Nick Morgan is a communication coach and the author, most recently, of "Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact." Morgan spoke about how federal leaders can improve their communication skills with Tom Fox, a guest writer for On Leadership and vice president for leadership and innovation at the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service. Fox also heads up their Center for Government Leadership.
Q. Your latest book centers on what you call the seven power cues of communication. What are they, and how can they help make leaders more effective communicators?
A. The first cue is how you show up when you walk into a room. Some people walk into a room with confidence, while others enter with shyness, reluctance or other negative attributes. The second cue is the emotions you convey when you are going into an important meeting, conversation or presentation. We leak emotions to the other people in the room unconsciously, so you need to first become aware of and then take charge of those emotions. The third and fourth cues center on the unconscious messages that you receive from other people and the effect that your voice has on others.