Interview with Ian Kennedy, Managing Director of Essential Communications.

SAN: You are the Managing Director of Essential Communications for the last 20 years. Tell us more about the company. When was the company established? What kind of service do you provide? Who are your clients?

IAN KENNEDY: The company was established in 1993 and incorporated in 1997. Communication is the through line to everything we do. We truly believe that communication is the key to success. Strong verbal and written communications skills are the key to career advancement and career success.

One of our most sought-after courses is our Clear Concise Engaged and Energized Presentation Skills workshop. In business we present to inform, to educate, to motivate and/or to persuade. So, whether it is ‘presentation skills’ in a leadership capacity, overcoming stage fright, or incorporating story into business briefings, the ability to present well is an essential business skill. The ability to present well is a foundation piece for career advancement and Essential has the courses and coaching to take you to the next level.

Our client list includes corporations, governments, and medium-sized businesses. 

SAN:Tell us about yourself.What is your background? How did you come up with the idea to establish this company?

I.K.:I began my career in radio broadcasting, and after a dozen or so years, made the shift to communication skills training for individuals and business.

I am a facilitator first and foremost. Sure, I work as a speaker, trainer, and consultant, yet it is interactive sessions with groups of people that I enjoy the most. My areas of specialty include business communication and presentation skills. Through years of working with The Actors Institute in NYC, I honed my facilitation skills to a point where I can easily engage almost any group of people.

SAN: Is there any magic rule how to communicate effectively?

I.K.: On average 70% of our working day is spent in communication. Successful communication is a two-way street. In the workplace non-communication is not an option. The rules for good communication are very simple, but interestingly most people are still failing in it. In communication it is important to listen carefully, to watch body language, and decipher the meaning of tone of voice. As per Mehrabian’s Communication Theory, 55% of the message comes from the body language, 38% of the message comes from the tone of voice, and only 7% of the message comes from the actual words we use. The statistic is different when speaking over the phone where 82% of the message comes from the tone of voice.

SAN: What makes a poor communicator?

I.K.: A fairly universal challenge is listening. Many people don’t pay full attention or interrupt the speaker before they are finished talking. Another problem is taking over the conversation.

Person “A” says, “I am really troubled by the latest report”. Rather than continuing to listen, Person “B” jumps in and says something like, “oh, yes, I know. Personally, I don’t like the style of the reports in general.” And then goes on and on and on. This is not listening – this is talking. They are not in balance with the other; they take over and talk too much and for too long.

When speaking, not speaking with energy and intention are often the main blocks.

SAN: In almost every course you teach you repeat the importance of effective listening.

I.K.: Yes, I like to emphasize that, since this is a key area for improvement and an area where one can see significant results with a small bit of practice. When I was young, I used to be a very poor listener – interrupting others, talking too much without listening, etc. There are two types of listening skills: attentive listening and interactive listening. With attentive listening we let the other person finish their story first – we do not interrupt too quickly when the other person is speaking. Interactive listening skills use questions to fill in missing details – confirm and paraphrase, also acknowledge and show empathy for the speakers’ feelings. In both instances, the listener is engaged and maintaining facial contact and including some eye contact.

SAN:Are there any magic rules to effective listening?

I.K.: AtEssential Communication we have some tips that we offer in our training:

eliminate the distractions, limit physical barriers, listen to the main ideas, and whenever possible use words and phrases the speaker has used in return dialogue. Ask for specific examples and be patient while the other person is talking and wait for your turn.

SAN: For new immigrants to Canada, good communication skills are even more essential because many of us came with poor or fair knowledge of the English language since most of us learned English for no more than one hour per week in school. Do you have any particular advice for newcomers?

I.K.: I have met many great people and highly educated professionals who came to Canada with fair or even poor English skills. One thing that I would recommend would be to work on improving pronunciation. Even very intelligent people could be downgraded by the listener, if the listener doesn't easily understand. My advice would be to listen to CBC radio since many of the hosts speak clearly and slowly. As well, if you are still struggling with the proper English pronunciation, I would advise to avoid communications over the phone and to communicate in person as much as possible. Over the phone you might be not understood and also you are missing the information communicated through body language. It is also important to continue to improve your grammar. In general, my advice to all non-native English speakers is: keep working on refining your writing and speaking. Well-spoken English will increase your credibility.

SAN: Immigrants from the former Yugoslavia are coming from a different social and work culture. We were taught that technical skills at work and work ethics are important. No one taught us about importance of good interpersonal skills and communication at work.

I.K.: In the Canadian workplace technical skills are considered a "given", and it appears that in the work environment more and more people are distinguished by the level of their emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. It is essential to take interpersonal skills to the next level. This is true at work, and in one’s personal life as well.

A main part of interpersonal skills is the ability to communicate effectively to solve problems and to negotiate. We need strong ‘interpersonal skills’ to be effective leaders or impactful team members. Beyond presenting to create maximum impact, star performers are focused listeners who have developed ease in engaging others and know how to conduct difficult conversationsin a managerial/supervisory role. Whether it is our course on Taking Your Interpersonal Skills to the Next Level, our workshop on Workplace Feedback, or a session on Difficult Conversations, at Essential we provide the content to lead participants to be better communicators.