This previous post got the conversation started on the new reality of communicating in the 21st century. Now let's look at research that supports how communication is changing because of the way our brains are being rewired.
Research shows that 10 years ago, a person's attention span was on average 12 minutes long and now, attention spans are only 5 seconds long! Other interesting stats highlighted in the Infographic "How Social Media is Ruining our Minds:"
The average office worker checks their email inbox 30-40 times an hour which equates to nearly every 1.5 minutes
25% of people surveyed forgot names of close friends and even relatives and 7% forgot their own birthdays from time-to-time
A ULCA Study showed that just 5 hours of internet surfing can change the way our brains work
This article also highlights that our brains are being rewired to the point that some brains now compare to the brains of those who have addictions. We experience symptoms like anxiety over FOMO (fear of missing out.. it really is a diagnosed symptom now!); we have phantom vibration syndrome because of our phones; we can't sleep; we can't remember things nearly as well as we used too; and we have worse impulse control than ever before.
And while research actually supports that internet can boost brain function it is of course important to remember... all in moderation. It is important as a communicator (using your passionate voice to influence those around you!) to recognize just how much our brains have changed due to technology. Because communicating in today's world is different than it was 10 years ago, knowing this can be very powerful knowledge in helping you re-adjust your communication techniques when approaching people and situations.
How much do you think your brain has changed due to use of technology?
Do you speak and use words to string together sentences? If you said yes, then you are a communicator.
You don't have to do communications for a living or be a communications specialist to officially be a communicator. Every human who speaks, uses hand signals or body language gestures is communicating in one way or another.
So why should everyone care about HOW they communicate?
Because it speaks VOLUMES about who you are. As a leader. As a Manager. As a volunteer. As a significant other in a relationship. As a friend. Really, as a person. Speaking-- the art of not only WHAT you say but HOW you say it defines who you are.
When giving workshops and presentations, I always remind people that communication is THE most important skill we will use as human beings while on earth. If you can't get an idea expressed clearly and concisely to those you are talking too, then how can you get anything done or simply have anyone understand you?
What is hard teaching people of different generations on how to communicate is that each generation has their own style of speaking and "language" and what is acceptable. Speaking in abbreviations, for example, was not common for baby boomers but has become 'the norm' and acceptable for people belonging to Generation Y.
The reality is we are experiencing a time in society where many generations of people are communicating in very different styles and all at the same time. With the introduction of internet and social media, it is simply changing the way our brains are wired. How we understand and process information and then communicate it outward is simply different than previous generations.
More to come on the science of how our brains are actually being rewired and some techniques on how to combat this reality on the new way of communicating.
We all get caught up with the day-to-day activities of our jobs and of course, the busyness of a little thing called LIFE. Because of this, we often forget to take the time needed to "self-evaluate" or do "personal inventory" as leaders or managers in both our professional and personal lives to see what type of progress we're making; change we're helping to create; or impact we're having.
Once in a while, taking stock of what you know; what you need to know; and reaching out to those resources/people around you who can help you "grow" as a person/leader is very rewarding.
One of those enriching-type of "self-evalution"events I am happy to attend every year is Leadercast which is a live leadership event held every May in Atlanta, Georgia. It is also offered via live telecast to over 1,500 cities/towns around the world in 22 countries. The one-day event aims to "facilitate the largest convergence of leaders in the world by creating an epic leadership experience."
This year's line-up of speakers did not disappoint and all revolved their messages around the 2014 theme of "Beyond You" Leadership. Below, I provide 2 key take-aways from each speaker that spoke at the recent event on May 9th. My hopes is that you will take some of these profound messages away like I did and begin to subtly and surely implement these in your everyday life. Personally, a take-away message from Malcolm Gladwell that resonated with me the most of course from The Passionate Voice perspective is this following quote:
The power of saying "You Decide" as a Leader/Manager is extremely empowering to those around you. Say it to your employees; empower them; and back them up!
