Page 161 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

142 • CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization

Control your speaking voice. The smallest difference in inflection,
volume, or speed of talking causes people to think you are excited,
fatigued, mad, abrasive, or arrogant. One study found that women typi-
cally talk in a higher pitch with varying tones to boyfriends to express
affection but then use mannish vocal adjustments to sound powerful in
business. Some people recommend that you speak very quietly, almost at
a whisper, to force people to draw in to you to be heard. (I recommend
neither.)
To avoid sounding husky, harsh, honeyed, thunderous, mousy, or
shrill, use a pleasantly assertive, matter-of-fact, pass-the-salt tone at all
times. Say whatever you want to say without saying more than you want.

Use Short, Sharp Sentences

Go for the crispest, simplest, least elegant language possible in instruc-
tion, reaction, and direction. Precise language is more convincing than
hyperbole and more meaningful than clichés.
My son tells me he communicates through his tattoos. I tell him that
won’t work in the long run.

Use a one-syllable word instead of two or three syllables; use one
word instead of four or five. Write and talk with direct and clear-cut con-
versation; insist on getting to the heart of the problem. Be fresh, forth-
right, precise, concise, and when possible, funny. Even with a forceful
manner, you can still project warmth, depth, and a cool strength.

If the other person doesn’t understand you, it’s your fault.
Don’t just dispense data; make a connection with people through
material information, facts, and figures. Make complicated information
simple to understand for a diverse group (e.g., age, culture, experience,
education, etc.). An example of such a need can be seen in the creation
of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which went from
zero to 60,000 employees in four months, people drawn largely from the
military, law, dot-com companies, and Enron. Management strived for
the simplest, most direct, and understandable-by-all wording in every doc-
ument they produced.