Authority and Competence - why you like to convey it when you speak
Posted by: Claudia Raab in New Public Speaking on
Feb 16, 2009
Each year the "Harvard Business Review" publishes a list of Breakthrough Ideas, ideas - or "cool new thinking" as HBR calls it, that are most useful for business, companies or individuals for achieve new succes in the year to come.
This year's list, that has just been made available in the magazine's February edition, features a couple of ideas that are of strong interest and benefit for you if you thought about acquiring new communication and public speaking skills.
They'll prove to you how important communication and public speaking skills are for you if you want to move on in your career and achieve new and better results. Let's take Amy J.C. Cuddy's contribution with the catchy title "Just because I'm nice, don't assume I'm dumb, for example.
Recent psychological research involving thousands of people from 24 nations show that when we meet some one for the first time within seconds we run two questions about these people through our brain: "What are this person's intention towards me?" and "Is this person capable of acting on those intentions?"
The criteria we apply are totally intuitive, so the our first impression of a new person may be right or wrong, but our snap judgement about the person warmth and competence are burned into our mind.
The interesting thing about the research results are, so Amy J.C. Cuddy, who has undertaken studies in that area herself: "People tend to see warmth and competence as inversely related. If there's an apparent surplus of one trait, they infer a deficit of the other. ("She's so sweet ... She'd probably be inept in the boardroom.")"
Of course, we all know that warmth and competence aren't mutually exvlusive. However, we also know how hard it is to fight stereotypes. Don't we?
One succesful way to do show that you can be warm (which basically means you are sociably very competent) and competent (technically wise) at the same time, is to be utterly clear and precise in your language. Ask yourself whether the way you speak, talk and present reflects your professional expertise and a certain and imparative degree of authority. Are you as eloquent as you should be for the job level you are aiming at. Are you able to communicate to your peers, people you supervise and your superior clearly and competently so they recognize your potential.
If there's any doubt, get help. We are happy to give you more information about to speak and present wit authority and competence. Simply call Claudia on 0425 785 143 or email celine.dubois@raabconsulting.com.