I’ve spent a lot of time in corporate settings over the years, and one thing that has always struck me is how many leaders (not all of them, but quite a few nonetheless) tend to eliminate emotion and appropriate enthusiasm from how they present information. Whether communicating up, down, or laterally within the organization, they consistently err on the side of brevity and blandness.
Rather than being enthusiastic through word choice, expression, and gesture, they “play it safe” and choose to be stoic.
They are cautious about how they convey a message through their voice.
Everything sounds monotone … without feeling.
Clearly, there is a time and place for enthusiasm. No one expects their boss (or anyone, for that matter) to walk into a room and excitedly shout, “Oh, boy … we’re doing layoffs today!” They also wouldn’t expect them to say, “I’m so incredibly excited because it’s Wednesday,” without at least providing a little context to get everyone else excited. That said, genuine enthusiasm—the ability to show keen interest and passion for what you are saying—is appropriate in virtually any other setting. And it must be mastered.
Give Yourself Permission To Express Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is a powerful differentiator in effective communication strategies. By speaking with energy, passion, excitement, and optimism, you do more than inform—you engage, inspire, motivate, and create buy-in from your audience.
They want to hear more. Perhaps more importantly, they want to hear more from YOU.
Enthusiasm has many benefits, including but not limited to the following:
- Enhancing clarity and delivery
- Showing confidence and that you believe in what you’re saying
- Improved reception of ideas
- A more memorable message
- An uptick in trust and credibility
- Increasingly positive interactions
- Eliciting responses and actions from the audience
Aside from the corporate world, an example I often think about is when my kids were in elementary school. They had this super-enthusiastic teacher who was really into Shakespeare—so much so that she had the kids try out for and perform in a Shakespearean play once a year. I can’t tell you how passionate many kids became about classic literature and being on stage.
And it was all because the teacher was enthusiastic and expressed her genuine passion for Shakespeare.
Enthusiasm Is Equally As Important in Business
People are curious by nature. When you’re willing to be enthusiastic about what you’re trying to communicate (and you give others a reason to be enthusiastic with you), it will make your audience open their minds to the message you’re trying to convey at that moment.
This is where TalkMeUp can help—especially if you struggle to infuse more enthusiasm into your communications. This innovative, one-of-a-kind software profoundly addresses communication shortcomings by leveraging AI for instant measurement, analysis, reporting, tracking, scaling, and more. TalkMeUp gives you and your teams the feedback everyone needs to communicate better—all in real-time. To me, that’s the best feature. You can practice with TalkMeUp repeatedly and track your progress on matters related to empathy and overall civility. As you see changes in your communication, others will see you as a leader who speaks passionately and confidently.
Interested in seeing how TalkMeUp can help you improve your communication skills? Try TalkMeUp for free with no obligation. Also, please join us for our next webinar, where I will discuss how to handle unavoidable disagreements.
About the Author
Ron Placone, Ph.D., is an Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus of Business Management Communication and the Former Faculty Lead and Interim Executive Director for the Accelerate Leadership Center at the Tepper School of Business. Ron teaches a range of communication courses and leadership programs for Tepper students. Ron’s research interests include civility in discourse and fostering individual and team creativity. Previously at Carnegie Mellon, Ron was the Assistant Vice President for Learning & Development. Before joining Carnegie Mellon in 1999, Ron was Vice President and Director of Organizational Development and Communications for Mellon Network Services. Ron has been a consultant, leadership, and communication coach for numerous executives and corporate and not-for-profit organizations. He has consulted in health care, financial services, education, technology, and energy sectors. Ron has a Ph.D. in Rhetoric-English from Carnegie Mellon University.
