Impactful Communication: Veronika Selega On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator
An Interview With Athalia Monae
Public speaking fear is a type of fear that is strangely strongly connected with training the body, specifically the skill of relaxing it at the moment. It is not magic but rather the result of long-lasting training.
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 Veronika Selega.
Veronika Selega is CEO of Bickerstaff.893 — creative agency, based in Kyiv and Lisbon. She, has an impressive background, not only as a manager and communicator in different sectors, but also as the owner of a successful school of public speaking in the past.
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?
We first crossed paths with the Bickersaff.893 agency in 2021, when I was part of the project office team at the national reserve of Khortytsia. We collaborated with Ilia Anufrienko and his Bickerstaff agency on the Khortytsia Island project. Finally, this project received the Cannes Lion.
Before that, I worked in the Office of the President as the head of the humanitarian policy direction. And before — 5 years at the Aristotle School of Rhetoric and Communication, which I founded. Prior to that, I was the head of advertising at Mercedes-Benz Ukraine. And my first experience was working in television.
Now, circling back to Bickerstaff, I kept in touch with Ilya Anufrienko, and come December 2022, he offered me to lead the agency, as I had experience of the leadership and in the field of creative business. After two days of reflection, I determined that this is the person and the team with whom I have the desire to keep moving forward.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I’m not sure about the most interesting story, but there’s one that really stands out — it is about a challenge. The story of the urgent launch of a new format in education.
It was the year 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was working in the Office of the President. Quarantine restrictions, schools are shut down because of quarantine, and we’re all wondering how kids are going to keep learning. Everyone is staying at home, and no one knows how long it will last.
Literally within a day, our team made a decision to organize the shooting process of an online school for each age group, from the 5th grade to the 11th. Two weeks later, we had teachers from all over, five organizations on board, and the cameras rolling.
What can we conclude from this? Well, tackling big challenges in the crazy times we’re living in demands some seriously out-of-the-box thinking. It might not work perfectly on the first try, but it’s necessary to be persistent, not give up — and eventually, everything will work out.
I also shared this story on Atlantic Council. Here is the link — Ukrainian educators find multimedia solution to coronavirus school closures — Atlantic Council.
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?
The three principles that work both for a team and working with clients are being human, professional, and always going above and beyond. For example, consider the case of Bickerstaff.893 agency. At the beginning of the war — a calm in brand communication. Nobody knows what to say or how to say it. But, business is the backbone of the economy, we all know it.
We go to our client — Galychyna, big Ukrainian dairy brand, with a suggestion to be the first in communication during the war, with a campaign that has the potential to highlight the factor of unity. And it worked. In short, the creative idea was to rename the brand — change the name on the packaging from one name of a historical region (from Galychyna — the original name of the brand and the name of the region in western Ukraine) to 13 others — Kyivschyna, Podillya, Crimea…
Result — almost every Ukrainian saw and bought the renamed milk bottles. We gathered over 20 million free media impressions, and Ukrainians even created a TikTok trend, where they filmed milk bottles with the names of their native regions.
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 keeps it real, talking and creating straight from the heart. There are no projects, that we are doing without a true belief in the result, and there are no clients, that we are doing just for money (that’s the reason why we are not so rich as we could).
An effective communicator refrains from making simplistic statements.Complexity is intriguing; it might seem simple on the creative side, but it’s the twist of complexity that sets one campaign apart from the rest.
An effective communicator always double-checks where his idea is headed, even if sure that it is brilliant.
How can one tailor their communication style to different audiences or situations?
Different audiences require different communication styles. So, in every message, we take a closer look at who we’re talking to and customize our approach.his is the key to successful cases. We start from its needs, expectations, and exceed those expectations.
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to reach a particular audience successfully?
Every campaign of the Bickerstaff.893 agency is a search for the appropriate style of communication with a specific audience. Let me tell you about one of the most challenging ones recently. There’s a campaign whose goal is to spread awareness about the Holodomor worldwide.
There is a problem — people in many countries are not deeply interested in the historical events of other nations, if it is genocide. Therefore, in this campaign, we draw a clear parallel with today events, in our country it is the full-scale war. In this campaign, we draw a clear parallel with current events. To show on the real examples, that although the times have changed, the methods didn’t. Russian propaganda conceals its crimes, distorts facts, and aims to oppress other nations through rhetoric of genocide and the methods of genocide, both in 1932–1933 and in 2022–2023.
In your experience, how does storytelling play a role in impactful speaking?
Storytelling is the way to turn on imagination.
It helps to follow your mindset from the beginning to the end, playing with imagination of your follower. It is a way not to give just conclusion, but to give a step by step explanation how did you get this conclusion.
What are your essential techniques for becoming an effective communicator?
There are two key components — the mind and the body. Mind — is what we talk about, what we believe in, and what we call for. The body must also be prepared from the standpoint of psychophysics. The body, from a psychophysical perspective, must also be ready. Articulation, breathing, and sleep — all are crucial aspects.
How do you integrate non-verbal cues into your communication? Can you provide an example of its importance?
The importance of gestures and facial expressions. There are no secrets, like “open poses” and “closed poses”. Each person is unique, and the more natural they behave, the simpler the contact.
How has digital communication changed the way you convey your messages? Are there any specific challenges or advantages you’ve encountered?
In 2023, we discovered AI for ourselves and actively develop it in the agency to work more efficiently. Overall, digital communication is the foundation in the channels of creative communication for us today.
However, AI is still a challenge today. Many see it as a universal solution, but it’s just a tool. In the creative field, the word “creative” is from “to create.” Artificial intelligence doesn’t create anything new, doesn’t give birth to unique ideas.
Public speaking is a common fear. What techniques or strategies do you recommend managing and overcome stage fright?
Public speaking fear is a type of fear that is strangely strongly connected with training the body, specifically the skill of relaxing it at the moment. It is not magic but rather the result of long-lasting training.
For example, breathing. There are a lot of exercises aimed at being able to relax intense stress at the moment. Another example of reducing fear is focusing on events that have become a challenging task over time — being able to disconnect from the surrounding noise, people, social media, news, and spending even two hours in peace, concentrating on preparing for a presentation.
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. 🙂
Public Library.
Public Library as a way to create a space where people meet people, and they are surrounded by books. Books as a heart of new ideas, kind energy, and the better future. There are a lot of examples in the world, where public libraries play this role “the most amount of good to the most amount of people”. But, they are never enough.
How can our readers further follow you online?
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronika-seleha-2106a6249/
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/nika_selega/
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/veronika.selega/
And also follow the Bickerstaff.893 Agency for more examples of great communication — https://www.linkedin.com/company/bickerstaff-734/
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: Veronika Selega On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.