If you want to get back to basics and have a refresher course on the fundamentals of communication, speaking, and leadership, this episode is for you.

My guest today is Joel Schwartzberg. You may remember him from one of our most popular episodes, How to Make a Point That Sticks. Joel is a leadership communications coach and author and today he brings his tips to help you create a "language of leadership."

Joel's key message: "The most powerful tool you have as a leader—to inform, engage, and inspire—is your voice. Yet all too often, our words fall flat; we get caught in our head, fail to truly understand our audience, or simply flub the landing. But it’s our words and awareness of their impact that make the difference between simply managing teams and inspiring them to do their best work. "

We discuss:

• Why some women come across as aggressive if they are straight forward
• The importance of gender neutral language
• Ideas around what to do if you are interrupted in a meeting and how to deal with that
• Why leaders need to focus their communication on inspiration, not just information
• The importance of shifting language from merely sharing problems to solving them
• Do’s and don’ts for conveying empathy and hope
• Easy ways leaders can improve the effectiveness of meetings through communication
• The three simple words that quickly reveal if you’re getting your point across or not

More about Joel:

Joel Schwartzberg is a leadership communications coach whose clients include American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, State Farm Insurance, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Comedy Central. Joel’s articles on effective communication have appeared in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Toastmaster magazine. He is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter, which Seth Godin calls “a manifesto for giving talks that make a difference,” and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team, which Kevin Eikenberry says “will make your communication more purposeful, meaningful, and inspirational.”

Learn more about Joel and his coaching practice here.

Get Joel's new book, The Language of Leadership

Want to improve your public speaking skills and check out a Speaker Sisterhood club as a guest? Your first meeting is free and all clubs are meeting online. Find the club that works for you here.