Communicating with Confidence When You're Under Pressure

"Communicating clearly, completely, and persuasively sets you up to have the impact and influence you're after. It's how we pitch our brilliant ideas, connect with an audience, inspire others, and win support. But expressing your ideas when you are sleep-deprived, burned out, or in perimenopausal brain fog, can feel nearly impossible. Add to that, having to deliver a message you don't agree with. So, what then? Because dodging the conversation isn't always an option or the right option, so how do we rise to the moment even when we're worried we can't?"

"During our recent Women at Work Live Virtual Event, she talked us through communication techniques that meet you where you're at mentally and emotionally. I started by asking her if there was a particular communication skill that she'd been working on. Oh my gosh. I feel like I've been working on it for 52 years. Basically my whole life. And it might not be what you expect, because I think people will probably say, "Oh, how do I communicate clearly?""

"For me, the communication issue that I'm working on, and it's a lifelong journey, is that of listening. And really listening to understand rather than just listen so I can play back what the person said. Listening in a way to make others feel heard, make others feel understood, not necessaril"

Clear, complete, and persuasive communication helps people pitch ideas, connect with audiences, inspire others, and win support. Stressful conditions such as sleep deprivation, burnout, or perimenopausal brain fog can make expressing ideas feel nearly impossible. Situations may also require delivering messages someone does not agree with, creating additional pressure. Avoiding the conversation is not always possible or appropriate, so communication strategies are needed to meet people where they are mentally and emotionally. A lifelong focus is listening in a way that makes others feel heard and understood, rather than listening only to repeat what was said.

Read at Harvard Business Review