• When people communicate well together it brings collaboration, purpose and productivity.
• A great communicator in the boardroom brings energy, is inspiring and ignites infectious energy.
• Being prepared is the cornerstone of being an effective communicator
• Failures of communication effectively include constantly checking devices, rambling, lack of eye contact, starting and ending a meeting badly, coming unprepared, not asking questions
• If you express yourself simply, you inspire confidence, so be a good editor and deliver content that has relevance and purpose.
• The consequence of poor communication includes lost time due to misunderstandings, frustration due to uncertainty, people left out if it’s not inclusive, messages misunderstood or misinterpreted, and negative energy that reduces influence.
• Examples of poor communication from a Chair include very low engagement, maybe due to intimidation, not feeling included, and members feeling like they’ve nothing to add.
• It’s important for the chair to understand quieter members of the board. These people have strong listening and observation skills that need to be shared. Build a relationship with them outside of the boardroom to encourage involvement and engagement.
• The traits of a really good communicator include someone who is relaxed and can make people feel comfortable, who has an awareness of the people in the room, the ability to open up and listen well, makes eye contact, uses facial expressions, brings their personality and warmth into the room
• Effective comms is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know. Ask yourself, how would you like people to feel after they’ve heard from you?
• To polish your communications skills take some simple steps:
  • Pause, and remove the fillers such as ‘um’, ‘and’ ‘eh’
  • Broaden small talk – be able to contribute to casual talk
  • Control your voice – have water nearby, it helps to relax the voice 
  • Overprepare – you can’t do enough preparation, this allows you to speak up and gives you the motivation to do better
  • Less can be more – inject comment when you have something fresh to add
  • Invoke your vertical – think of your body language, put your feet firmly on the ground, and sit straight.
• Strategies to get your ideas heard:
  • Preparation 
  • Don’t leave communications to the boardroom alone 
  • Connect personally with your board – good relationships make it easier to communicate 
  • Focus on your impact – think, breath, speak 
  • Embrace differences of opinion and difficult conversations 
  • Always back yourself. 

• Remember to use the rule of three. When sharing info, break it into three parts. 
• For longer communications pieces, keep it conversational. Use short sentences. Open strong and end with a firm conclusion. 

Guide: How to resolve conflict in the boardroom: https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/guides/how-to-resolve-conflict-in-the-boardroom/

Case study: What to do when conflict arises between the CEO and the Chair
https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/guides/conflict-between-the-ceo-and-the-chair-steve-jobs-fired-by-board-at-apple/

Guide: How to network if you are shy or introverted https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/guides/how-to-network-how-to-make-friends-a-guide-to-networking-12-networking-tips-for-introverts/

Being able to communicate skillfully gives you the ability to stand out. Confident leaders and board members know that it’s not about what they say but about how they’re understood. This skill helps to promote good board relationships and agility.

Join Gerardine Lally, Business Coach, Mentor and Communications Expert, to discover the six strategies to get your ideas heard and implemented in the boardroom. Learn to avoid common communication mistakes to become confident and impactful in the boardroom.

Gerardine Lally is a Business Coach, Mentor and Communications Expert. She has worked with hundreds of companies, boards, and executives across different industries globally to achieve powerful results, enabling growth and success. She has also mentored several SME’s and entrepreneurs and loves their energy and ‘can do attitude’.

Gerardine provides interactive and motivational training/coaching sessions either online or onsite covering everything from delivery, content, message, goals, brand to winning business or attracting investment.

Her success is based on results – taking a laser-like approach to making complex information accessible; communicating with passion and purpose; and getting business working better and teams positively engaged.