication.

Plenty of research suggests nonverbal communication is just as important as what a person says-maybe even more. Facial expressions, hand gestures, posture and eye contact all play a major role in affirming or undermining your message.

Whenever you're talking with someone, practice being aware of your own body language and the body language of whomever you're speaking to. In particular, pay attention to whether your body language aligns with what you're saying-this will help you be a more trustworthy communicator and can help you seem more self-assured.

5. Listen more than you speak.

One of the best ways to encourage open and honest communication within a group is to model active listening. When someone is speaking to you, really listen to what they're saying. Ask follow-up questions to demonstrate that you're paying attention and to make sure there are no miscommunications. Keep an open mind and focus on thoughtfully responding to what they say instead of kneejerk reacting to it. This practice builds rapport and understanding between the communicating parties.

6. Be positive and respectful.

This one should go without saying, but sadly that's not always the case. Prioritizing transparent, fair and respectful communication within a group is one of the best strategies for cultivating loyalty and boosting the team's performance. Don't hold your status over other people or use coercion or fear as motivators. Instead, focus on bringing an honest, positive and ego-less attitude to every situation that arises. Serving as a cheerleader instead of an autocrat helps maintain morale and can even facilitate creativity and effective problem solving.

Each of these communication skills represents an ongoing practice. You won't master them in a day or even a year. Instead, you'll need to commit to practicing these strategies for life. The more you implement these skills, the more they'll start to feel like second nature-and the more your leadership abilities will benefit.

Related: 13 Communication Mistakes Leaders Make

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6 Communication Skills That Will Make You a Better Leader

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Whether you manage employees, coordinate a team of volunteers, serve on a board or are in charge of juggling your family's schedule every day, your leadership skills hinge on your ability to communicate effectively with others. Here are six communication skills that will make you a better leader, improve your relationships with other people and boost your team's (or family's) productivity and morale.

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Leaders should always practice effective communication.

business colleagues preparing for business meeting image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com

Effective leadership in a small business requires knowing how to communicate with all elements of the organization, including employees, managers, customers and investors. Each group may require a different communication style and leadership style. Leaders must be able to adapt based on the group they are communicating with at the time. Effective communication skills are an important aspect of any leader's portfolio of skills and experience.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Verbal communication is the most obvious form of communication. However, research has shown people pay much less attention to the words that are said and much more attention to the actions and nonverbal cues that accompany those words. Nonverbal cues include facial expressions, use of hand motions, body posture and eye movements. Leaders should strive to always match their nonverbal cues to their words; when they do so, they are more believable and trustworthy.

Adapting Styles

A good leader adapts his communication style depending on his audience. When speaking to employees, he may need to have a much more directive style than when he is delivering a presentation to the community or speaking to customers. Leaders should identify the audience and their characteristics and interests, then adjust their communication style based on what the audience needs and what will encouage them to react to meet the goals of the communication. Throughout the course of a day, the leader may have to switch between an authoritative style with employees and an inspiring style with stockholders.

Listening

An important aspect of communication is the ability to listen. Active listening should always be a goal, with the leader focusing on both the verbal and nonverbal language of the speaker. Active listening involves concentrating only on the speaker and ignoring outside interruptions, including the listener's own wandering thoughts or possible responses. Active listeners also refrain from interrupting, give the speaker time to finish, show they are listening by doing things like nodding or smiling, and reflect or paraphrase back to verify their understanding.

Setting an Example

Leaders and business managers should realize employees will look to them as a model of how they should behave under certain circumstances. Employees tend to emulate how they see leaders acting and communicating. If employees see a leader using an active listening style and empathetic tone with customers, they are more likely to do the same. When leaders are open to the ideas of others and praise often, employees will tend to follow suit. When speaking, leaders should consider whether they would want their employees to speak in the same way to the same audience. If not, the leader should adjust his communication style.

Improving Communication Skills

Effective communication skills do not come naturally for most people. Many people, including business leaders and managers, need to practice repeatedly in order to improve their skills. In addition to practicing, leaders should consider classes or training that will help them communicate effectively. With the tool known as 360-degree evaluation, every person in the organization is evaluated by one or more superiors, colleagues and employees. Leaders can participate in 360-degree evaluations both to serve as an example for employees and to identify whether their communication skills need improvement.

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Effective leadership in a small business requires knowing how to communicate with all elements of the organization, including employees, managers, customers and investors. Each group may require a different communication style and leadership style. Leaders must be able to adapt based on the group they are communicating with at the time.

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10 Communication Secrets Of Great Leaders

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10 Communication Secrets Of Great Leaders

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