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Whether preparing for a major presentation or for a meeting with immediate colleagues, the obvious preoccupation is with the message, the content of what you want to say. Less attention usually goes on how you come across as an individual, on the tone, style and body language of the presenter.
Simon Thornton, as Vice President of Marketing at NACCO Materials Handling Group, has a particularly wide range of data to master when he talks, including the technology of his own company's products, the logistical needs and technology of customers, and the structure and dynamics of the market. Little wonder then that his communications strategy was based on sure command of content in any meeting where he had to make a case.
But Thornton was conscious that he was not always delivering the full value of what he had to say.
"I wasn't alone in this," he says. "A number of directors leading teams across Europe, Africa and the Middle East wanted to maximise the effectiveness of their communication. In particular, we wanted to know if there were behaviours that might be detracting from our ability to do this. What are the ingredients for the sort of presence that commands an audience and connects them with the message?"
Looking for answers to these questions, Simon Thornton and two fellow directors undertook a personal presence programme with Jo Ouston & Co.
"The most immediate message of the course," Thornton says, "Was that in talking to any group - or to any individual - a huge amount of the power comes from non-verbal communication. A great speechwriter does not guarantee a great speech."
So is there a template we can all follow to transform our personal impact? Thornton's comments are interesting.
"Three of us from my company were on this course, and I think we all came out of it with the ability to be much more effective communicators, but we are not now three identical communicators. The emphasis was in linking fundamental techniques to individual characteristics. There is also the issue of adjusting to different audiences. It was not so much about gaining confidence in public speaking but in being conscious of how to address certain kinds of audiences and what unconscious actions to avoid."
"The programme asked us to consider who we were trying to influence ahead of a meeting or presentation and to think through how we might go about convincing them. In modern organisations with flat management structures, this is particularly important."
Six months after Simon Thornton and his colleagues attended the course, Jo Ouston & Co arranged a follow-up masterclass on personal presence for the group, who have also sent a number of their senior managers on the programme.
Thornton concludes: "Just as a golf pro dissects a student's swing, the Jo Ouston course prompted us to think about each element of how we go about presenting ourselves to an audience. We found this very helpful."
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