Communication Style Differences

Want to write like a CEO? Cut the fluff. The best leaders communicate with: ✅ Clarity ✅ Brevity ✅ Impact They don’t send long, rambling emails. They don’t hide behind corporate jargon. They get to the point fast. I have written four books and have advised 300+ CEOs on their communications. Here’s the 5-part writing framework top executives use: 1 – The Subject Line Should Say It All Before you write anything, ask: ➡️ What’s the ONE thing I need them to know? ➡️ What’s the ONE action I need them to take? If you can’t answer this, don’t send it yet. 2 – Lead with the Bottom Line Busy people don’t have time for long intros. 💡 Start with the main point, not the backstory. ❌ “Hope you’re doing well! I wanted to reach out because we’ve been working on…” ✅ “Here’s the update: [Key message in one line].” 3 – Cut the Fluff High-level executives don’t read wordy emails. They scan. ✂ Remove “just,” “I think,” and “wanted to.” ✅ “We should move forward.” ✅ “The results show a 20% increase.” 4 – Be Direct, Not Rude Great leaders are clear, not cold. 🚫 “Per our last discussion, I believe this approach might be beneficial.” ✅ “Let’s move forward with this approach. Thoughts?” 5 – Always End with a Clear Ask ❌ “Let me know what you think.” ✅ “Can you approve this by Thursday?” 6 – Add Warmth Charismatic people are both competent and warm. If you follow 1-5, you may come across as competent but it may be hard to connect. Therefore, add some warmth at the end. ❌ “Looking forward to your response.” ✅ “Appreciate your time on this—excited to hear your thoughts!” 📌 Follow me Oliver Aust for daily strategies on leadership communications.

I was Wrong about Influence. Early in my career, I believed influence in a decision-making meeting was the direct outcome of a strong artifact presented and the ensuing discussion. However, with more leadership experience, I have come to realize that while these are important, there is something far more important at play. Influence, for a given decision, largely happens outside of and before decision-making meetings. Here's my 3 step approach you can follow to maximize your influence: (#3 is often missed yet most important) 1. Obsess over Knowing your Audience Why: Understanding your audience in-depth allows you to tailor your communication, approach and positioning. How: ↳ Research their backgrounds, how they think, what their goals are etc. ↳ Attend other meetings where they are present to learn about their priorities, how they think and what questions they ask. Take note of the topics that energize them or cause concern. ↳ Engage with others who frequently interact with them to gain additional insights. Ask about their preferences, hot buttons, and any subtle cues that could be useful in understanding their perspective. 2. Tailor your Communication Why: This ensures that your message is not just heard but also understood and valued. How: ↳ Seek inspiration from existing artifacts and pickup queues on terminologies, context and background on the give topic. ↳ Reflect on their goals and priorities, and integrate these elements into your communication. For instance, if they prioritize efficiency, highlight how your proposal enhances productivity. ↳Ask yourself "So what?" or "Why should they care" as a litmus test for relatability of your proposal. 3. Pre-socialize for support Why: It allows you to refine your approach, address potential objections, and build a coalition of support (ahead of and during the meeting). How: ↳ Schedule informal discussions or small group meetings with key stakeholders or their team members to discuss your idea(s). A casual coffee or a brief virtual call can be effective. Lead with curiosity vs. an intent to respond. ↳ Ask targeted questions to gather feedback and gauge reactions to your ideas. Examples: What are your initial thoughts on this draft proposal? What challenges do you foresee with this approach? How does this align with our current priorities? ↳ Acknowledge, incorporate and highlight the insights from these pre-meetings into the main meeting, treating them as an integral part of the decision-making process. What would you add? PS: BONUS - Following these steps also expands your understanding of the business and your internal network - both of which make you more effective. --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

