Words

First, you need to select the appropriate words. Here are some examples of how to frame three different performance improvement situations—one where team performance is low, one where it’s improving but not "there" yet, and one where it’s good but can get even better.

If productivity is down, you might say "Well, as we look at productivity, we can see that it’s 2 percent below where it was last year. I know we can get back to where we were—and eventually beyond—because we have the horsepower right in this room to do it." In selecting these words, you’ve acknowledged where performance is and expressed confidence about improvement.

If you’re making progress in an area, but there’s still more that needs to be made, the message might be: "While we’re making progress on quality, it’s still not where it needs to be. I know we can get to where we need to be by continuing our Six Sigma efforts. Let’s look and see where we need to put our resources next."

If performance is good and you want to boost it more, the message should be: "Cycle time is good, never been better. Let’s look at how to cut it even further. I know we can do it if we work together to figure out how."

In each of these examples, your words described the present situation in simple and direct terms. At the same time, you’ve expressed confidence in moving to an improved level. But your words are only a portion of the message you’re sending.

Verbal Intonations

The tone of your voice is the second element of your message. Everyone has experienced situations where the words sent one message and the tone of voice sent another. When there’s a conflict, which gets believed? Most people believe what the tone of voice conveys.

Just as other people "didn’t mean to convey that," there are going to be times when you "didn’t mean to convey that," but you did. For whatever reason, people picked up on something in your tone of voice and attributed a meaning to it that you didn’t intend.

So make sure that your tone of voice matches the positive message of your words. Not only should you avoid the obvious mismatch, but also the unintentional mismatch—those occasional situations where your words say one thing and your tone of voice says another.

Once you have these two matched – words and verbal intonations, you can begin your assessment of the element that carries most of the weight – your non-verbal cues.

About the Author

Tom Connellan is a motivational keynote speaker regularly used by leading firms such as GE, Neiman Marcus, Dell, FedEx and Marriott to strengthen customer loyalty and leadership practices. When looking for a keynote speaker, Tom probably belongs on your short list of possibilities.