Communicate to Influence: How to Inspire Your Audience to Action

"The gold standard for communication training programs."-USA Today Business communication sucks. At each meeting and presentation, we are inundated with information, leaving us thirsting for inspiration. Sure, we will check off an action item because we have to . . . but what if we were actually inspired to do something? What if we were so moved that we wanted to do it?
Leaders must earn the license to lead. Not by expertise, authority, or title alone, but by influence. In Communicate to Influence, you will learn the secrets of the Decker Method-a framework that has been perfected over the past 36 years. Ben and Kelly Decker add fresh insights to these proven principles so that you can ignite change and inspire action. Discover:

• The Five White Lies of Communicating: learn which barriers prevent you from getting better
• The Communicator's Roadmap: use a tool to visually chart what type of communication experience you create
• The Behaviors of Trust: align what you say with how you say it to better connect with your audience
• The Decker Grid: shift your message from self-centered, all about me content to relevant, audience-centered content that drives action

You are called to communicate well. Not only on the main stage, under bright lights, but every time you speak with your colleagues, your clients, and other stakeholders. It's time to learn how. Stop informing. Start inspiring.
BEN DECKER & KELLY DECKER are the leading experts in the field of business communication. They consult on messaging, cultivate executive presence among the leadership of Fortune 500companies and startups alike, and regularly deliver keynotes to large audiences. Together, they run Decker Communications, a global firm that trains and coaches tens of thousands of executives a year. Ben and Kelly live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they constantly test and refine communication techniques with their most demanding audience, their three boys.

Foreword vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Why Influence? 1

CHAPTER 1
Business Communication Sucks 7
CHAPTER 2
On Deaf Ears 31
CHAPTER 3
Creating a Communication Experience 49
CHAPTER 4
Behavior Reigns 77
CHAPTER 5
Strike a Chord 115
CHAPTER 6
Move from Information to Influence 141
CHAPTER 7
A Structure, Not a Script 177
CHAPTER 8
Navigate Your Experience 205
CHAPTER 9
The 10X Communicator 223

Appendix 251