Impactful Communication: Tim Castle Of The Negotiators Edge On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator
An Interview With Athalia Monae
Slow down — in order to be an effective communicator the audience must be paying attention, when you rush due to excitement or nerves you rob them of the opportunity to come with you. Whereas when you slow down and speak with purpose you command attention and respect, slowing down shows confidence, respect and expertise.
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 Tim Castle
Tim Castle is a negotiation futurist, multi-award winning, bestselling Author, notably The Art of Negotiation and The Momentum Sales Model. Founder of The Negotiators Edge a training academy helping you maximize influence, persuasion and value creation in an AI centric world. Recognised in the Worlds Top 30 Negotiation Professionals 2025. Host of the Tim Castle Show.
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?
I studied Psychology at University in London, right from the beginning, when I first discovered the field, I knew I wanted to work with people. At first I thought I wanted to become a clinical psychologist but after discovering the world of influence, communication and relationship building — media, advertising and technology beckoned.
Turns out this was a pretty great time to understand and operate in the media industry as the world transitioned to mobile advertising and social media boomed.
I started my career at the UKs largest barter company.
During my time there I worked in the UK and then Australia, I was exposed expert deal makers, master relationship builders and was involved in multiple high stakes negotiations daily. I learned from the best in the business how to create value and generate commercially beneficial outcomes for all parties as well as understood the importance of network. The time here showed me that the possibility for value creation is all around us, you just have to change your mindset and amplify your ability to help others. The experiences here taught me how to scale a business rapidly and sustainably.
At the time corporate barter wasn’t always everyone’s cup of tea, especially the media owners who needed to understand the incrementality that a barter company was bringing to the table. It had a damaged reputation due to other companies who’d used unethical short term tactics to land deals and understandably these parties had a bad taste in their mouth. The company I worked for changed all of that and transformed the industry for the better. This was because they genuinely increased marketing budgets using strategic investments in Goods and Services that were a debt on a company’s balance sheet and turned them into media dollars, expanding the pie on both sides. Witnessing how to negotiate high stakes deals and during these times was a turning point for me, it taught me the importance of integrity in business, remaining calm under pressure and being the expert in the room.
It was this experience combined with my natural flare for negotiation that made work feel like play. I was negotiating by day and helping friends and family out of contracts, bills, deal making for them by night.
This transformed how I saw the purpose of negotiation and it was at the culmination of this journey that I decided to write The Art of Negotiation, a book to help expand the pie in everyday negotiations and get what you want every time. I had no idea when I wrote it that it would go on to be a bestseller around the world and get translated into various languages. All I knew was there was a gap in the market and people needed to understand the importance of negotiation, influence and persuasion and how to leverage these skills to better their lives.
I took the meta skills I had learned and put them into an easy to read guide for anyone to upskill in negotiations. I saw how much value people were leaving on the table during their daily negotiations, for example, with a landlord, a telephone company, an insurance agent, people weren’t sure they could get a deal and they couldn’t believe the results you can get when you go for it.
My advice to people is — “ask for things you don’t think you can get.”
Train yourself to experience more rejection, this toughens your mental approach and when it occurs you feel less affected by it, this process is called exposure therapy. By constantly exposing yourself to new situations where you can get rejected you experience growth and as result don’t panic when the rejection occurs.
Instead, you have the composure and confidence to stay with it, to ask more questions and push a little hard as to why. This changes the conversation and the results entirely. Now you are working to create the deal, to pull what you want into your orbit. Life has a funny way of rewarding those who don’t quit, who keep standing up after they have got knocked down.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Starting a podcast was the opening to a whole new world of connection, insight and friendship. Beginning The Tim Castle Show back in 2022 the mission was clear, to sit down with courageous people doing inspirational things around the world. This was in an effort to have conversations that would help listeners across the fields of scaling businesses, endurance, resilience, charity, addition, health and wellbeing, high performance, mindset, relationships, parenting, negotiation and sales. I started the podcast for my two boys, as something they could reflect back on when they were older and hear their dad talking to his hero’s and those he thought were changing the world.
