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Everyone I've met who is successful in climbing the corporate ladder has that super professional way of speaking. So talking confidently, concisely, clearly, articulately, fast, etc. Is being able to communicate and speak like this pretty much required? And how long does it take people to learn to speak this way if so?
It certainly helps. The guys that don't are usually founders of their own companies. Mark Zuckerberg isn't a great communicator now, and I'm sure that he's received help in that area since becoming super rich. You can be unpolished and get a business off the ground, but if you want to rise to the top in someone else's business, i.e. in a corporate managerial career, being an excellent communicator is absolutely a key to success
Yes. It's not just about "corporate speak" but about being able to perform well in the job. Just about every job description we have includes "skill in written an oral communication" as a job requirement (or sign language for those who use it). The point being skill in communication.
Most jobs require you to communicate with others to get your work done. Write a report, give an oral report, present things to senior management, etc are all daily tasks in many jobs. Those who communicate well will do better those who don't.
It's one of the hardest things to train our new, young, engineers on. The way they are taught to write in school doesn't match modern professional style. And most of them have almost no experience in public speaking and are scared enough to $$$$ their pants when asked to present to visitors, senior management, and high-ranking customers.
Everyone I've met who is successful in climbing the corporate ladder has that super professional way of speaking. So talking confidently, concisely, clearly, articulately, fast, etc. Is being able to communicate and speak like this pretty much required? And how long does it take people to learn to speak this way if so?
It has nothing to do with working for a corporation. It has to do with the person who is either selling a product or selling an investment.
Would you buy anything from a salesman who wasn't confident, spoke so softly that you couldn't hear him, didn't know the products, couldn't articulate why the product was better than a competitors?
If the entrepreneur who developed the proverbial better mousetrap attempted to get funding for his company but couldn't clearly and decisively describe his mousetrap to potential investors, do you think he'll get funding?
These are not new ideas. Dale Carnegie published similiar ideas in 1936. And the book is still in print.
Everyone I've met who is successful in climbing the corporate ladder has that super professional way of speaking. So talking confidently, concisely, clearly, articulately, fast, etc. Is being able to communicate and speak like this pretty much required? And how long does it take people to learn to speak this way if so?
I wouldn't necessarily consider your examples as specific to "talking corporate" as much as just being a good communicator in general. Be it corporate, academia, or within your social circle.
As with all soft skills - it certainly helps. Especially as you move into management.
On the flip side, "talking corporate" can also have a negative connotation - the over use of business jargons and phrases that can make you sound like you're trying too hard.
There is a big difference between a good communicator vs. a "corporate linguist".
It has nothing to do with working for a corporation. It has to do with the person who is either selling a product or selling an investment.
Would you buy anything from a salesman who wasn't confident, spoke so softly that you couldn't hear him, didn't know the products, couldn't articulate why the product was better than a competitors?
If the entrepreneur who developed the proverbial better mousetrap attempted to get funding for his company but couldn't clearly and decisively describe his mousetrap to potential investors, do you think he'll get funding?
These are not new ideas. Dale Carnegie published similiar ideas in 1936. And the book is still in print.
I think that you will find that top performers (however you want to rate that) have a number of things in common, one of which seems to be the ability to deliver a speech without referring to notes, and sound like they know exactly what they are talking about. In my experience, true top executive performers have minds that just seem to work on a completely different level than almost everyone else.
It certainly helps. The guys that don't are usually founders of their own companies. Mark Zuckerberg isn't a great communicator now, and I'm sure that he's received help in that area since becoming super rich. You can be unpolished and get a business off the ground, but if you want to rise to the top in someone else's business, i.e. in a corporate managerial career, being an excellent communicator is absolutely a key to success
I think there's a lot more to those guys than meets the eye. Though the narrative is ... if you're just really smart and work really hard you can get there.
You don't become the X richest guy in the country by just ... being smart, and working hard yourself, and by paying people to sit around an office for days doing nothing but starting at the walls until work comes in.
I think those guys are all super, super ambitious and focused and did what it took to vault their companies to the top. And very, very careful about the types of people they hired.
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