I was surprised to learn that I had been named to Global Gurus' list of the Top 30 Communication Experts in the world, landing at number 29, in genuinely great company with people like Nancy Duarte and Dorie Clark. Hey, I'll take it.
No one asked me to pay for it. No one warned me it was coming. I opened a browser one morning and there my name was, sitting on a list with people I admire. Interestingly, the organization had linked to my book on Amazon, and when there was an option to pay so they would link to my own site instead, I passed. The recognition is the part that means something, and that part came unsolicited.
It is always nice to receive an award. I still remember the first trophy I ever won, for coming in first in the three-legged race as a kid. I would stare at it in awe, like it was made of something more than plastic and a marble base. As the years went on, people developed a more mixed reaction to awards, partly because so many of them became participation trophies handed to every kid on the field. So I hold this one lightly and honestly. This is the first I am even hearing of this organization, and I am happy and honored to be on the list.
Why this matters (and what I want to do with the moment)
Here is the thing about being placed in a category called communication expert. It comes with a small obligation. If someone is going to put that label on you, the least you can do is be useful with the space it buys. So rather than just thank everyone and move on, I want to hand over a few strategies I come back to again and again.
These are in no particular order. None of them require a budget, a new tool, or a single slide. They are the things I would tell a friend over dinner if they asked me how to get better at this.
Five communication strategies worth more than the trophy
1. Always be learning
I borrowed this phrase from my grandmother, who graduated college at age 70. She was ahead of her time and on exactly the right track. There is always something I could learn, and now, as the world changes quickly with artificial intelligence, the art of communicating to other humans matters even more, not less.
So how do you always be learning? Pick your favorite mode. If you like reading books, start there. If you would rather watch videos on YouTube or listen to podcasts, you will certainly learn that way too. Joining a workshop or having a coach guide you is something I feel strongly about, for obvious reasons, but the honest advice is simpler than that: start wherever you are.
2. Tell more stories
When I deliver the High-Stakes Presenter program, people often get lost in their data. But Story-Driven Data™ is what actually connects with an audience and makes you memorable. The numbers prove the point. The story is what they carry out of the room.
If you think you are not great at telling stories, notice what you do the next time you go to dinner with a friend. The entire conversation is storytelling. You are a natural, born storyteller. Pair that instinct with the delivery of your data and you will have far more success than the person reading bullet points off a wall.
You are already a natural storyteller. Watch yourself at dinner with a friend. Now bring that same person into the boardroom.
3. Less PowerPoint, more interaction
No one ever walked out of a meeting wishing the presenter had shown them more slides. In fact, the opposite is true. I have had clients hand the deck to the room and spend the rest of the time having a real conversation. It turns out the Q and A is the most important part of the meeting. So why bury it at the end? Make it center stage.
4. Know what your call to action is
In the world of sales, one school of thought is to behave like a doctor: examine, diagnose, and prescribe. Imagine you went to the doctor, they examined you, they diagnosed you, and then they said, see you next time, without prescribing anything to fix the problem. It would be silly, and it would not help you at all.
The same is true when you give a high-stakes presentation. Do not stop at the diagnosis. Know exactly what you are asking the room to do next, and say it out loud.
Before your next presentation, finish this sentence in one line: the single action I want this room to take is ____. If you cannot fill the blank, you are examining and diagnosing without prescribing.
5. Find their problems and examine them closely
This is the sweet spot. You do not have to solve every single problem, especially when you are talking about how you help people. But you do have to find the real ones. Look closely at people's pains, worries, and challenges. If you can help them solve a problem that actually keeps them up at night, you will find success, on stage, in a pitch, or across a table.
The honest takeaway
A list is a nice thing. It is a kind word from people I respect, and I will take it. But the trophy on the shelf was never the point, not when I was eight and not now. The point is whether the next time you stand up to communicate, the room actually leaves changed. These five strategies are how I try to make that happen, and I am glad to have a moment like this to pass them along.
What to do next
If you want to put these into practice on your actual material instead of a generic template, that is what I do with executives every week. Get a quick quote and we will work on your real presentation. If you want the foundation behind strategy number two first, start with data storytelling and how it changes the way a room hears your numbers.