I have been privileged enough to interview Iron Cowboy, James Lawrence on my podcast, this the only guy on planet earth to have completed 101 Ironman races back-to-back in 101 consecutive days. That was a pretty special interview packed with lessons about grit and never giving up. I recorded the episode for my boys, something for them to look back on and learn from when they are older. James is an inspiration. If you want to check out the episode here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyyLzBhDIeI
Another one that stands out was interviewing Will Guidara, Author of Unreasonable Hospitality and a book you must read if you are in the business of people. Listen to his story here about how he took a 4 star resturant to the number 1 restaurant in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGSKR5Okh6U
As for me and my adventures in business, they usually consist of me sneaking backstage at an event, creating momentum and making it happen. I live for the stories and love people who push the limits of what we believe is possible and take courageous action to follow their vision.
One stands out, that exemplifies what I mean about making it happen. I once booked a large conference space at a cost of a few thousand dollars, with no idea how I was going to fill it and what I was going to put on. As the date got closer, I found that ideas started popping into my head about which client to invest, who to host and the content that would be perfect to showcase. Sometimes you’ve got to take the action first and then figure out how to pull it off. The action forces you to imagine bigger and to create something from nothing. Like sending my books to Richard Branson on Necker Island, talking my way on to Radio Shows not having done interviews live on the air before, it all starts someone, you’ve just got to knock over that first domino and go for it.
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?
Empathy Led Responses to objections — this helps you to reduce the emotional intensity of conflict, influence and persuade at the highest levels and gain respect. I once recall jumping into a heated debate for a multi-million-dollar deal and using empathy led responses and a calm composure to deescalate the situation and bring the deal in. I always say, “close deals, not doors”. Always remember your reputation is on the line. When you consistently show up as a confident, yet empathy drive individual and remain calm under pressure you find that you become the go to person to create value with.
Resilience — this is key, I see this amongst all top sales professionals, deal markers and high performers, the ability to carry on when things get tough, this could be in the face of a challenging boss, client or situation. It’s a mindset of resilience that breakthrough the barriers and gets rewarded in big ways. Most give up on the journey — but not the resilient individual who knows how to master their inner world whilst chaos ensues around them.
Gratitude — practicing gratitude daily will help you spot the opportunity to help others, to connect deeply with yourself and your inner mission and purpose. Gratitude raises your vibration and as such makes you magnetic. This is one part of my magnetic influence framework for influence and value creation in today’s AI centric world. Find out more at here www.negotiatorsedge.ai The importance of practicing gratitude cannot be understanded, it gives you perspective, and helps you attract more opportunities on the same frequency. It’s all about being in alignment with what you desire and being able to act on opportunities when they appear. List out 10 things you are grateful for daily, these can be things you have yet to achieve.
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 has these characteristics.
- The ability to build trust — trust is the single biggest competitive advantage you have in today’s AI driven age. It’s not high-quality product or excellent service, the best companies have this down and this is a given. Trust building sets you apart. According to a study of 400,000 workers across 500 brands by Deloitte, 79% of employees who trust their employer are motivated to work. 63% who trust their company don’t look for jobs outside. Yet 45% of employers overestimate employee trust. This gap presents an opportunity. According to Deloitte, there are 4 key elements to build trust, these are Humanity — are you kind and empathetic towards me, Transparency — do you share information openly, Reliability — do you keep your promises and Capability — do you deliver high quality products. In my mind last two are easy, where you have the opportunity to accelerate and outperform the competition is in humanity and transparency, are you empathic and open.
- Be the expert — Show up in the room as the expert, informed, you understand the clients headwinds, tail winds, market trends, what keeps them up at night and you can help them make a decision.
- Listen to understand, not to respond — The effective communicator knows to listen twice as much as they talk.
- Empathy — they respond with empathy led responses to objections, they understand that reducing the emotional temperature of the room is vital in heated debate or disagreement. They remain cool, calm and collected at all times, because they have emotional control.
- They are the storyteller — as Steve Jobs said “the storyteller is the most powerful person in the world”. They tell stories to connect to the audiences emotions and therefore are memorable, repeatable and shared. They influence through human connection not logic. Stories magnetize the room and capture hearts and minds.
How can one tailor their communication style to different audiences or situations?
Understand the concept of DISC behavior profiles — DISC helps you to understand your counter parties communication preferences. By using DISC which stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance, it is a spectrum and based on how someone acts tells a lot of about them.
Are they outgoing or reserved, are they task-oriented or relationship focused?
Adapt your style towards to their style. For example, if they are a Dominant type, focus on profits, get to the point, speak with intention and clarity, don’t beat around the bush with small talk and questions about how their latest holiday was. Get down to business, how much profit can you make them, what’s the outcome you can deliver. Similarly, if someone is an Influence type focus on the relationship, savor the small talk, the wining and dining, this matters more to them than the deal, it’s about getting to know them and taking time to have experiences and shared history together.
