Impactful Communication: George Nagle Of The Ideation Emporium of Creativity On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator
An Interview With Athalia Monae
CLEAR- Language is a powerful tool. You must use words and meanings that the other person uses to allow cleaner communication to occur. Caring will enable you to do this if you start using their words and asking what they mean. Clear use of words can sometimes allow for discovering simple changes and moving mountains in relationships.
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 George M. Nagle, MS MBA.
George Nagle, MS & MBA, is a former global executive who managed a portfolio of over $352M. He has written and executed several global strategies in multiple industries. As a creative innovation leader, he has launched 19 products in 14 months. George is the author of the Breakthrough Thinking™ series from The Ideation Emporium of Creativity®, who now takes his simple methods around the world to inspire everyone to unleash their creativity at work and home.
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?
As a creative innovator, I would say that I haven’t had a specific career path. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t had goals and utilized strategies to achieve those goals. I mean that as I have evolved and progressed through a rather diverse career, having touched 24 industries and everything from financial analysis to product development to being an executive global marketing director, I have always been mindful of what is directly in front of me needs 80% of my attention while recognizing that 20% needs to be spent on the possibilities of what is coming.
You know, when people ask teenagers and early 20-year-olds what they want to do in life, I find that such an odd question. Their brains aren’t even done developing, especially in the prefrontal cortex. I then look at the people who ask that question and often realize that it is those people who want to return to that age to pick a different path.
In recent years, the keynote speaking and consulting around creative innovation has been and continues to be a deliberate course of action. I enjoy hearing the amazing stories and ideas that people have. I get to help demonstrate better methods of communication, strategy, conceptualization, and, most importantly, execution. When you can take what takes most companies 3 to 5 years to do as an iteration and create a true market-defining innovation in 8 months, you tend to accomplish a lot while always having your eye on the horizon.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I can’t promise this is the most interesting because I think that as age happens the most interesting story can change. I do recall working on establishing the new business for the company I was working for in the Middle East. We worked in oil and gas chemistry, which is very closely related to water treatment. We were established in water treatment in the area but could never break into the oil and gas markets.
At the time, I was the executive director of marketing and felt that we needed a different approach than what we had been doing in the past. Our sales team was extremely knowledgeable about the chemistries but not the market of oil and gas. I remember taking three distinct trips to the region, touching base in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia each time. The difference with me going was I knew the industry for oil and gas, our chemistry, and had connections within sister parts of the same organization in other areas of the world. I essentially made them feel more at ease by understanding the language they were using for oil and gas so that they started to trust me. From there, I was giving them information from other areas of the world from their own organization that they weren’t aware of, so I was providing valuable insights on their internal operations. This gave me creditability. From there, I took the time to respect their customs and traditions on communication. The sales team also did that, but they didn’t have the first two parts of the puzzle needed to move forward. My efforts led to getting a few multi-million dollar multi-year contracts for the company. For me, I got to explore new areas and see some amazing people and cultures.
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?
Adaptability, execution, and speed would be my three, though funny enough, you will find communication is at the core to each of those being a success trait.
Adaptability is more than dealing with small changes. It is also being willing to scrap everything that you have worked on, admit that you have made an error or are going down the wrong path, and offering or accepting a new path based on new data. The reason that communication is a core to adaptability is because if you aren’t actively communicating, you can’t possibly know that things might have drastically changed.
I was working on a fairly large project for automating a food safety test. We developed assays, software for robotic communication, ordered a few very expensive instruments to carry out the trials and had 18 months of research and development time involved. After that much time, I followed my own process that said I needed to reconnect with customers. When I did, I discovered a massive shift in perceptions of that type of equipment.
I conferred with the team who felt we should at least finish the project, which would be another 4 to 6 months, plus all of the regulatory approvals. I disagreed and made a case to the executive team to terminate the project and devote resources to other projects that had become more attractive to the market and could be finished in 9 months plus regulatory time. It truly came down to the voice of customer and how the numbers played out. There were some hurt feelings because of how much time some had invested in the project, but we had to adapt and not continue down a sunken path.
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?
An effective communicator is someone who delivers a message that resonates with the person being asked to receive it in such a way that the receiver is clear on what is to happen next. I think that the communicator needs a few building blocks to do that. First is trust, or maybe for a new encounter, the absence of distrust. The second is authenticity so that trust is maintained. The third would be clarity in terms the audience understands.
How can one tailor their communication style to different audiences or situations?