If leadership isn't all about you, it will live beyond you.
As a leader, you are like a "boat" that leaves a wake. The wake, a pattern generated by a boat, is two-sided and in leadership your wake is two-sided as well. Its all about: results and influence.
People are always judging you (as a leader) if they are for you or against you (its just human nature to do this). Make sure people understand you so they can accurately decide that they are for you and your cause/vision as a leader.
When you can think of something greater than yourself and don't worry about the outcome, then you've captured the essence of leadership.
Giving to a stranger is an extremely powerful thing. Ask yourself- how do you give and to whom do you give too both in your professional and personal life.
Purpose matters more than ever before. People want to follow purpose.
Instead of a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG).. have a Big Hairy Audacious DREAM!
Simon Sinek, Leadership Expert, Author & TED Speaker
Leadership is like exercise- you can look everyday in the mirror and not see change but over time, you will notice the difference and see the change!
Leadership is like filling up the coffee pot in the lunch room- when the coffee pot is empty and no one is looking, you can walk away and not refill the pot. Or, without anyone knowing, you can refill the coffee pot without recognition because you know its good for everyone.
I trust you enjoyed these as much as I did when I first heard them!
It is incredible to see how communication has transformed throughout time, especially within the last 20 years. It is hard to believe that mailing letters and awaiting responses for weeks, if not months, was once considered the 'norm.' People in today's fast-paced society now find it hard to even wait the business etiquette "24 hour" time period for a response. Add on top of that, the introduction of social media, where interactions are instantaneous and people expect responses within a matter of minutes. There certainly are advantages and benefits to having this instant engagement (when you want it of course!) and when it is convenient for both parties involved in the conversation.
What is becoming more apparent though is just how valuable of an asset being able to speak and speak well is becoming. It seems like a novelty to hear someone who articulates, uses proper diction and grammar, and commands an audiences attention while sounding smart, engaging and enthusiastic.
While technology has its many advantages, everyone can agree it has also made us lazy as a society. It is easy for people to make comments behind a computer screen yet not have the backbone or talent to say what they need to effectively in front of an audience in-person. Technology has made acronyms the 'norm' as we try and squeeze every bit of space we can out of 140-characters. This has led to improper use of the English language.. and really, what is grammar anymore? We now are use to seeing people write and even talk in slang leading for akward interactions face-to-face when we are speaking in business settings.
If there is one thing to learn, its just how rare it is to have the ability to speak well, have presence and effectively communicate both IN-PERSON and ONLINE.
Articulating your ideas and commanding an audience's attention are extremely rare skills that will become even more valuable to have as we become more reliant on technology and farther distanced from in-person interactions. Think of the people whom you've recently had interactions with.. which people left you with a favourable impression that resonated with you? What one skill did they have?
It was most likely the ability to translate their ideas from their head (or from paper, email or online) to create an impression on you face-to-face. And that, is extremely rare to find now a days!
By the time you get to the end of this blog post, you will already be thinking about the next blog post you are going to read. I won't take it personally, because I don't necessarily believe its the content that has uninterested you (I hope anyways!). It is most likely because we as humans now have an attention span of only 8 seconds long! Wild, isn't it?!
Its Official-- there actually IS a Rule of 3
We wouldn't think it, but there actually is a method to the madness of why many memorable sayings, stories, and people are comprised or made up of threes, which helps people with short attention spans to remember what was said! This is officially known as the "Rule of 3."
Think of things such as the three pigs; the three mice; the three wise men; the three stooges; "beginning, middle, end"; "Sex, drugs, and Rock N Roll;" or trilogies. All of these relate back to the idea of "three."
Why only three?
The theory behind the "Rule of 3" is that people understand and are more able to remember and memorize things in three's. Its just the way our brains are wired. This can be extremely powerful to know in preparing in advance of speaking so you know how you can properly develop your script, speech, or presentation to ensure you attract the short attention spans of your audience.
