Unlock Communication Power – the keys to engage your audience

Unlock Communication Power – the keys to engage your audience

Feature Writer Kim Skubris, Media and Communications 

So, you’re a confident presenter ... but are you a powerful communicator?

I remember so clearly the day this question first popped out of my mouth soon after the 2020 Local Government elections in Queensland.

Those of you who know me can relate to my husband’s observation that my thoughts are prone to shooting from my head to my mouth like a gumball machine!

This was my response to a newly elected Mayor who I was working with on presentation skills and had shared: “Skubes, I’m a confident presenter, I just need some tweaking.”

(I’m rarely called “Kim” unless I’m in trouble with my Mum which thankfully isn’t often these days!)

My query stumped the Mayor, and me too if I’m truthful, for a few seconds.

He asked: “what do you mean?”

For a moment I wasn’t sure why I’d fired this question so passionately, but then it struck me.

Being a confident presenter doesn’t necessarily mean you are a powerful communicator.

The Mayor in question is articulate and has a great sense of humour, but when pushed admitted the messages he intends to share are often lost in “entertaining white noise.”

Put simply, a powerful communicator is someone who not only engages their audience and successfully delivers key messages. They do it in such an extraordinary way it inspires the audience to share their key points.

Much like the power of “sharing” rather than just “liking” a social media post, delivering your message in a simple and translatable way will ensure audience engagement and word-of-mouth flow on.

During this past term, I’ve continued to have the pleasure of working with many Councils and communities across my home State sharing my passion for storytelling, message mastery, media training and powerful communication, while quietly hosing down a few potential crisis communications challenges along the way.

It's an honour and pleasure to be trusted in this role through LGAQ’s Peak Services and to be on speed dial with many local government leaders.

Of course, during the past four years, we’ve also embraced catching up online and training through Zoom and Teams meetings. I’m grateful for the laughs and insights we’ve shared virtually when we were prevented from catching up face-to-face.

Now as we gear up for another Local Government election, or you consider winding down and embracing your next life chapter, I suggest effective communication will continue to be an essential skill.

Whether your intention is to leave a lasting impact on the minds of community members, your team, your family or friends the keys to unlocking a compelling and impactful presentation or chat should always be considered.

After more than 30 years as a broadcast journalist, the newsroom mantra “simplify without distorting” still holds true. This can be harder to achieve than it sounds when you’re dealing with a complex or technical issue.

An engaging presentation takes your audience on a journey. Whether it’s a Council meeting with a dozen or so people or an online presentation reaching an audience of thousands, planning is critical.

In my mind, there is no such thing as a boring presentation. It’s a boring presenter.

With a bit of imagination I’ve ensured even arsenic sounds interesting!

A self-confessed “dull” engineer delivered a breakfast speech at a conference using a teaspoon and a great opening line and he successfully grabbed his audience’s attention. 

For the record, I didn’t think he was dull at all, and neither did he after spending some time with me finding his communications power.

It truly makes me so happy watching people grow in skill and confidence as they trust me to challenge themselves as a public speaker.

The most important thing you must ask yourself is: What’s in it for my audience? What messages do I want to convey? 

It’s not about you. 

A “spray and pray” approach may get you through a presentation, but most likely you’ll have lost a golden opportunity to clearly share your key points by waffling.

Once you’re clear on the focus material you want to share, consider how best to deliver those messages. 

There’s no point having interesting content if you can’t share it in a way which is memorable for good reasons, not bad!

You have only about ten seconds to capture your audience’s attention, so back yourself! 

That’s not arrogance. Your mindset must be switched on to positive to drive enthusiasm and passion. Think about your body language, eye contact, tone and audience participation.

Presenting is theatre. Ask yourself: What energy am I bringing to this audience?

Consider starting with a story, question, interesting fact or powerful quote which points to your topic. 

It’s not unusual for someone to share during my workshops: “but Skubes, I’m boring, I don’t have any stories!”

You’d be surprised. Once you’re open to this way of communicating you’ll soon realise you have many stories to share. You can also share other people’s stories with their permission, or in a manner which protects their identity.

Storytelling is a great way to pique curiosity and spark an emotional connection.

Using visual aids are also a powerful way to connect. Human beings are visual creatures and everyone absorbs and retains information in different ways.

If you’re creating slides ensure they’re picture driven not full of text which is boring and predictable for your audience. 

Mix it up. Have fun with images and share stories which highlight your key messages. Be sure to keep them simple to avoid any distractions from your key points which should be clear and concise.

It may not be your role necessarily to vomit all the relevant information on your audience. In that case, point them in the right direction for further details. You might consider distributing the report, a facts sheet or key points, before or after your presentation, to ensure all the relevant information about a complex matter is provided.

Thank you to Peak Services for the opportunity to share this timely reminder of how to harness the most power from pre-election communications.

I wish everyone standing in the next local government elections all the best and express a heartfelt thank you to those of you who have trusted me during their journey this term and are moving on.

This sceptical journo has never had much time for politics until she began working closely with the local government sector. Here, I have had the joy of linking arms with many amazing, kind people determined to give their all for their local communities and I’ve made lifelong friends along the way.

Wishing all who read this good luck in the next chapter of their stories, and I hope I have the pleasure of hearing more of them in the future.

To book your place at Kim Skubris's professional development course at the upcoming LGAQ conferece, click here or email Training training@wearepeak.com.au