The best tailoring is to the individual, but one-on-one communication isn’t always practical. I recommend and teach in workshops the 5 C’s of communication, Calm, Caring, Clear, Concise, and Consistent. It is about taking those elements that you can control, listening or seeking to understand, as Stephen Covey correctly says, and then delivering the message using those building blocks we just talked about.
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to reach a particular audience successfully?
Every time that I deliver a keynote or anything similar to that, I always make that speech as unique as possible. To do that, I have to put in the time to understand aspects of the culture, the strategies, the history, and outsider perceptions. All of those require me to rewrite areas of my speech while keeping the underlying lessons in place.
I enjoy having fun with my audiences and incorporate song lyrics into my speeches as part of a listening game. After I was about 30 seconds into a speech that I was giving at a college, a member of the audience stood up and claimed for the entire room to hear that I was about to give the exact same speech that I had given a month prior at another location. This person was certain of it because the start was the instruction on how to play this music game. She then said the number at the end and how people will get it incorrect. I am going to avoid the numbers in case your audience ever happens to be at an event that I have been asked to speak at.
Clearly, she was aggravated. I stepped down from the platform that I was on, approached her in a deliberate but non-threatening manner, and proceeded to ask her in my best late-night DJ voice, “Did you not like the discussion last month?” I then let her talk for about two minutes non-stop. It turns out that she did like it but had been sent to hear this speech again by her boss and felt it was a waste of time and money. She was way behind on projects and didn’t need another hour wasted. Her spilling the beans on the game was just frustration.
My reply was, “I’m sorry that my speech made you feel like it was going to be a repeat or like it is a canned presentation that I give everyone. Thank you for bringing to my attention that it is possibly perceived that way. Can you, after this is done, and you have heard everything I say today, find ways to improve it so it is more unique and tailored to the audience?” Beyond the building blocks of reestablishing trust in an authentic manner, I made it about her. I also put in place a mechanism specifically for her to want to listen and maintain clarity because now she was there to help me, not me help her.
After the speech was done, she came up to me and apologized. She also laughed with me when she saw how much I changed my speech because the songs, and the number I used, was different. I later checked in with her boss, and it turns out she, the boss, had sent her again because the boss felt the employee hadn’t gotten the message the first time when I presented for their company. The boss did report that the employee had gotten it the second time.
How do you handle difficult or sensitive conversations while maintaining open and effective communication?
That is a tough one to answer because I have to admit that I don’t always do this well and I should because I know better! My default is to solve problems. When I am busy or rushing and people are speaking to me, I want to help. I forget, sometimes, that sometimes people just need to be understood. Like the lady we just discussed. While I was giving the speech, I was in the mode to be open and effective. I was using the 5 C’s. I don’t, sadly, always do that though I really should. I will say, that once I am aware of the difficulty or potential sensitive nature to a conversation, I do use them. I am happy to say that I have practiced enough that now when I am consciously engaged, I use them.
In your experience, how does storytelling play a role in impactful speaking? Why do you think stories are effective in communication?
Stories bring a feeling of authenticity and that allows for trust. Trust is the cornerstone of communication, be it in a verb or non-verb manner.
What are your “5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator”?
This is where 5 C’s- Calm, Caring, Clear, Concise, and Consistent really are powerful. When you employ them, in order at first, you can get amazing results. I think using a generalization might paint a better picture than a story on each element. These are based in some education for how to talk with kids in the foster system, though I did add the fifth C of Consistent that is now used here in Michigan and Pennsylvania’s training. Let’s face it, if these techniques work with those who have experienced things no one should, let alone a child, then I think they easily become analogous for everyone.
1 . CALM- Think back to when you were in an argument about something minor and suddenly realized that you and the other person were both yelling. The moment that one of you de-escalates, the opportunity for the other person to copy you appears. Typically, they will start to calm down quickly. Why? Because we subconsciously will match our environment after an initial reaction. Try it out if you have doubts.
If you are a parent and a child is throwing a massive tantrum, try lowering your voice. Also, try sitting down calmly and see how quickly they calm down. Don’t get into a shouting match; just bring yourself down. If you are deliberately doing this, you are more likely to recognize what is really wrong. True, in business, we don’t see full-out tantrums often, but things can get heated; often about who is right and who is wrong.
When we are arguing, our emotions flood our brains, making it hard to consider anything else, regardless if it is logical or correct. The stress hormone cortisol can linger up to seven hours from just a two-minute explosion. By remaining calm and helping others remain calm, it limits the power of cortisol.
2 . CARING- Once calm, you need to exhibit genuine caring or empathy. Remember that when you are calm, you have the ability to spot issues. Now you have an opportunity to care about the other person, to bring kindness to the moment. That does not mean you just rollover. It, in fact, represents the opposite. It means you recognize a chance to reflect and gain another perspective. Doing that helps the other to calm down.
