Storytelling Bites 6 - Explain Explore Evangelise.

Some people just seem to get it right when they speak or present.

The enthusiasm is infectious, the amount of detail is spot on, they come across as extremely knowledgeable and yet wear their learning lightly, they’re authoritative, they listen to us and take into account our thoughts and feelings on the subject… 

And yet, when we turn to a colleague, to radiate praise for what we just both heard, they don’t seem as sold as we are on what they just experienced; how strange to see a hint of grimace on their face. When asked what they thought, they give a little shrug and mumble, ‘ok, I guess…’ 

How have we had such a different response to the same experience?

There are many diagnostic tools around learning styles and personality types to help us create the perfect team, to understand a colleague’s behaviour and to give us the most successful routes to influence. To add to these, at theWholeStory we have noticed three styles of speaking and listening that we apply in our workshops: Explain, Explore and Evangelise. Each of these makes a stronger connection with different people and when put together are greater than the sum of their parts.

You may well recognise yourself in one of these, either in how you speak or how you listen…

There’s the Explainer: they want their audience to understand the detail, make sure the process is clear. They’ll share their knowledge withholding nothing, laying it all out clearly in front of you.

This works well with a chunk of their audience who are reassured that the explainer is knowledgeable about the subject under discussion and who like to know exactly what needs to be done, why, when, where and how.

Then there’s the Explorer: they want to include their audience in their thinking, both with questions and examples of other options that have been considered but left behind. They’ll test the boundaries, ask questions, make sure they’ve investigated the issue from every angle, and welcome collaborative further thoughts on the subject.

This works well those in their audience who are reassured that the explorer raised questions, has checked out the options, weighed them up, and come to a rational decision as to which is best. This part of the audience likes to be included and to have the opportunity to have their say, which the explorer invites.

Finally, there’s the Evangeliser: they’re very certain in their views and decisions, and want to convince their audience that their way is the only way. They have confidence in their argument and share it with great certainty and passion.

This works well with individuals in the audience who love the enthusiasm and passion, who appreciate certainty and feel that the person up front should be making the decisions that they can then get behind. To them, this style of communication cuts right through and let’s everyone know what they need to do so that they can just crack on with it.

By pulling together the right combination of these three you can vary your communication style and content so that it has a far better chance of being heard, understood and received by the different individuals in your audience.

Notice who favours speaking or listening in one over another and what happens in discussions when they work well together or in conflict.

Our training will enable you to vary the way you communicate - whilst staying true to yourself - so that you can connect to as many of your audience, colleagues, employees, clients so they connect to your message.