Communication made simple, with José Mota José Mota

Why is storytelling such an important skill to have? What makes stories so powerful? No better way than to share a story of my own.

Stories bridge the gap. They are a great entryway between your ideas and your audience's. Because stories aim to demonstrate underlying principles, the narrative you choose is malleable, and if you choose one that your audience can relate to easily, the more effective it becomes.

References


Episode 60: How to build effective slide decks
Episode 57: Paralanguage
Episode 53: Visual communication at work (VAK)

Steve Jobs' presentations were incredible. Why? His remarkable presence, his personal brand, and the simple yet strong slide decks made the difference. Everyone would cheer when he announced the first iPhone, or the innovative Macbook Air. The black and blue fade background with big white letters zooming in would mark that generation of computers for good. What made Jobs so influential on stage? What made people line up to see him? Let's figure that out.

References


Don Norman's 3 levels of design: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/norman-s-three-levels-of-design
Episode on VAK: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/josemotanet/episodes/053--4-tools-to-leverage-visual-communication-at-work-e2glku5
Episode on TGIF-3S: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/josemotanet/episodes/047--Preparation-is-the-cornerstone-of-good-communication-e2ec772
Episode on MoSMoS: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/josemotanet/episodes/048--Prepare-your-message-with-MoSMoS-e2eqsfp

Doing the right thing is not the same as doing the thing right.

Meaningful practice makes progress. How do we practice? How to prepare for a big online presentation, a team workshop or a webinar, in a way that is purposeful and tells you that you're doing better than last time?

I'm breaking my answer in three parts: why it's important to practice, what to practice when it comes to speaking in public, and how to do it in a way that is meaningful and lets you know you're improving.

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Reference material


Four stages of competence
Episode 48: MoSMoS
Episode 47: TGIF-3S

The continuation of last week's episode on paralanguage. If you're curious to get the context behind it, check episode 57.

What makes people want to see TED talks? Usually because speakers that go there have great ideas to share. And what makes them so interesting that people can be engaged for such a long time?

I would personally love to acquire such incredible gravitas. They always look so collected, and yet so confident. These people are truly inspiring, and I'm telling you there's a way to get there.

How do you become more confident and interesting when speaking in front of others, and how do you add that special something that makes people want to listen to what you have to say?

We've been exploring posture and gestures lately. They are incredible resources that take advantage of the visual senses and pairing them with the actual message that others hear.

Because we now understand how effective gestures are, it becomes important to realize the conditions in which we do them, specifically the space and boundaries we have available. Also, when interacting with others, we want to actively engage with them, create an impactful experience and somehow justify the time and energy they're spending with us.

When you talk with others, how do you increase your confidence while still being respectful of others? How do you leverage the space around you to send a message more meaningfully?