Executive Presence Means Clear Communication Not Waffling
Of course, I’m not talking about the kind of waffles that are served with butter and syrup or strawberries and whipped cream, as pictured here. Those I highly recommend!
I’m referring to what one audience member labeled “waffle" words that can sabotage leadership presence by making your messages seem less (clear/valuable/credible) than they truly are.
Here are some examples:
Waffle openings minimize your statements by discounting whatever follows.
“You may have already thought of this . . .”
“This might be a stupid idea . . .”
“I’m no expert, but . . .”
“I could be wrong . . .?”
When your opinion comes in the form of question, it’s waffles than make you sound less sure of yourself.
A weak statement like “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have our meeting next Tuesday?” can be turned into the more confident “I” statement, “I propose we meet next Tuesday.”
Waffles like “maybe,” “sort of,” “kind of, “or “somewhat” weaken your comments.
I overheard this conversation between a manager and her boss:
Boss: What are you working on now?
Manager: Oh, I’m just . . .
Boss: Never say that you’re “just” doing something. It makes whatever follows sound insignificant.
Waffles include workplace cliches like “move the needle,” “low handing fruit,” and “brain dump.”
Instead of "bleeding edge" say “technology so new it hasn’t been proven yet.” Instead of “let’s touch base,” say “let’s discuss this again at the next meeting.” Instead of “our bandwidth,” talk about your team’s capacity to resolve a problem.
Waffles are initials that give the illusion of clear communication.
Do you realize that EOD may not be understood by everyone as End of Day? The same may be true for BAU (Business as Usual), CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), even ROI (Return on Investment), as well as a host of other initials. If you use these, you may not be as clear as you assume.
Waffles are often used avoid answering the question.
If someone asks, “Is the project done, yet?” you might reply with a waffle because you don’t want to answer directly. But by saying, “The project is virtually done,” you’re probably not fooling anyone. Best to begin your answer with a direct “Yes” or “No.”
Waffles come in multi syllables.
It may come as a surprise that using everyday language can make you more credible. After all, long, fancy words are impressive, right? Well, maybe they’re only waffles. The best communicators use language that is easy to understand.
Waffles also appear as the smallest of words.
One of my clients, an engineer by training, was the newest member of the senior leadership team. At one of our coaching sessions, he was rehearsing a presentation for this team. When I asked him how he intended to end his remarks, he replied: “And that’s my report for your consideration.” I told him that the phrase “your consideration” implied that he wasn’t a member of the team and encouraged him to use “our consideration” instead. My client stared at me and said, “You’re right. I’m still talking about myself as someone who serves this team. I need to remember that I’m part of it.”