It is also easier for people to feel you can be empathetic if you physically match them where they are. If at the office, go to that person’s area or at least a neutral room with no physical barriers between you. No physical barriers specifically mean no desks or tables at all, just open space. If it is a small child, physically bend down to their level. Get to their eye level, or a little below if possible, to reduce your size as a factor of unintentional intimidation.
3 . CLEAR- Language is a powerful tool. You must use words and meanings that the other person uses to allow cleaner communication to occur. Caring will enable you to do this if you start using their words and asking what they mean. Clear use of words can sometimes allow for discovering simple changes and moving mountains in relationships.
4 . CONCISE- This tends to work in tandem with Clear. You need to use short, deliberate questions followed by statements. If you are talking a lot and the other person is not ready to receive you, your clear words, caring approach, and calmness mean nothing. The power of 3 and 5 is woven distinctly into staying concise so that whatever is said is memorable.
5 . CONSISTENT- This can also be part of your personal brand. Actions speak louder than words- always. If you master the other four C’s and fail here, you will lose the person. This does usually take time, but it doesn’t always have to. If you routinely find ways to be consistent in your approach to communication, you will find a new authentic connection to people faster. In dealing with children in the welfare system, the only real consistent thing they know is broken promises. It turns out that most people view inconsistency as minor broken promises. When we are consistent, that tends to be the glue that brings the others together and can often bridge gaps to allow for playfulness.
How do you integrate non-verbal cues into your communication? Can you provide an example of its importance?
Non-verbal is important. I would ask people to think about a time they tried to communicate with a baby or someone from another country. All you have is non-verbal communication. In fact, during my workshops, we do an exercise that is all about non-verbal communication and it’s importance.
I took 4 years of Spanish in high school and a year in college. I learned more Spanish and communication during an 8-day stint in the heart of the Amazon jungle. I didn’t have a translator, but was helping a team work on pipelines and wells that a grown man could easily fit into. I had to demonstrate, slow down, and ask questions. My best indicators of communication were smiles, frowns, pointing, and others starting conversations in rapid Spanish and Portuguese. I was able to teach them what I needed with my broken verbal communication because of non-verb cues.
How has digital communication changed the way you convey your messages? Are there any specific challenges or advantages you’ve encountered?
The only constant is change, and that certainly applies to how communication has been altered in a digital world. You need to be more specific in your keywords while staying as abrupt as possible. That sounds like it is on the board of being an oxymoronic statement, but that is the change from digitization. The advantages from those that can adapt their communication, like in the 5 C’s, is capturing the attention of a wider audience. The downfall is having more meaningful communication that is personalized. That personalization lends itself to deep trust and is ultimately more effective for everyone involved.
Public speaking is a common fear. What techniques or strategies do you recommend to manage and overcome stage fright?
I have three things that I think about. First, your audience, for the most part, wants to hear what you have to say. They aren’t negatively judging you on your shaky voice or looking down too much (unless you are a professional presenter). Second, most people do not envy you being in the spotlight because they also have that common fear. Third, you will notice remember, and dwell on an error that you make in a speech way longer than the audience, assuming they even noticed. Acknowledge anything big with a self-laugh and move on; your audience already did and it makes your communication even more impactful.
What additional resources do you recommend for individuals looking to improve communication skills?
The first is to stop making statements and start asking questions that are not leading or judgmental. That sounds simple, and conceptually it is, but that does not make it easy. Mastering this, something I continue to work on myself, can unlock everything.
I think reading is a resource that many overlook for improving their communication. It brings out a diversity of thought when you start reading through a variety of topics and subjects. This does require moving away from your tried and true sources, but it unlocks new ways to communicate in a creative way that you won’t necessarily be conscious of doing.
Learning a new language would be right at the top of the list. A new language actually forms different thought processes because of the communication style change. You start to see the world differently because of the restrictions of the new language and because of your novice understanding of it. The bonus to learning a new language is bring awareness to how to more effectively use non-verbal cues.
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. 🙂
I am trying to start a service for missing individuals that is built on past knowledge of missing and exploited individuals. The system would be the first to have true depth in categorization and allow the study of stress effects on aging to generate better predictions of facial character changes and overall habits.
How can our readers further follow you online?
The easiest way to reach me is at GeorgeNagle.com or by searching for me on LinkedIn or even Google. I pop right up!
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: George Nagle Of The Ideation Emporium of Creativity On 5 Essential… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.