From Expert to Influencer

Moving away from relying on his expertise allowed our client to confidently embrace his leadership opportunities.
 

The Situation:

A technical specialist was tapped for a promotion, but first, he needed to overcome some significant communication issues. He was seen as having a deep wealth of knowledge and loved to (over) share it. His presentation style was verbose, and he wasn't able to distill his thoughts to meet the needs of his audience. He was frustrated that people often didn't understand what he was saying, and at the same time, he resented their lack of expertise. He was often perceived as negative and easily annoyed. This furthered his own disappointment that others didn't "get" him.

 

The Solution:

• Internal Clarity.
  He worked hard to adapt his attitude. He realized that the real purpose of his communication is to influence instead of inform, and to persuade instead of educate. He challenged himself to acknowledge his real value, define his vision and display his authentic self. He developed the confidence to see himself as a strategic thinker. This freed him from over-reliance on knowledge and set him up to display thought leadership.

 

• External Influence.
  Now he was ready to craft messages that reassured his audience instead of challenging them. His body language changed from defensive to encouraging, and he led with ideas instead of overwhelming with detail.

 

The Result:

Promotion achieved! This expert was able to transform himself from knowing it all to inspiring others. He was able to use his expertise instead of flaunting it. He began to enjoy preparing for presentations, delivering them, and truly engaging with his audience.