Impactful Communication: Valerie Di Maria Of the10company On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator
An Interview With Athalia Monae
Be authentic. Don’t read from a script, and don’t use notes. You must come across as genuine and transparent. It is extremely difficult to keep people’s attention if it sounds as though you are reading. As mentioned before, use personal stories and share your own reactions.
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 Valerie Di Maria.
Valerie Di Maria has earned recognition as a communications and marketing leader, and executive coach, at both global corporations and PR agencies. Today, as Principal and Co-Founder of the10company, a strategic communications firm, she helps C-Suite executives transform their businesses through authentic, results-driven external and internal communications. Her coaching work enables senior executives and high-potentials to enhance their leadership, presentation, and risk-taking skills. Clients include Alcoa, Aspen Insurance, Fannie Mae, KPMG, Merrill Lynch, New York Life, Quest Diagnostics, Raytheon, and State Street. Previously she held Chief Marketing and Communications roles at GE Capital, Motorola, and Willis.
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 knew I wanted to pursue communications as a career path from high school when the owner of a local public relations agency came to speak to students as part of a Career Day program. I thought the field combined the perfect blend of strategic and creative skills. I went on to major in Journalism at NYU with a concentration in PR, had several internships at agencies while in school, and never looked back. The first half of my career was spent in various roles of increasing responsibility at the largest PR firms, and then I switched to corporate communications working for GE. After many years on the company side, I wanted to bring that experience back to the agency world and started the10company. We are a full-service, women-owned boutique communications firm serving Fortune 500 and fintech companies.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Deciding to start my own firm, with my business partner, Clare DeNicola, was a fascinating journey. Learning all the things you need to do to start a business — administratively and legally — was a great experience. We had to create our brand: the10company. Its meaning is about striving to be the best — always rating a 10, and we have the 10 tenets of communications including: passion, vision, and collaboration.
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?
1. Taking risks. Willing to take on a new role or assignment even if you don’t have 100% of the qualifications. When I was at GE, we had some issues with our call centers. In addition to creating a comprehensive external crisis communications plan with proactive outreach to customers, I partnered with the business leader to fix the actual operations causing the problems, including how we trained employees.
2. Being a life-long learner. Having passion for doing new things and employing new approaches. It’s one of the reasons being on the consulting side is so interesting; you are always learning about the industry of your specific client.
3. Effectively prioritizing. Knowing what’s really important to getting results is key. When I was in my corporate roles, I developed a system that exactly aligned our functional priorities to support the company priorities for each year and asked everyone on the communications team to adhere to those and not get side-tracked.
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?
Being an effective communicator means you are successful in persuading and influencing people in a positive way. You should always encourage a two-way dialogue so you are never just talking “at” people. Being an active listener, having empathy, and knowing your audience are important elements.
How can one tailor their communication style to different audiences or situations?
Know your audience! Messaging and style should be adapted to whom you are talking with. You’ll be most effective if you know exactly who is in the audience and what they care about. Identify their level of knowledge, subject matter expertise, and interest. Reviewing LinkedIn profiles and company bios can be a first step. What do they want to hear? Put yourself in their shoes. Always answer the question on their minds: What’s in it for me?
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to reach a particular audience successfully?
While at GE, I had to give a presentation about productivity. Taking the time in advance to truly understand the people in the room I’d be talking with and their specific concerns (e.g. does productivity mean layoffs) was very important in making sure my content matched their needs and current understanding.
How do you handle difficult or sensitive conversations while maintaining open and effective communication?
Always be honest and respect your audience. The best way to engage people is to truly encourage an open, transparent discussion. Welcome feedback/interaction. You should really want to know what is on people’s minds. In addition to preparing your messaging, anticipate questions. Brainstorm potential questions and have answers prepared. Think about questions you hope you don’t get asked and how to handle them.
Don’t rush to answer, think about your response. Try to genuinely answer the question the best way you can. If it’s difficult or sensitive, give a concise response, and ask if their concern/question was addressed. Remember, you don’t have to answer a question if it’s proprietary or confidential information, but say that. If someone gets contentious in a group setting, offer to take the conversation offline so you can have a more constructive exchange with that individual.
Sometimes just letting people speak their minds and being an active listener can be most effective.
In your experience, how does storytelling play a role in impactful speaking? Why do you think stories are effective in communication?