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to reach a particular audience successfully?
Working across cultures and markets I am constantly having to shift my communication style to needs of the audience. For example, if I am talking to a room of AI, Blockchain and Web3 experts I need to adapt my examples to fit their world and make them relevant so that they can be easily applied verses if I am talking to a room of real estate brokers.
The language used changes, this makes it easier to connect and the show that you understand their world, pain points, challenges and wins.
If I am working with a high-powered CEO to help them connect more to their team, I may need to apply more empathy, direct their attention inwards and be more direct for them to pay attention. I will need to show up with evidence-based research and data, to link what they want to what they need, e.g., revenue increase to connection with the team.
It’s about being real and authentic, and sometimes being vulnerable, this way you are giving to others and allowing your message to hit home.
For example, speaking at Philippines Blockchain Week 2025 recently I needed to speak about the rapid adoption of AI, how to leverage AI to build trust and enhance strategic negotiation and how to leverage emotional intelligence in human-AI collaboration. In order to connect I had to show that I understood the pace of change, the emotional rollercoaster that the space goes through every four years due to liquidity and the high energy of innovation.
How do you handle difficult or sensitive conversations while maintaining open and effective communication?
Empathy led responses — I will keep coming back to this point because if there is one thing you can do to successfully handle difficult situations and sensitive conversations it is improve your ability to respond with empathy and understanding. When you truly make the counter party feel heard, they drop their need to react and they reciprocate, leading to a more useful and effective conversation.
The other piece of advice I will share is, know what type of conversation you are in. Is it an emotional conversation and therefore your job is to be the listener or to provide a hug, not to solve the problem. Or are you in a particle conversation where they are looking for advice and real implementable action points. Or do they just need to be heard, are they in need of a shoulder to cry on or do they just want to vent. Knowing what type of conversation you are having is key, this enables you to stay open and effective.
In your experience, how does storytelling play a role in impactful speaking? Why do you think stories are effective in communication?
Stories connect to emotions; we can feel our way to connection. Stories are memorable, emotive, and stimulating. They invoke hope in us.
A memorable story connects to the emotion you or someone else felt, it transports the listener into a new world, so they can full imagine it, as if it were happening to them.
Stories help you convey creditability, they give you an opportunity to be the expert in the room and to use language that is both expressive, descriptive and that of the customer. You want to use the same words your customer uses in the field. Stories allow you to boost your credibility through your choice of language.
Stories hold suspense, a great story is simple, easy to understand but captures attention because it builds suspense. To make an impact in speaking and communication you cannot be monotone, this is the perfect way to ruin a moment of impact. Instead focus on brining each word to life, use your tone and pace to create the suspense and add to the dramatic tension. Instead of saying “the client called and they were struggling” instead build up the picture, say “it was late on Friday night, I was about to leave the office when I got a call, it was our client, they had one shot left, they had to make the campaign work, they were going into a meeting with the CEO in the morning and wanted my help to arm them with the facts”.
Use the story to show your values, talk about how you show up for your clients, have a different conversation if you want to stand out, don’t be like everyone else. Use better words to express yourself, words like elated, joyful, serendipitous, inconsequential, magnifying. Have fun with it.
What are your “5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator”?
1. Set the intention. Before any conversation you must be intentional about what your goal is. Is it to inspire, persuade, uncover, teach, challenge, or change? This is the starting point because it informs your research and preparation and acts as a guiding mechanism.
2. Slow down — in order to be an effective communicator the audience must be paying attention, when you rush due to excitement or nerves you rob them of the opportunity to come with you. Whereas when you slow down and speak with purpose you command attention and respect, slowing down shows confidence, respect and expertise.
3. Tonality — this matters more than people realise, depending on what type of conversation you are having you’ll need to operate with different tones of voice to elicit the response you want. If you blandly ask a client “what are your plans for H2” don’t expect a detailed response, whereas if you ask in a tone filled with curiosity, compassion and a desire to understand “so tell me Ron, what exciting initiatives have you got penciled in for H2” you can expect a flurry of information to be brought forth.
4. Spend most of the time listening. Listen deeply to what is said and repeat back to the client what you heard so that you sense check that you are on the same page. This goes for meeting recaps as well, once you have finished a face-to-face meeting, write a follow up email detailing the next steps and outlining what was discussed. This helps to eliminate any miscommunication and confusion. You are aligning and bringing clarity. Ask better questions, the better your questions this demonstrates the more intensely you have been listening. This builds trust.
