You’re probably familiar with the old saying, say what you mean, mean what you say. It’s something worth bearing in mind every time you communicate with your peers, prospective clients, and employees.
In fact, you should be mindful of the words you utter and how you utter them every time you open your mouth whether it’s a one-on-one conversation, in the confines of a conference room, on stage in an auditorium, or broadcasting to every employee via podcasts.
The ability to speak, share information, inspire and motivate, is what sets us apart from all of the other species on the planet. This ability to communicate is one of the reasons why humankind rules the world. Which brings up the expression “say what you mean and mean what you say.” In our supercharged, ever-changing business climate corporate leaders need to say what they mean, be crystal clear, and engage the audience in a meaningful way in the proper setting. That proper setting takes on many forms – emails, meetings (both large and small), or company-wide gatherings. But the message needs to be clear, feel personal, and culturally relevant.
Words Are Power in the Proper Setting
We speak on average about 16,000 words a day – but are people actually listening? Understanding? Spoken word communication is essential for everyone to exist, so I’d suggest capturing some of those words and information in podcasts. Keep in mind, most of your employees will rarely hear your voice, your inspiring and motivating messages, your personal excitement over a new sales plan, company initiative, and so on. But they can through podcasts.
Recording a podcast is rather simple once you get into the routine, and it can be distributed securely and instantly to every employee. They will hear your words and voice as though you are speaking to them directly. Unlike any other communication channel, that’s the power and intimacy of podcasts in a corporate setting.
Jas Singh of Iopa Solutions, gets it right when he says, “I’ve noticed that great leaders understand the power of the spoken word. They choose their words carefully and realize the impact and importance of the way they speak.”
Adds Singh, “Great speeches, leaders and stories are permanently ingrained in our minds, but we often forget the individual power that created them. The spoken word. The way we use our words shapes who we are, how we influence others, and ultimately what we achieve in life.”
This all translates down to being genuine, honest and straightforward. Perhaps there is no other platform beyond podcasts that truly achieves this level.
Gary Reynolds is Founder of FieldCast, a company that produces podcasts for corporations with large distributed networks of employees. He founded experiential marketing agency GMR, which represented hundreds of global brands over his 40 years at the helm. Contact Gary at greynolds@fieldcast.co