Impactful Communication: Susie Ashfield Of Speak2Impact On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator
An Interview With Athalia Monae
Silence is golden: If I could offer just one tip for improving your delivery, it would be to pause. Pausing is one of the most underutilised tools in communication. It prevents filler words, stammering, or losing your train of thought. Pausing makes you sound confident, concise, and assertive. Practice pausing every time you pitch, speak to a client or even have an internal conversation because the more you do it, the better you’ll connect with your audience.
In an age dominated by digital communication, the power of articulate and effective verbal communication cannot be understated. Whether it’s delivering a keynote address, leading a team meeting, or engaging in a one-on-one conversation, impactful speaking can open doors, inspire change, and create lasting impressions. But what truly sets apart an effective communicator? What techniques and nuances elevate a speech from mundane to memorable? As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Susie Ashfield.
Susie Ashfield is the UK’s leading Speech Coach, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, employees, and CEOs look, sound, and feel confident about public speaking. Over the past seven years, Susie has worked with major corporations, guiding many to become leaders within their industries.
Poor communication often goes unnoticed, yet it can significantly impact a business’s success. When information isn’t conveyed effectively, productivity can decline, and key opportunities may be missed.
In this article, Susie demonstrates how mastering communication can enhance business efficiency and prevent misunderstandings or unintended self-sabotage in front of important stakeholders. Here are Susie’s top five tips to strengthen communication skills and excel as a storyteller and communicator in business.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about communication, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Instead of studying at university, I spent three years at drama school, going barefoot and pretending to be various characters, animals, and — on one occasion — seaweed. The main thing drama school teaches you is to understand the needs of an audience, which forms the foundation of everything I do today. After drama school, I became an actor, which actually meant I spent a lot of time as a waitress. At one event where I was serving drinks, I got talking to a woman who ran an insurance company. She suggested I stop waitressing and become an insurance broker instead. Strangely enough, I then went on to become an insurance broker. My time in the corporate world led me to realize that most professionals hated public speaking and thought that hiding behind complicated messages was the best way to keep their audience content. This was where I saw my opportunity to do the work I do now.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Here is a story from a client that encapsulates a problem I encounter daily.
A very large, well-known organization (which will remain anonymous) had organized a factory tour for its shareholders. The day was a great success, with the factory engineers and shareholders spending time together discussing various projects and products. At the end of the day, the shareholders were asked for feedback. One shareholder revealed that, although they’d enjoyed the dinner, the tour, and the presentations, they hadn’t known at any point during the event what they were actually looking at. The engineers had assumed there was no need to explain each project, as it seemed obvious to them.
Never be afraid to explain things simply.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- A sense of humour: Back at drama school, I really excelled at clowning (let’s not talk about my dance skills). The ability to play the clown has been a fundamental part of anything I’ve done in my life that I consider to be ‘successful’. A clown puts their audience above them. A clown can win friends through their vulnerabilities. Above all things, making someone else laugh is the great marketing tool out there, and it doesn’t get used enough. Leaders think they have to be perfect, but I’ve always found that clients warm to me when I walk in and apologise for the fact I’ve just spilt coffee down myself. I’m not sure where the red nose and the tiny car come in, but I’m pretty sure they form an essential part of it somewhere…
- An ability to communicate: It goes without saying that this is a skill I feel I have well under my belt, but a large part of communication is having an ability to listen — there’s just as much strength in what you don’t say. A pause can be one of the most effective tools out there when you just need someone to tell you that one huge thing they’re holding back on. Time and time again, if I feel like a client session isn’t going in the right direction then I’ll remind myself to say less and listen more — it’s always hugely effective.
- A willingness to take risks: A friend of mine is a lawyer, and when they pick up the phone to me they’ll often open with the weary words “what have you done now?” I seem to need variety and adventure on a daily basis as I have a low threshold for boredom. That means I often sail close to the line, but when it pays off the result can be really exciting. I encourage clients to do the same. Make the joke, tell the story, drop balloons from the sky in front of 500 actuaries to make the event a memorable one. As long as no one ends up getting hurt you’ll find that surprise your audience, and they’re delighted by it.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. How would you define an “Effective Communicator?” What are the characteristics of an effective communicator?