How to Apply the Rule of 3
If you clearly and logically outline what you are going to say under three main ideas, headings or themes, then your audience or whomever you are speaking to/with, with be able to easily comprehend and remember what you said. Recapping at the end of a speech what those three important messages are helps your audience to remember your "take home message." And this idea can be applied to more than just speech writing/presenting-- speaking to your colleague; trying to win an argument; or emails. Really, whenever you communicate, you really should always remember and try to apply the "Rule of 3."
On the note of short attention spans and how the internet (most likely) is helping to shorten our attention span, the following is a funny video I thought perfectly depicts just how short we've become with our attention spans. I'm happy to report that I may not be the only person that ends up surfing something on the internet, wondering afterwards how I even got there in the first place.
P.S. Did you notice the "Rule of 3" applied to this blog post? :) Hope you followed along until the end!
For Public Relations professionals who are the spokesperson for their company/brand, they know they have to be on call 24/7. Today's communications industry consists of a social media beast that like Toronto and New York, never sleeps.
There is one industry though, that like public relations, never sleeps.. and that is agriculture.
Food never sleeps and neither do the stories (both good and bad!) that are associated within the industry. It is the reality of the industry and the beast that is producing food for a world of 7 billion people.
Because of my experience as a dairy farmer's daughter and my time in the communications field, I understand first-hand the PR wins and losses that can take place in the AG industry each and every day. When I think of how "on call" agriculture has to be at all times, it brings forward the importance of having your "voice" properly honed in and trained and ready to go at any time.
The AG industry is trying to move from a more REACTIVE to PROACTIVE way of communicating so farmers and industry professionals aren't always spending their efforts on putting out fires and while losing vision and momentum on sharing the positives of the industry. When I am speaking to producer groups in agriculture, I always share the idea, "Why let others tell your farming stories when who better to tell them... then you?!"
If there is an important lesson that other industries, businesses or people can learn from agriculture, it is that you must always be on guard to have your "speaking notes" ready or in this case, your speaking voice ready. "Don't be caught with your pants down" as the saying goes. Here are the 5 W's to ensure your pants are always on in case you get
called upon to SPEAK UP and SPEAK WELL about what you do, regardless of
what industry/profession you are in.
WHAT will you say: Elevator Pitch/Speaking Notes. Always have 3 points memorized about who you are; what you do; and the industry/group/business/passion you are involved in. People memorize information in 3's (Three blind mice, three piglets, three stooges, you get the point.. more to come on this idea!)
WHO will be listening: Know your audience before you speak and ASK who they will be. Are they consumers? Are they from the industry? How much do they know about what you do? Ask who your audience will be so you can tailor the message.
WHEN should you be ready: At ALL TIMES! If you are the type of person and/or business that wants to be seen as a leader in what they do and wants to be called upon for information/speaking, you ALWAYS have to be prepared and be ON to speak or give information at any time. You just never know when you will get the call!
WHERE should you be ready to share your ideas: Through Every Medium. Be proactive in wanting to speak up. NEVER turn down an interview, phone call, or request for information. Have confidence that you KNOW what you are talking about. Don't let the story pass on by to someone else. Try and be a proactive speaker in all mediums (in person; on the phone; through email; and on social media).
WHY should you speak up? The question really is, WHY NOT?! In working with clients, I am often surprised at how many people don't want to take the lead in speaking up. This is something I come across often in the AG industry. Sometimes it is because of humility; other times its because of confidence on the mic; or being to shy to say something, what they believe is controversial, on social media platforms. Whatever the reason, know that we NEED more people speaking up. We also need more people speaking up properly in public venues and online through social media platforms. That is what the Passionate Voice is all about-- helping you to harness your passionate voice and leverage it where you need too, whether it is in person, on the phone for an interview, or on social media.
Communicating today is completely different from how our parents and other generations used to communicate. With the increased use of social media, digital media, and smartphone devices, it appears that "social etiquette" has gone completely out the window. The days of properly greeting people; speaking politely; and speaking properly are gone. Partly the reason why The Passionate Voice was founded!