Storytelling is crucial. People remember stories, anecdotes, and specific examples more than they will remember facts and figures. Try to paint a picture with your words. Make it personal: connect with your audience by talking about why this topic matters to you. Also, think about using recent relevant news headlines/stories to illustrate your points.
What are your “5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator”?
In addition to knowing your audience, here are five essential techniques:
1. What is the ask? What do you want the audience or the person you are meeting with to do with the information you are delivering? Be explicit about the “ask” at the start of your talk — don’t save it for the end. People will listen differently if they know what is expected of them. Here’s an example: “Today, we are proposing a new process for auditing, and we want your approval to roll it out across the function by the end of the first quarter.”
2. Be authentic. Don’t read from a script, and don’t use notes. You must come across as genuine and transparent. It is extremely difficult to keep people’s attention if it sounds as though you are reading. As mentioned before, use personal stories and share your own reactions.
3. Have three key messages. Studies show people remember things in threes. Help your audience know what is most important. Again, be explicit: “Here are the three things that are most important to remember from today’s session….” And repeat your three key messages to have an impactful close.
4. Remember attitude is a message. Project energy. Be happy to be there. Smile! Be engaged and listen. When coaching a compliance executive recently, she stated that compliance is so boring! I said: “If you think that, everyone else will as well. Compliance is crucial to helping protect corporate reputation and giving executives a roadmap to doing what’s right. You need to think it’s important — because it is!”
5. Treat every opportunity like a conversation. Make every effort to have a dialogue even if you don’t get through all your material. Audience engagement is the biggest priority. Plan interaction. Don’t save all the questions for the end; intersperse them throughout. And don’t just ask for questions; ask for comments and examples from their own experiences. Note: if you have 20 minutes for your meeting or presentation, plan 10 minutes of “talk track” so you have built in time for the Q&A/discussion. Rather than just saying “Any questions?”, think about asking specific questions to encourage interaction: “What are you seeing in the market?” “What are your biggest concerns?”.
How do you integrate non-verbal cues into your communication? Can you provide an example of its importance?
You should plan to use body language for emphasis. Gesture with your hands purposefully. For example, when giving your three most important points, you can use your fingers to literally count those. Eye contact is critical. Make eye contact with different members of your audience and hold it as you deliver a complete thought.
How has digital communication changed the way you convey your messages? Are there any specific challenges or advantages you’ve encountered?
I’m interpreting digital communication as having meetings virtually. Pump up your energy level! This is the biggest challenge when presenting remotely. Be sure to project your voice, enunciate, and speak loudly. Standing up will help your voice have greater impact.
As always, strive for interaction. Solicit questions from the audience in advance. Ask for questions after each presentation segment. Electronic polling is another technique — show a multiple-choice question and share the results in real time. To encourage dialogue with smaller groups, don’t have attendees use their mute button. Solicit questions using the “Chat” feature of the platform, but enlist the help of a colleague to facilitate. Have them monitor the incoming inquiries — or comments — and bring them to your attention.
Public speaking is a common fear. What techniques or strategies do you recommend to manage and overcome stage fright?
Most people get nervous when they present; channel that extra adrenaline into energy. Here are the tips I share for calming nerves and boosting confidence:
- Avoid caffeine the day of a presentation, but be sure to hydrate with water.
- If you have your Ask and Three Key Messages and deliver them upfront, it should take the burden off you.
- Having a dialogue rather than “presenting” the entire time should also be less stressful. If you lose your train of thought or get flustered, that’s a perfect time to ask a question.
- Rehearse out loud and be truly comfortable with the material.
- Do breathing exercises.
- Try having a mantra and reciting it aloud, e.g. “Valerie, you can do this!” — before your meeting.
- No one has a script, so you shouldn’t worry about forgetting to say something or saying it differently.
- Remember the audience wants you to do well!
What additional resources do you recommend for individuals looking to improve communication skills?
Many companies offer coaching programs or the assistance of an outside coach to help executives. There is also a great deal of advice and specific examples available online. Try to find videos of executives you admire and see what they do. Rehearse in front of friendly colleagues or family members and get their reactions.
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. 🙂
Rather than start a new movement, I’d like to continue the journey to helping women get all the opportunities they deserve. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go in that area which is sad considering we’ve been talking about equality since the 1960s! Every day, I try to make a difference among colleagues, clients, family, and friends to encourage them to see their value and take risks in their professional and personal lives.
How can our readers further follow you online?
They can connect with and follow me on LinkedIn.
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: Valerie Di Maria Of the10company 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.