3 Ways to Boost Confidence Communicating with the C-Suite
Today I aim to show you how to communicate more confidently at the C-suite level.
This is for non-native English-speaking managers who need to participate in meetings at the Board level.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to help (and learn from) executive leadership from South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia improve their communication skills in English. I’ve also guided numerous managers who needed to prepare for communication at the C-suite level.
Understanding how to adjust your communication style for C-suite conversations can significantly impact your confidence and, therefore, your outcomes.
However, many non-native professionals struggle to communicate at the executive level because their speaking style doesn’t resonate with C-Suite leaders.
Clarity and Conciseness are key when engaging with top executives
Here are the 3 steps to communicate successfully with C-suite executives aimed at non-native English-speaking professionals:
1. Be Concise
2. Be an Active Listener
3. Adapt to Their Communication Style
Let’s explore the key elements of each one.
1. Be Concise
Your skill in delivering your message clearly and directly, without using excessive details, is essential.
Executives at this level have time constraints and expect a direct approach to communication. Often non-natives believe that they have to use more ‘sophisticated’ words and terminology, but sophistication shouldn’t be your focus. Whereas, conciseness and clarity should be.
So how do you achieve conciseness?
Think in Frameworks
Thinking in frameworks helps enhance conciseness by providing a structured approach to organizing your thoughts.
Speech frameworks break down complex information into clear, manageable components, allowing you to focus on the most important elements. They help you stay on topic and eliminate unnecessary details.
Additionally, speech frameworks help enormously with those sudden situations when you have to speak English.
Inside the Impactful English Academy and my one-to-one coaching program, I teach my students a range of frameworks to achieve organised, concise communication.
An effective one is the IRC framework, which stands for Introduction, Reasoning, and Conclusion.
2. Be an Active Listener
Active listening is essential for communicating with C-suite executives.
It’s crucial to be ready to address questions, resolve concerns, and offer thoughtful responses. This will position you as a proactive and valuable participant in strategic discussions.
I suggest two aspects to work on to optimize your active listening skills:
1. Learn Active Listening Expressions
This involves paying close attention to the speaker, showing interest, and providing feedback to demonstrate understanding.
Here are some expressions you can use:
Addressing Questions:
“I appreciate you asking that. Here’s what I can share…”
Resolving Concerns:
“I understand your concern. Here’s how we can address it…”
Offering Thoughtful Responses:
“Based on what you’ve shared, I suggest we consider…”
2. Anticipate Conversations
I suggest planning for the possible dialogues you’ll have in your meetings.
Consider thinking about questions you might get asked: What might they disagree with? What might they need more information about?
Then prepare your responses and practice saying them aloud.
You may not be able to predict the entire conversation but anticipating as much as you can will make you feel more confident going into the meeting and prepared to respond.
3. Adapt to Their Communication Style
Effective communication with C-suite executives requires adapting to their specific communication style.
This involves presenting your message in a way that aligns with their experience and knowledge. Three common examples of communication styles are data-driven, visionary, and storytelling-focused.
Data-Driven Style
When communicating with data-driven executives, focus on presenting clear, concise metrics and factual information.
Useful expressions:
“According to the latest data…”
“The metrics show a significant increase in…”
“Our analysis indicates that…”
Visionary Style
For visionary executives, highlight the long-term strategic benefits.
Useful expressions:
“Imagine a future where…”
“This strategy positions us to…”
“In the long run, this will transform…”
Storytelling-Focused Style
When addressing storytelling-focused executives, share case studies and examples that illustrate the real-world impact of your ideas.
Useful expressions:
“Consider the case of…”
“A recent success story illustrates…”
“Picture this scenario…”
Conclusion
Be Concise: Deliver your message directly and avoid unnecessary details by using structured frameworks like the IRC (Introduction, Reasoning, Conclusion).
Be an Active Listener: Show genuine interest by using active listening expressions and preparing for potential questions.
Adapt to Their Communication Style: Tailor your message to match the executive’s preferred style, whether it’s data-driven, visionary, or storytelling-focused.
By focusing on these three key steps you can build confidence and impact for C-suite conversations.
Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
1. The Impactful English Academy: Join like-minded professionals from around the world in The Impactful English Academy. The comprehensive online courses will teach you the system and strategies I have used to help 100’s of professionals speak English more fluently, confidently and professionally. Click here to learn more.
2. One-to-one Coaching: Get access to my guidance and a customised program that has helped, managers, directors, CEOs, doctors and Government officials worldwide transform into confident and articulate communicators in English. Click here to book a Discovery session with me.
3. Onsite and Online Company Training: Equip your team with the essential communication skills they need to thrive in today’s global marketplace. My tailored onsite and online training programs empower professionals to communicate effectively and confidently in English in international business environments. Click here to schedule a meeting with me.