If you've ever heard of the 93% nonverbal communication rule as pioneered by Professor Albert Mehrabian, it states that when you speak to someone, it isn't only the words that you say that are impacting how someone formulates an opinion about you! Mehrabian's research found that impressions are formulated in the following breakdown: 7% is by the words spoken; 38% is the way in which someone says words; and the remaining 55% is body language... meaning that the way people make an impression on you is 93% based on non-verbal communication!
When I am in professional settings where body language would seem the most important to make a lasting impression, it seems only a small percentage of people actually pay attention to how their body language impacts their overall presence. Now that I am aware of how heavily body language shapes how we influence people's opinions when presenting and public speaking, I always sure to include training on body language in my leadership and public speaking workshops.
Speaking and influencing others is about selling the entire package of who you are. If you have a fantastic voice and message but don't look or act the part, you won't make the impression necessary for those to take you seriously or want to hear from you again.
Here is an interesting TED talk on body language from doctor and professor Amy Cuddy who speaks about how research supports that body language shapes who we are.
If you believe that a stage or a podium is where you want to share your passionate voice with a crowd of people, then hats off to you! You are a small minority of people who do not have "glossophobia"-- the fear of public speaking. The stats support that people would prefer to die then get up on stage and public speak! Outrageous, I know. Especially shocking for someone like myself who loves to share and communicate with people on a public stage and believes that it really is a great forum to share your story and views!
But it is true. Not everyone likes to embrace the stage and speak in front of others. And that is OK. We all can't be public speakers. But, I do like to tell people that public speakers aren't necessarily naturally born. It is a skill that can be learned, tweaked, and acquired over time. The best speakers learn from other speakers and make their own take on speech giving and presenting.
I had a question recently from a young gentleman who asked how at his age (approximately 22), he can find venues to help practice his public speaking skills to continue to practice and become a better public speaker. Great question.. here are some ideas I shared with him:
give a speech in front of your family- they'll be your best (and worst!) critics
group of friends, peers, or classmates-- it may be the most nervous you'll ever be because you'll be worried about what they think, but they'll provide real, honest feedback for you to use
a Rotary club, legion, organized group/committee that hosts speakers often-- just offer your services and they most likely would love to have you come speak. Especially if you are not charging a fee and are just trying to practice your craft-- most groups love to hear about any topic!
THE MIRROR- I emphasized this one in capitals because there is no one better to provide feedback then watching YOURSELF present. You can easily study how you look; your facial expressions; your body language, and any other little quirks. No one else can help you more than watching yourself to see what you like (& don't like) about how you present and give speeches and what you can work to improve on. The next step is videotaping yourself giving an entire presentation so you can sit down and analyze your full performance to really tweak and tailor your performance to just how you like it.
What other venues would you suggest to beginner public speakers or people wanting to practice their craft of sharing their passionate voice?
The word 'authentic' is a buzzword we've heard used a lot lately by many different fields and industries. The people I've come to realize get the most amount of "air time" are people who act, say, and just simply are real and different. And Real=authentic. These are people who do not fit in the "cookie cutter" mold of what people expect.
Authentic people are different-- they offer something different and they say/do things that are different from other people. They are genuine, open, transparent, and honest with their opinions and feelings without hurting others thoughts. They are original or at least are doing something that someone else has did but in a different way. In any industry, business, or sport, being authentic and real can be the tipping point of going from good to great. We can all do and say the same thing... and that would be boring. It is the people who go out on a limb, say something daring or do something different that end up the most successful. And it is simply because they are being themselves and being authentic that they are heads above the rest.
Passionate Voice Bottom Line: People who are authentic are who people really enjoy listening too. In today's day and age, being authentic has a certain value associated with it that
no money can buy. Being authentic is so rare today, but it is so refreshing and welcomed. Be that person that everyone wants to listen too. Be real. Be authentic.