Your title doesn’t make you a leader. How you communicate with your team does. Here are 12 tips top leaders use email to create clarity, show respect, and drive results: 1. Acknowledge Delays with Gratitude, Not Apology ❌ "Sorry for the late reply..." ✅ "Thank you for your patience." 2. Respond Thoughtfully, Not Reactively ❌ "This is wrong." ✅ "I see your point. Have you considered trying [alternative]?" 3. Use Subject Lines That Get to the Point ❌ "Update" ✅ "Project X: Status Update & Next Steps" 4. Set the Tone with Your First Line ❌ "Hey, quick question..." ✅ "Hi [Name], I appreciate your time. I wanted to ask about…" 5. Show Appreciation, Not Just Acknowledgment ❌ "Noted." ✅ "Thanks for sharing this—I appreciate your insights." 6. Frame Feedback Positively ❌ "This isn't good enough." ✅ "This is a great start. Let’s refine [specific area] further." 7. Lead with Confidence ❌ "Maybe you could take a look…" ✅ "We need [specific task] completed by [specific date]." 8. Clarify Priorities Instead of Overloading ❌ "We need to do this ASAP." ✅ "Let’s prioritize [specific task] first to meet our deadline." 9. Make Requests Easy to Process ❌ "Can you take a look at this?" ✅ "Can you review this and share your feedback by [date]?" 10. Be Clear About Next Steps ❌ "Let’s figure it out later." ✅ "Next steps: I’ll handle X, and you can confirm Y by [deadline]." 11. Follow Up with Purpose, Not Pressure ❌ "Just checking in again." ✅ "I wanted to follow up on this. Do you need any additional details from me?" 12. Avoid Passive-Aggressive Language ❌ "As I mentioned before…" ✅ "Just bringing this back to your attention in case it got missed." Key Point: Effective email communication isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being intentional, clear, and respectful. Choose your words carefully. Your emails can either open doors or close them. ♻️ Repost to inspire your network! And follow Victoria Repa for more.

Your emotional intelligence determines 80% of your professional success. Skills which I wished I had know when I started my career. So I have put together a list from my battle scars. 12 emotional intelligence skills that will boost your career. 1/Read The Room ↪ You sense the mood & underlying sentiments of people instantly. During a tense team meeting, you notice subtle body language & adjust your communication style to defuse potential conflicts. 2/ Deep Listening ↪ You listen to understand, not just to respond or wait for your turn to speak. You ask thoughtful follow-up questions that show you're truly engaged with their experience. 3/ Empathetic Listening ↪ You genuinely put yourself in another person's shoes. You offer support without immediately jumping to problem-solving, first validating their feelings. 4/ Self-Awareness ↪ You understand your own emotional triggers, strengths, & blind spots. Before an important presentation, you recognize your anxiety & use breathing techniques to center yourself. 5/Emotional Regulation ↪You manage your emotional reactions, staying calm under pressure. When receiving critical feedback, you remain composed & it as an opportunity for growth instead of becoming defensive. 6/Adaptive Communication ↪ You adjust your communication style to connect effectively with different personality types. You modify your communication approach when presenting to executives versus collaborating with creative team members. 7/Authentic Vulnerability ↪ You're willing to share genuine emotions & admit limitations while maintaining professional boundaries. In meeting, you share a mistake you made, demonstrating transparency & creating a safe environment for others to do the same. 8/Positive Influence ↪You motivate & inspire others through emotional intelligence. You provide feedback that energizes & uplifts team members, making them feel valued & motivated. 9/Emotional Energy Management ↪ You understand how emotions impact your & others' productivity & can strategically manage emotional bandwidth. You recognize when you or your team are emotionally drained & proactively suggest breaks, recognition, or support to maintain high performance. 10/ Conflict Resolution ↪ You navigate & resolve interpersonal tensions constructively. During a team disagreement, you help identify shared goals & guide the conversation towards collaborative solutions. 11/ Intuitive Networking ↪You build genuine connections by understanding people's unspoken professional & personal motivations. You engage in conversations that go beyond small talk, creating meaningful professional relationships that feel natural & supportive. 12/Mental Resilience ↪You bounce back from setbacks with grace You analyze what went wrong constructively, extract key lessons, & approach the next challenge with renewed energy. ♻️ Share this to help others boost their careers. Follow Adeline Tiah 謝善嫻  for more content like this

Your brilliant work doesn't guarantee a promotion. One key stakeholder can block your entire path. "I deliver exceptional results, but the CTO just doesn't see my potential." A Sr. Director at a Fortune 500 tech company from Silicon Valley shared this during our coaching call. Her track record? Impeccable - she’d led teams of 100+, managed $120M in budgets, and delivered consecutive years of double-digit growth. But the path to VP remained blocked. ⚡ Here's what we uncovered in our first session: The blocker wasn't performance. It was influence. If you're doing great work but still feeling blocked, you're not alone. Here are 3 stakeholder mistakes that keep leaders stuck - and how my client shifted (and how you can too): 1️⃣ Treating all stakeholders equally The mistake: Overlooking who really controls your next move. ✅ What she did differently: She mapped her stakeholders by influence. She identified the CTO and 2 others as critical influencers and focused on their priorities and pain points. 💎 One strategic champion outweighs ten casual supporters. 2️⃣ Speaking your language, not theirs The mistake: Drowning leaders in technical details, hoping volume equals value. ✅ What she changed: She translated her impact into business outcomes the CTO valued. → "Our automation initiative cut costs by 23% and scaled to 3 new markets" 📊 3️⃣ Avoiding difficult conversations The mistake: Hoping time will fix misalignment. ✅ Her shift: She stepped into the tension with purpose: "What does success look like to you, and how can I deliver that?" → This wasn't just a question - it was a commitment. 🔄 The breakthrough In 90 days, the CTO became her biggest advocate. And his inner circle followed. ✨ The result: VP role + 19% raise in 7 months. Excellence gets you noticed. 👑 Strategic influence gets you promoted. 🎯 Want the full Stakeholder Influence Blueprint? Join 9,100 leaders getting it in this Saturday's issue of my weekly newsletter. Sign up below to make sure you don't miss it.