Someone who never says too much, but when they do speak, it’s memorable. Someone who uses storytelling and emotions to engage a roomful of humans. Someone who talks as much as they listen. Someone who has the ability to make the complex clear and the dull dynamic.
How can one tailor their communication style to different audiences or situations?
Ask yourself, if I was in this particular audience, on this particular day, in this particular set of circumstances, what would I want to hear right now? The other thing you can do is actually ask your audience what it is that they want to hear. It’s amazing how many people don’t think to do that. It can sometimes feel like too obvious an approach when the answer is standing right in front of you…
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to reach a particular audience successfully?
It’s true that you should adapt your style everytime you stand up to speak, but often the audience is far more forgiving than we believe them to be.
There is an urban legend in my industry (that I know to be true), of a speaker who was working to deliver a talk in English, to a non-English speaking audience, using a live translator. Ahead of the talk, the speaker explained the content of their talk to the translator who advised that whilst the talk was very good, there were jokes in there that wouldn’t really be understood by the audience because they were just too ‘English’.
The speaker insisted on keeping the jokes in the script and went ahead with the talk. When the time came to tell the joke, the audience laughed their heads off.
Later, when the speaker was discussing this great success with the translator, the translator explained that at the point of the joke, they’d simply said the audience
“The speaker is going to tell a joke now. I am not going to say it because it does not translate effectively, but it would be very helpful if you could all laugh.”
And that’s exactly what had happened.
How do you handle difficult or sensitive conversations while maintaining open and effective communication?
The following three steps are essential:
1. Listen
2. Ask the right questions
3. Listen.
On top of that, prepare to be wrong. However, the greatest tip here is to build a culture of open and honest conversations, so that you never get to the ‘difficult conversation’ stage. Prevention is always, always better than cure.
In your experience, how does storytelling play a role in impactful speaking? Why do you think stories are effective in communication?
Becoming a master storyteller is essential to becoming a brilliant and effective communicator in business. All too often, we rely on data, statistics, and graphs to get our points across, forgetting that the most powerful way to win the hearts and minds of clients and customers is through storytelling and case studies. It’s one of the most important tools you have as a business leader, plus it won’t be difficult to find examples that perfectly explain why you’re so amazing at what you do! Why dive into a technical explanation when you have something much more powerful up your sleeve? Choose tangible information over anything that’s abstract.
What are your “5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator”?
1 . Silence is golden: If I could offer just one tip for improving your delivery, it would be to pause. Pausing is one of the most underutilised tools in communication. It prevents filler words, stammering, or losing your train of thought. Pausing makes you sound confident, concise, and assertive. Practice pausing every time you pitch, speak to a client or even have an internal conversation because the more you do it, the better you’ll connect with your audience.
2 . Less is always more: Don’t overstuff it, just cut, cut, cut. Being a business leader might lead you to believe that you need to prove your credibility to your audience, which then leads to convoluted and garbled messages. No one has ever complained about a message being too simple or too clear so learn to reduce everything down by letting go of the details, no matter how much you love them!
3 . Make it emotional: Don’t be afraid to show your emotions, especially when storytelling. Audiences will pick up on your feelings if you express them. Whether you’re frustrated, overjoyed, disappointed, or anxious, share those emotions with your audience. They will not only connect with your feelings but also feel a deeper connection to you. By showing vulnerability, you invite your audience in, helping them relate to what you do. In the end, people connect with people.
4 . Surprise Them: When it comes to communicating your message, do something different. You don’t need to drop balloons from the ceiling, but if you deliver the same message in the same way as everyone else, you’ll get as much attention as a safety announcement before a flight. Find ways to shake things up — add humour, use props, or bring in guest speakers. Whatever you do, make it unexpected so the audience stays engaged, and your message hits with maximum impact, which means you’ll immediately stand out from the competition.
