Communication is becoming increasingly important and the manager is more and more developing into the brand of a company. They have to represent the company, its services, and products. They have to take a stand in statements, interviews, and talks with or in the media. They have to take part in discussions or television debates. They have to handle negotiations, purchase and sales talks. And finally, they have to be communicatively convincing in internal meetings, conferences, job and exit interviews.
The manager as a communicator is a holistic concept. They have to be convincing, verbal and non-verbal, in a variety of situations: firstly, in direct, personal dialogues and secondly in the increasingly important digital world. This may be in the form of a statement to the annual report, an instruction of a new product or in a video conference.
The St. Gallen Center for Communication supports managers and executives in developing and expanding their communication skills in both internal and external communication. We rely on proven approaches that can be adapted individually and situational. For example, we help managers with producing and implementing statements in the electronic media, which are structured as follows:
In a first step, an act of surprise, emotion or even irritation should capture the audience’s attention. The speaker has five seconds for this task. In a second step, the question is answered. The speaker has ten seconds for this task. Finally, 20 seconds remain to place a personal message, for example, the strategic goal. In this process, it is important to connect answer and message by a conjunction, a comma or a clear language structure.
Relying on established communication patterns and a broad communication toolbox is not only important in electronic media, but also in everyday interactive communication situations with employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. The St. Gallen Centre for Communication is happy to assist you in all these tasks.