Communication Is Leverage

READ TIME - 4 MINUTES

Silence Is Uncomfortable — That’s the Point

I got a massage last night. It’s a monthly ritual at this point.

I look forward to the hour of silence.

Sometimes my masseuse asks a few questions and we end up talking. It always feels slightly awkward to try to shut it down. Last night, silence came quickly and even then, it still felt a little awkward.

It’s funny how uncomfortable silence can be.
Even in a setting where silence is the point.

That discomfort shows up everywhere in interviews, sales calls, leadership meetings. Most people rush to fill space.

The strongest communicators don’t.

If I look back on my career, the single skill that’s had the biggest impact on my trajectory is communication. And it’s still something I actively work on.

Slow Down or Lose the Room

Years ago, when I was an AE Sales Manager at Schoology, I left a meeting with our CMO, MarketingOps, and CRO. I had proposed a change we should make in Salesforce to better capture data for the team.

After the meeting, our CRO, Norm, pulled me aside and said:

“I’m sure what you had to say was very valuable, but I couldn’t understand most of it because you presented it so quickly. Next time, slow down so we can understand.”

I’ll never forget that.

I had always been a fast talker. But that was the first time I realized speed was working against me.

It doesn’t matter how good your ideas are if people can’t absorb them.

Slowing down became intentional.

Later that year, I gave similar feedback to someone on my team. We put a turtle on his monitor as a reminder.

Awareness comes first before improvement.

You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Measure

Earlier in my career, when I was an AE at CEB, I was a nervous wreck on calls. Crutch words were everywhere — um, uh, actually, like.

My manager would literally count them. He’d show me the tick marks after calls.

Brutal. But effective.

I couldn’t change it until I saw it.

I put a Post-it on my monitor listing the words. Every time I caught myself using one, I forced myself to pause instead. Eventually the crutch words disappeared.

Silence feels uncomfortable.
But it sounds confident.

Communication Is a Skill

You use communication in every aspect of your career — sales calls, internal meetings, interviews. It’s the number one lever that helps you exceed quota, lead a team, earn a promotion, or land a new role.

Most sales organizations record calls. That’s your game tape. Use it.

If you’re interviewing, record yourself (using a tool like Notion) and review:

• Where did I rush?

• Where did I ramble?

• Did I clearly answer the question — or over-answer it?

• Did I pause after key points?

• Did I ask enough questions?
  

We would never run our first sales demo without preparation. We go through onboarding. We learn the messaging. We practice. We have an outline and a plan.

When I prepared for Board meetings or team training, I used the same approach.

Interviews deserve that same level of rigor.

Start with a list of the questions you expect. Craft your responses. Use the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your examples.

Then practice.

To demonstrate confidence and command, check for:

• Talking too quickly

• Filler words

• Long monologues

• No structure

• No control of next steps

These are controllable.

Communication Is Leverage

Communication determines:

• Whether your ideas land

• Whether you command a room

• Whether you get promoted

• Whether you get the offer

If you want better outcomes in your career, tighten how you show up verbally.

Slow down.
Embrace silence.
Review your tape.
Practice with purpose.

Communication isn’t something you’re born with.

It’s a skill.

Hit reply and tell me what’s one communication habit that you’re actively trying to change?

To clarity and confidence in your career path,

Amanda

See you next Sunday.