Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma [Anglais] [Relié]

I work for a large consulting and accounting organization, and I see non-authentic, non-charismatic communication every day. By contrast, it's incredibly powerful when a business leader steps up and communicates passionately, honestly, directly, and in a way that connects deeply with the audience and generates trust.

In this book, Nick Morgan "cracks the code". It's *not* a matter of chance whether you communicate the right way or the bad way. And it's *not* that "some people are born that way."

There are teachable steps you can take to up your game.

The thrust of the book is to identify 2 "conversations" that happen every time you interact with someone: the words you say (the verbal) and the nonverbal messages you send. Nick Morgan's project is to identify how you can make both of those conversations as strong as possible. He also lays out how you can make both conversations match the other, since our nonverbals often undermine our spoken messages.

Along the way, Nick lays out four aspects of achieving powerful communications. With each of these, he discusses tips and tricks for both the verbal and also the nonverbal. The four aspects are:

- Openness (sincerity, inviting the audience in, warmth)
- Connectedness (to your audience)
- Passion (for the subject at hand)
- Listening (understanding the journey you want to take your audience on, and gathering feedback all through your communication about where they are, so you can make judgments about how to move them along)

They key to aligning your nonverbals and your verbals is this insight: your nonverbals happen a split second before the synapses fire for speaking. In other words, you can't fake it. (There are parallels to method acting here.) Both the nonverbals and the verbal communication have to flow authentically from the same place.

Nick has a great writing style: intelligent and engaging. He also keeps the book lively through the generous use of illustrations and anecdotes. He is informed by the latest brain research, and lays out a sound theoretical basis for the 2 conversations. But Nick never loses sight of the practical. There are passages where you can imagine the implications have to be worked out in 1-on-1 coaching, but overall the book itself will go a long way towards helping even the most experienced communicator.

Every day, in order to succeed, we must persuade others through our communication. In some cases, our "audience" might be an auditorium full of sales reps, or board room of executives. Other time, the "audience" could be a key new business prospect, or a single person sitting on the other side of the desk in a job interview. In every situation, we must persuade the audience's opinions, and influence its actions, in order to achieve any type of meaningful result.

This is where TRUST ME comes in.

This book is an elegant-yet-practical guide to authentic communication. Rather than addressing only the theory and pragmatics of a great speech, Nick Morgan deftly draws upon his impressive track record of coaching Fortune 100 leaders to show us exactly how the greatest pieces of communication are developed and executed.

In addition to the nuances of presentation how-to, Morgan also investigates the heart and soul of every conversation. We learn how to craft a message with grace and intent ("Verbal restraint can be a more powerful indicator of depth of feeling than excess") and share our most deeply-held beliefs in a more authentic way ("The first place people look to find passion is in the voice").

One of the most practical and profound aspects of the book is Morgan's description of the subtle ways in which we can unwittingly sabotage our one-to-one conversations, such as with unintentional voice cues, or alienating body posture. It doesn't matter how carefully we conceive a message if our non-verbal communication contradicts what we want to convey.

As you might imagine, the application for this instruction goes far beyond the realm of business. Whether you lead an organization that sells pharmaceuticals or farm equipment, whether you're speaking to a group as a politician or a parent, Morgan's insight will how how even subtle changes in communication style can help your message stand out and make a difference.

There are many books on the topic of how to give a speech. Nick Morgan's teaches us how to powerfully wield our communication with the ultimate purpose of strengthening relationships, influencing results, and making our ideas matter out in the world.

Nick Morgan's ideas in Trust Me have transformed my speaking.

Prior to reading the book, I was a good speaker. I was frequently booked by conference organizers and often got good scores on feedback from participants.

But after I read the book and applied the ideas, my speaking was transformed. The ideas were so powerful that I reached out to Nick and got some one-on-one coaching.

Now I am a professional speaker. And my feedback is not just good - now it is great. I am nearly always rated one of the highest speakers at the events I present to.

If you are a beginner or a pro like I now am. Trust Me will help you to become as good as you want to. (Or as good as you dare to).