Communication is tricky—our words pass through layers of emotions, tone, and assumptions before reaching other people's ears. What we say in our heads often comes out differently in conversation....causing havoc! The slightest misstep in tone or choice of words can completely change the meaning of what we’re trying to say. And this can trigger a negative response in the people around us. This is a BIG problem when it comes to organizations and teamwork. According to Gallup and other studies, miscommunication is a huge source of conflict and inefficiency. However, companies don't have to put up with this problem....not if they invest in developing emotional intelligence (EQ) skills. EQ prevents miscommunication-induced conflict in many ways- as speakers and listeners. First, it helps us recognize and manage our own emotions, allowing us to stay calm and composed even in challenging conversations, which reduces the likelihood of reactive, unclear communication. Second, it enhances our ability to empathize with others, enabling us to better understand their perspectives and respond in ways that are more likely to be received positively. One of the things I've noticed in my EQ coaching sessions is that people's communication skills improve when they realize that effective communication is not just about clarity; it's also about empathy. It's about understanding that your message lives in the mind of the listener, and that your job is to make sure it arrives there intact, not distorted by misinterpretation or confusion. Some tips I give my clients: 👉 Next time you are speaking with someone, ask yourself if you are sure that what you said is what was heard? 👉 Take a step back and reflect on how others might be perceiving your words. 👉 Then, decide if you need to clarify, check-in or adapt your approach. This shift in perspective—from thinking about what you're saying to thinking about how it's being received—can transform your interactions and help you build stronger, more meaningful connections 🚀 Image source: https://lnkd.in/e7H6MEfR #communciationskills #communication #emotionalintelligence #miscommunication #learninganddevelopment

“I’m done talking!” “This isn’t going anywhere!” “Why do you always twist my words?” These are the phrases that mark the breaking point in so many conversations. As a psychologist, I’ve seen how difficult conversations can spiral into emotional battlegrounds, leaving frustration and resentment in their wake. But here’s the truth: it doesn’t have to be this way. Conflict feels like a storm - it’s intense, overwhelming, and messy. But with the right tools, that storm can clear. The shot in the arm here is Emotional intelligence. Look, here’s the thing about conflict: it’s rarely about what’s said. It’s about how it’s said and how it’s received. When emotions run high, logic tends to take a backseat. This is where emotional intelligence becomes your greatest tool. Here’s how I coach clients to bring EI into difficult conversations: 🟢Pause before you react. Emotional intelligence starts with self-awareness. Recognize your feelings before you let them dictate your response. Ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way?” That pause can prevent reactive words you might later regret. 🟢Listen to understand, not to respond. Most people listen to counter or defend. But real resolution begins when you listen to truly understand the other person’s perspective. Ask open-ended questions like, “Can you tell me more about why this matters to you?” 🟢Accept emotions—yours and theirs. Often, it’s not the issue itself but the underlying emotions that fuel conflict. A simple, “I can see this is frustrating for you,” can defuse tension and pave the way for meaningful dialogue. Remember, difficult conversations aren’t meant to be easy, but they don’t have to be destructive. Emotional intelligence transforms conflict from a battle into a bridge, it’s a chance to strengthen relationships, deepen understanding, and build trust. So, the next time you find yourself in the heat of a challenging conversation, remember: it’s not just about what you say - it’s about how you listen, connect, and respond. Because conflict isn’t the end of the story. With the right ways, it’s could be the beginning of resolution. The onus is on YOU! #psychology #mindset #emotions #emotionalintelligence #mentalhealth

