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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of Image Group International, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies, and hacks for the new tech world. Here, you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques, and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image, and reputation.

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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to my show. I'm John Michael, your host and today we're diving into the crucial topic that often gets overshadowed in a digital age, the art of effective communication, and I will preface that we will focus mostly on face to face in person communication. But of course, this can also apply to the digital world. Yes, the person to person version, you know that one that is sort of getting pushed to extinction. Only kidding. But that's a myth that AI is solved, that will never happen doesn't matter how good AI becomes because no matter what they say, human beings love human interaction. So effective communication is essential for building strong lasting relationships both personally and professionally. While online strategies, of course, are critical. We all know that we're honing today on the offline techniques that can significantly enhance your personal brand. But first, let's get started with Dr. Albert Moravian. The pioneering research in the field of communication, and of course, best known for his work on the relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages. His research led to the formulation of the 738 55 rule, which breaks down the components of effective face to face communication. It was known and still is known as the Moravian communication model. And that particular model of 738 55 Incorporated, of course, 7% verbal meaning the words, and the context of this is, you know, this is part of the communication that includes the actual words spoken and the content of the message, while crucial words alone account for only 7% of the overall communication process. The second part of this method is the 38%. That's based on the vocal, and that's the tone of voice, the tone, the pitch, the inflection. This aspect of communication involves the tone, pitch and inflection of the speaker's voice, okay. And of course, its impact. The way something is said can convey emotions and attitudes making up for 35% on how the message is received, and interpret. So words matter. But of course, how the words of delivered matter more. And the last bit is the 55%, the visual and known, of course, as the body language, so facial expressions, and of course gestures. This includes also the posture, and other body language cues, including dress, visual elements constitute the majority of the communication process accounting for Believe it or not 55% of the impact on the receiver. 

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And it's certainly funny because most people in my experience find that a little bit as a shock, but the visual communication speaks louder than all and of course, we know that through originally through mediums like television, and of course today with social media and a whole digital world. So let's explore some key strategies to master the art of offline communication. First and foremost, active listening is a fundamental skill. It's not just about hearing words, but it's about understanding the message behind the when you invest selectively. You show respect, and genuine interest, the speaker's perspective. As author Stephen Covey once wisely said, most people do not listen with the intent to understand they listen with the intent to reply. So in other words, you know, instead of really taken on board the message, they're more concerned about looking good in the response. So focusing on understanding you foster trust and deeper connections. And of course, these are areas trust, deeper connections, that things that are really missing in a lot of areas today, because of course, a lot of the digital pressures have not made that any easier. So let's delve a little bit deeper into this. Active listening involves nodding to show comprehension, maintaining eye contact, and occasionally summarising what the context was that the speaker has shared, just to ensure clarity for instance, fry So is like, what I hear you say is, of course, this is also very important in the coaching world. And it sounds like you're feeling like this probably a good term, normally associated with the therapy world, one of these can validate a speaker's feelings and thoughts, making them feel valued. And this is important, people need to feel valued. Otherwise, we know through history, they're not going to be too happy. So when you look at that, then you got to look at the next part is the body language. Now, your nonverbal cues can speak volumes about your confidence and engagement. Of course, we know people can pick if you're confident, or not just specifically how you carry yourself. And of course, body language plays a big part there. So maintaining good posture, you know, using open gestures and being mindful of your facial expressions is all part of you can bind positive messages, or in this case, effective communication. So for instance, a genuine smile can make you appear more approachable and trustworthy. But this is the thing, a smile does not even have to be genuine, to send endorphins into your body, your house, or your mind body system to make you feel at least a little bit more relaxed when you're communicating. So you just try that with a mirror, and you'll see the difference. So although a genuine smile, of course, is always the go to the way to go. At times, you might have to do what you have to do, just to loosen yourself up. Now remember the words also the great, Ralph Waldo Emerson, what you do speak so loudly, that I cannot hear what you say. And of course, your body language. What that means is should align with your words to convey a congruency. And of course, we know that congruency equals authenticity. 

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So imagine you're at a cool networking event, maintaining an open stance, smiling warmly. And we're not that if you did that specifically draws people to you, assuming it's a your networking event to actually attract people to you. But it also creates an inviting atmosphere, and other ways to adapt your communication style to suit different audiences and situations ensuring your message resonates effectively. This means also understanding the context and cultural nuances of your audiences. And this is so important also, we, you know, really getting that done. from a research perspective, let's assume you're doing a presentation in my opinion is essential. For example, when speaking to a group of executives, a formal and concise approach may work best. However, when addressing a creative team, a more relaxed and interactive style might be more effective. Or another example is addressing a younger audience, you know, say Gen Z or y compared to Baby Boomers, they all have different awarenesses that need to be taken into account and into consideration, if you are to have a successful and effective communication. Finally, I say seek feed forward. Remember what I said in the past episodes no more feedback, feed forward to improve and refine your communication skills continuously feed forward as a gift that offers insights into how others perceive you feed forward creates a team of champions in my opinion, don't shy away from asking colleagues, friends or mentors that you trust and respect to give you their thoughts for improvement. It can be as simple as asking, How did I do in that meeting? Or is there anything I could have done differently to make my communication more clear? You know, so these are important and I say, be courageous, ask, ask for some of the feed forward. Because all this is designed for you to bring out the best version of yourself. And if you don't ask people for some of that feed forward, or potentially you could be leaving a lot of blind spots. Now, let me share a story about how I helped the client improve his communication skills. This valued client an alpha male senior executive struggled with engaging his team effectively. He is an excellent leader. However, he does not suffer fools easily and in the current politically correct, cancelled culture. He danced around the edges in order to avoid conflict and of course, exactly what he did that conflict he avoided but as surprisingly there were new and unintended consequences from his actions, because now he was viewed as inauthentic and wishy washy. And the image that did not resonate with the our work was cut out from the perspective We had to do some intentional and honest coaching sessions with him. And what I would call is face to face, direct heart to hearts, where we focus on enhancing his active listening skills, and adapting his communication style to suit his audience. And of course, at the same time, regain his authentic approach. So he started by incorporating regular feed forward sessions with his team as well, which significantly improved mutual understanding and trust. Did I get everybody on board? Absolutely not some had to leave for their own good. However, over time, his team became more cohesive and productive, leading to better overall performance, and a positive work environment. 

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And that's so important because positive work environment means a positive culture. And culture is one of the hardest things you can do to actually get that to work, you know, super effectively. So his courage to communicate with authority and express authentically is the game changer in his career. I reminded him numerous times that that's why he was leading the company in the first place. He was given that role, there was no mistake, and there was time for him to lead and dealing with all sorts of societal pressures out there was part of his job and as a leader, that's what you have to do. So, success story, a happy story in the end, and of course, that story continues to this day. So what I had to say to you before I complete is look thank you for today's episode, you know that you've obviously have taken the time to listen, and I trust also you've gained some value from investing some of your time. But before we finish, I can ask you to connect with me on social media my Twitter/X  is Jon_Michail, my LinkedIn is Jon Michail. And you can find his image Group International on Facebook. If you enjoy that chat, please rate us on Apple podcasts and subscribe for more valuable content. If you need any help to elevate your communication skills, please contact Patricia at patricia.bosa@imagegroup.com.au.  Thank you again for tuning in. Remember mastering offline communication or effective communication can set you apart in both your personal and professional life. And until next time, I wish you all my best and cheerio

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence, and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for personal coaching, seminars, and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.