Communicating: a fine art worth practising

Communication is the most important skill for any leader. Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson is case in point.

History would argue that it is unfeasible to become a great leader without possessing great communication skills. A more detailed look at some of the world’s most influential figures would point to their ability to communicate powerfully and effectively to their audience.

From Bill Gates, to Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela, great leaders in the past have demonstrated an inspiring ability to deliver powerful and moving speeches to communicate their visions effectively. In more recent times – and perhaps not without controversy – Donald Trump’s journey to become President-elect of the United States has been touted as one of the strongest PR campaigns in history. David Fraser, former publicist to Lord Sugar and now MD of PR and SEO agency Ready10, said that when it came to communications, Trump’s campaign was “poetry in motion”.

Critics will argue that we can use science to study the most effective forms of communication, however, it is more of an art, and like all forms of art, excellence is not achieved without practice. Like Trump, English magnate Richard Branson is one of the world’s most successful businessmen and the Virgin founder swears by the power of communication.

Richard Branson proves great leaders require excellent communication skills, in business and life.

Branson’s success speaks for itself and he’s relied on the art of communication to drive the success of the Virgin story. In his blog that he updates frequently, he writes about the importance of communication in leadership and refers to this quote from business author Brian Tracy: “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.”

When Branson begun writing his book on leadership, The Virgin Way, he openly admitted to never reading any literature on leadership advice. However, he picked up some useful leadership tips from some brilliant minds along the way, and has said that some of his favourite quotes on the subject come from the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and American author, salesman, and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar.

Carmine Gallo, a contributor to Forbes Magazine, wrote, “Communication levels the playing field. If you can speak well, you can outshine the competition in so many ways. Every week I receive emails and comments from our readers who have found uncommon success almost immediately upon improving their communication skills.”

On talking about his experience with senior leaders, Gallo has found that at first, very few people like delivering presentations or speaking in front of groups. But after enough practice, they get better at it and in many cases they learn to enjoy it.

Branson strongly believes that communication is an art that requires dedication, time and practice. Like many influential and successful leaders have discovered, once that art is mastered, your ability to influence people, sell products, and inspire others will increase dramatically.