As CEOs, we must serve as the catalyst for our organizations, shaping the narrative and leading with a strong communication strategy. In my experience as the CEO of two hospitals, I’ve learned that the role requires navigating a complex web of stakeholders—investors, employees, customers, doctors and governments—each with distinct needs and expectations. To manage these diverse constituencies, I follow the EDGE framework, which highlights four key principles: 1. Expanded Perspective: As the public face of the organization, every word and action carries weight. CEOs must consistently think of themselves as bridges to the outside world, aware that their communication has far-reaching effects beyond internal operations. 2. Distinctive Leadership: Focus on what only the CEO can do. While many tasks can be delegated, critical messaging and direction should come directly from the top to reinforce the CEO’s authority and vision. 3. Growth-Oriented Mindset: Effective leaders communicate with a focus on growth, highlighting not just the organization's current value but its future potential and societal contributions. It’s crucial to embed this in every external interaction. 4. Engagement with Empathy: Beyond influencing, truly understand the perspectives of your stakeholders. Meeting them where they are and working from their vantage point fosters stronger, more meaningful relationships. In summary, by following these principles, CEOs can drive positive impact and ensure their organizations are positioned for sustainable success.

Listening is a skill I’ve never truly mastered I tend to fill silences when I should leave space. I often jump to making suggestions instead of asking questions. I sometimes wonder if I focus more on what I’ll say next rather than truly hearing what’s being said. These are weaknesses. But tackling a weakness can only happen once you accept it. And now I am working on it. Because being a better listener isn’t just about being polite — it’s essential for building trust, understanding others, and making better decisions. So here’s what I’m trying to do to get better: 1. Pausing for 3 seconds before responding. 🤫 It’s hard for me to pause purposefully, but research shows that leaving a small gap rather than filling it encourages the other person to elaborate. 2. Maintaining eye contact — but not too much. Looking away occasionally makes people feel less pressured and more open. Which is of course what I want. 3. Making an effort to ask open-ended questions instead of giving advice. Offering unsolicited solutions is a bad habit, just ask anyone I work with. “Can you tell me more about that?” works better than jumping in with advice that starts with me saying: “If I was you this is what I’d do…” 4. Summarising what I’ve heard to check my understanding. Saying “What I’m hearing is…” helps clarify miscommunication and shows I’ve been paying attention. It’s one of the techniques I learned from master negotiator Chris Voss’ books. 🤔 5. Physically removing distractions. If music is on in the background I turn it off or down. And putting my phone out of sight and out of reach makes an immediate difference in how present I am with people. Being a better listener takes effort — it’s about being intentional and patient. I’m still a very long way from perfect, but progress matters more than perfection. What’s one thing you’ve done to become a better listener? I’m all ears!

Most Projects Fail to Deliver Full Value… Because Stakeholder Management Is an Afterthought. ~ Conflicting priorities stall critical decisions. ~ Misaligned expectations derail project timelines. ~ Key sponsors disengage, leaving teams without support. And yet, when these challenges arise, most teams focus on “more updates” or “more stakeholder meetings.” But the real issue isn’t the frequency of communication – It’s ineffective stakeholder management. Here’s what I consistently see in projects: → Too Many Decision-Makers – Multiple stakeholders with conflicting goals slow down consensus and project momentum. → Competing Priorities – What’s urgent for one stakeholder may be irrelevant for another, creating constant friction. → Limited Resources – Tight budgets and stretched teams make balancing stakeholder demands increasingly difficult. These challenges lead to delays, frustration, and loss of stakeholder trust. What’s the solution? A structured and strategic stakeholder management approach, not just ad hoc engagement. Here’s how I help organisations elevate their stakeholder management: 1. Clarify Expectations Early → Align all stakeholders on shared goals, roles, and success metrics upfront. 2. Strategic Stakeholder Mapping → Using tools like the Power-Interest Matrix to categorise stakeholders and tailor engagement accordingly. 3. Targeted Communication Strategies → Communicating the right information, to the right people, at the right time. 4. Action-Oriented Engagement Plans → Prioritising critical stakeholders and focusing efforts where they create the most impact. When organisations manage stakeholders effectively, the outcomes speak for themselves: → Faster decision-making: Streamlined discussions and fewer bottlenecks.  → Stronger stakeholder alignment: Reduced conflicts and enhanced project cohesion.  → Higher project success rates: Deliverables that meet or exceed expectations.  → Improved stakeholder relationships: Greater trust and long-term collaboration. Stakeholder management isn’t a soft skill – it’s a business-critical strategy. Are competing priorities slowing your projects down? Let’s address it. Drop me a message and let’s explore how structured stakeholder engagement can drive project success and stakeholder buy-in. —- 📌 Want to become the best LEADERSHIP version of yourself in the next 30 days? 🧑💻Book 1:1 Growth Strategy call with me: https://lnkd.in/gVjPzbcU #Leadership #Strategy #Projects #Success #Growth