5 . Be yourself — everyone else is taken: While communicating might push you out of your comfort zone, it should never feel like you’re acting or pretending to be someone you’re not. Some of the best communicators are the ones willing to share who they truly are. Audiences connect with authenticity, not perfection. People appreciate humour, personality, and even flaws. There’s a reason we love comedians and distrust overly polished politicians — so let your audience see the real you. The same applies to your business. Have a clear and authentic identity and don’t be afraid to shout about it.
How do you integrate non-verbal cues into your communication? Can you provide an example of its importance?
Think back to a teacher you had at school who you either really loved, or really loathed. What can you remember about them? I bet you can recall the way they made you feel. You can probably even recall what they looked like, and at a push, what they sounded like. Can you remember a single sentence they said to you about the subject they were teaching you? Absolutely not. The non-verbal is just as important as the content, if not more so. Comedians are fully aware of this too. So often it’s not the complex joke that receives the laugh, but the one where the tone, timing and facial expression is just right. As Frank Carson said “it’s the I tell ‘em!”
How has digital communication changed the way you convey your messages? Are there any specific challenges or advantages you’ve encountered?
I think it’s changed the way everyone conveys messages. The average length of a TikTok video is 30–45 seconds, which says a lot. Our attention spans are shrinking, which means we need to ensure we capture an audience’s attention quickly. Using ‘hooks’ is an effective way of doing this. Start with an opening line that sounds like a newspaper’s most scandalous headline and there’ll be no opportunity for an audience to disengage. For example “I’m here with a huge confession.” I want to start by letting you in on a secret.” “When I was eight years old, the most amazing thing happened to me…”
Public speaking is a common fear. What techniques or strategies do you recommend to manage and overcome stage fright?
The pint-and-a-half effect is my go to strategy when dealing with stage fright. Just because you’re nervous doesn’t mean your credibility is in question. When anxiety starts to bubble up, most people respond by becoming overly formal and stiff, communicating in a corporate, detached style. The key to relaxing your audience is doing the opposite. Imagine yourself in a pub, about a pint and a half in — that relaxed, confident body language will help you appear at ease, and in turn, your audience will feel more comfortable too.
What additional resources do you recommend for individuals looking to improve communication skills?
The least expensive way to do it is to watch TED Talks but with a critical eye. When you see a speaker you like, ask yourself what it is about what they’re doing that makes their delivery so effective. The second thing to do is to practice. I’ve worked with companies who’ve ended up hosting public speaker sessions as a place where employees can practice their presentations, pitches and talks and receive honest and fair feedback. It really improves their communication skills and puts them well ahead of their competitors when it comes to the delivery. Finally, if you want to throw yourself in at the deep end but see endless results, then sign up to improv or stand-up comedy classes. Terrifying but highly effective.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
‘Great influence’ seems a lot of responsibility! I’d argue that anyone can have ‘great influence’ if they’re able to communicate their idea in a way that can be understood by everyone in the room. I often work with a brilliant charity called ‘Fine Cell Work’, which is a small, but powerful organisation that teaches prisoners embroidery skills, and then pays them for their work. Entrepreneurship is a fine force for good and this is a fantastic example of that. I’d like to see this movement grow and be known about by more people.
Alternatively, most of the clients who I see with severe stage fright didn’t have any drama lessons at a school. Drama classes, theatre productions and even the simple act of reading out loud in front of the class are such a sure fire way to instil in people that audiences are working with you, and not against you. It’s a skill you’ll carry for life, and it’s such an important part of turning you into a confident, assertive and creative professional. If there was one movement to start, I’d insist that every child in the world had to do something in the school play (even if it’s just the third mouse in a pantomime). They’ll be thankful for it one day…
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can find me on YouTube at @susieashfield, and I also share my insights on TikTok and LinkedIn. For a deeper dive, check out my online course at Speak2Impact Academy. Email me at: [email protected] to book a 30 minutes complimentary taster session.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Athalia Monae is a product creator, published author, entrepreneur, advocate for Feed Our Starving Children, contributing writer for Entrepreneur Media, and founder of Pouches By Alahta.
Impactful Communication: Susie Ashfield Of Speak2Impact On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.