5. Tell more stories, people remember stories, it brings up emotions, memories, people can relate to stories. Stats are forgotten within a day. Therefore, the best storytellers are remembered long after the conversation has happened. Put all of the above into your stories, bring tonality, pace, and intention into every word you speak, and you will captivate any audience you spend time with. Each story should have a relevant lesson and application. This is how you offer value that’s transferable and memorable. This is your competitive advantage.
How do you integrate non-verbal cues into your communication? Can you provide an example of its importance?
- Hand gestures — engage the audience helping them visualize your story with hand gestures, captive them with movement, not only do these gestures help to conceptualize size and form, but they also signal intensity, pace, motion, flow, ease, they are expressive in their own right.
- Eye contact — hold your eye contact for connection
- Smile — to lighten to mood and inject positivity into yourself and others
- Expression — to make your word hit home, power them with expressiveness, bring them to life.
- Body Posture — hunched over or confident. Weak or strong. In control and confident or mediocre.
- Proximity — understand proximity is influence, who you sit next to or are closest to changes the amount of influence you have.
- Stance — are you facing directly toward your audience or turned slightly away. Each has a different meaning, if you are turned slightly away you are not fully focused or giving your fully attention, verses the person who is directly stood with full attention and focus. You are always signaling something.
How has digital communication changed the way you convey your messages? Are there any specific challenges or advantages you’ve encountered?
Advantages of digital communication
- Scale — now you can reach a larger audience with the same message at speed — this is leverage
- Multi modal — impact across formats and channels to connect with difference audiences at different times in different contexts
- Duplication — record once and amplify
- Global — your Ted Talk can be viewed by millions sharing your message across the world and inspiring change
Challenges
- Authentic connection is harder on video — this is why nonverbal communication is vital to convey the message and reach people. It is why authentic communication and storytelling is so powerful because it cuts through the noise and impacts people at their core — they can relate.
- The noise — in order to stand out, have a different conversation, be the expert, give your value freely, don’t be a commodity and do what everyone else is saying.
Public speaking is a common fear. What techniques or strategies do you recommend to manage and overcome stage fright?
Remember you have value to offer. You are their to share value. My biggest tip is to have a few stories planned out; this allows you to feel comfortable in the knowledge that you know where you are taking the audience whilst engaging the audience through emotions. Use tonality to create suspense and energy behind the words you are saying. Inject humor into your story to bring it to life and describe the events as if it was happening in the moment. By doing this you stay present and bring the audience along with you. Remember the audience isn’t paying attention to your nerves, if you are fearful, you are making it too much about you and judging yourself too harshly.
My advice is to get comfortable with a microphone beforehand, mentally rehearse walking on to the stage with the bright lights shining in your face. Imagine yourself looking out at the audience and enjoying it. Remember it is about adding value and you are worthy. To combat the physiological experience, practice your speech or talk whilst going for a jog, this simulates the experience of your heart racing and through exposure therapy allowing you to practice controlling your pace, breathing and mental clarity.
Find a person on stage or in the crowd who is having fun and focus on that energy and that person, tap into their positivity and give your attention to that.
What additional resources do you recommend for individuals looking to improve communication skills?
If you do one thing, I recommended you sign up to my online course the Highly Skilled Negotiator https://www.timjscastle.com/the-highly-skilled-negotiator it will help you develop and own the meta skill of influence, persuasion and negotiation for life.
Or read my award-winning book The Momentum Sales Model and new book The First Domino: How to land your first client in 90 days or less, there are tons of free resources at https://www.thefirstdominobook.com/
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. 🙂
My motto is “believe it is possible” I decided upon this when I talked my way into the second year of an oversubscribed psychology undergraduate degree at a top London University without any formal application. Once I realised what was possible if you committed and went all in I couldn’t go back. Now I encourage people to live out their own dreams, goals and big vision.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Website: www.timjscastle.com
Training to maximize your influence, persuasion and value creation in an AI world www.thenegotiatorsedge.ai
Sign up for the advanced copy and free resources https://www.thefirstdominobook.com/
The Tim Castle Show https://www.youtube.com/c/TimCastle
@timjscastle https://www.instagram.com/timjscastle/?hl=en
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07G6LF77C
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Impactful Communication: Tim Castle Of The Negotiators Edge On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.