One of the things that differentiates the leaders people gravitate to, connect with, and follow is their ability to communicate. That doesn't just mean speeches. Informal events can take as much skill as a speech in front of thousands.
San Francisco based Decker Communications puts together a yearly list of the world's most and least effective communicators. Part of it is innate, but Kelly Decker, an Executive Vice President at the firm argues that these are skills that anyone can learn.
"We typically have a set of habits," Decker said, "and communications, we find, are more based around one's habits as opposed to an innate 'I can either do it or I can't' kind of thing."
Here's their list of the most effective communicators, examples of their best speeches, and some of the habits you can emulate.
10. Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo
Marissa Mayer's ascension to the top job at Yahoo was one of the biggest stories of the year. She's handled it with grace and panache. She speaks from a position of authority as someone who came up as an engineer, but can connect with anybody.
Speaking of both Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg, Decker Executive Vice President Kelly Decker said "they've got this massive credibility and experience behind them, and yet they've been able to twist it in a way that connects with other people, and that's what so many people in tech are not able to do, they're not able to make that transition and really connect with a variety of different audiences."
Source: Decker Communications
9. Jack Dorsey, Twitter founder and Square CEO
Jack Dorsey has had something of a banner year; the company raised $200 million in series D financing and entered a high profile partnership with Starbucks. He was also number three on the list of Business Insider's Sexiest CEOs Alive.
Part of Twitter's success is attributable to its founder's communication ability. Decker cites his ability to simplify complexity, to use stories to connect to an audience, and a comfortable presence on stage as some of the things that set him apart.
Source: Decker Communications
8. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, hosts of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report
Stewart and Colbert once again showed the power of humor in communication. They take an often complex and very divisive topic and made it hilarious, simpler, and very compelling.
Particularly notable was their extended series of sketches on Super PACs and campaign finance, which genuinely educated their audience on an important issue, and made their opinion about recent changes in the law eminently clear.
Source: Decker Communications
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