Blog

Being an Intentional Communicator - with Dr. Nick Morgan

Being an Intentional Communicator – with Dr. Nick Morgan

Guest Introduction:

Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication theorists and coaches. He is a former Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and the founder of Public Words Inc, a company dedicated to developing master communicators. Nick is also the author of several books, including “Trust Me,” “Power Cues,” and his latest book, “Can You Hear Me? How to Connect with People in a Virtual World,” which will be released on October 30th, 2018.

Interview Summary:

In this interview, Nick starts by describing what it means to be an intentional communicator. He talks about the two components of communication: content and intent, and explains why our body language always trumps our words. Nick reveals the first question we ask ourselves when we meet someone new. He explains how nervousness affects body language, and talks about mirror neurons and how emotions are contagious. He also discusses the evolutionary origins of emotion sharing.

Chris and Nick then talk about common body language cues, and how people’s feet and heads indicate emotions. Nick discusses the two aspects of body language: your current feelings, and your history. Chris and Nick each give an example from their coaching to illustrate how past experiences can affect body language. Nick also offers some tips for opening up and preventing our body language from becoming closed.

Next, Nick talks about the process of mirroring, and explains the difference between that and mirror neurons. He goes into the neuroscience of the unconscious mind, and reveals how the mind makes decisions. Nick then discusses some of the concepts in his book, “Power Cues,” particularly the neuroscience of the voice. He talks about how speaking at the lower end versus the higher end of our vocal range affects how others perceive us. Nick also describes how nervousness affects our voice. He offers some tips on how to speak with more confidence and poise.

Nick then discusses some power cues associated with learning to read other people. He explains how we unconsciously measure and locate the position of everyone in a room. He gives advice on quieting the mind, opening up, and becoming more aware of our surroundings. Finally, we ask Nick about his new book, “Can You Hear Me?” He discusses how digital communication has made it much more difficult to read emotions. He then offers strategies for how to mitigate this problem and infuse more emotion into digital communication.

Mike

Mike is the Producer for the Craft of Charisma Podcast.

0

Your Cart