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Communicating
& Your Career
By Michael Alan Hamlin
April 08, 2002
What do folks like General Enrique,
or Ike, Galang, Carol E. Carreon, and Marife Zamora have in common?
For one thing, they are all very accomplished. Galang is a former
spokesperson for the Philippine National Police (PNP) and regional
director for Bicol with 5,000 police officers under his direct command.
Ms. Carreon is the president & CEO of BayanTrade, the Philippines
preeminent B2B exchange. And Ms. Zamora is the country manager of
Headstrong, a global consulting firm that helps its clients develop
and implement IT strategy and solutions.
But that's not all they have in common. All three,
and about 6,000 other executives, managers, and professionals in
the Philippines, are members of Toastmasters International. And
they all say that being Toastmasters changed their lives, and fueled
their careers. Incidentally, Toastmasters is active in 70 countries
worldwide and has over 175,000 active members in over 8,000 clubs.
The Philippines dominates Asia - that sounds nice - and is the only
Asian country to comprise an entire district, a group of divisions,
areas, and clubs just below the international level. It is frequently
the fastest growing division in the world.
Most any top CEO will tell you today that the ability
to communicate effectively has a fundamental impact on his or her
career. As Galang told me late last week, "Even if you have
the best ideas in the world, if you can't communicate in a way that
people understand, nothing happens." He founded the first Toastmasters
Club in the PNP, and believes his participation in the club taught
him how to communicate effectively, rather than just speak at people.
For Galang, perhaps surprisingly to many, there's not
much that's more important in doing his job than communicating.
When I asked him about a typical day, his response was that he spends
every day communicating. "My job involves getting people to
understand and buy into our programs. I talk to our men, the community,
the schools, the mayors, and even the rebels."
Talking to rebels, which often have a Robin Hood-type
reputation among the poor, is hugely important. Sometimes the conversation
is one-way, over local radio stations. But in an effort to truly
engage at least one rebel tiring of life in the hills, Galang recently
sent him a mobile phone, as part of an effort to convince him to
surrender and face trial. "I wanted him to know that he would
be treated fairly, that we would get him lawyers if he couldn't
afford them, and that he would be safe."
More important than the words, however, is they way
they are delivered. Understanding how to talk with people, rather
than at them, is the secret. "He used to speak in one tone
- loud," says Cora Hernandez, a fellow Toastmaster who regularly
attended the meetings of the PNP club. Where Galang was previously
intimidating, now he is engaging. Being engaging depends on such
things as knowing when to modulate your voice, how to use eye contact,
and when and how to employ gestures and body language.
Ms. Carreon says that those skills
are just as important in the corporate world. "If I weren't
a Toastmaster, I don't think I would be a CEO today," she says.
She says that Toastmasters also taught her leadership skills and
made her confident in her abilities to communicate. "I come
from a very poor background, but today speak regularly with some
of the most respected, successful executives in the Philippines,
and even the world," she explains. "Toastmasters gave
me the confidence I needed not just to talk to these very impressive
people, but to do so in a way that encourages them to take me seriously."
BayanTrade was formed two years ago
by six of the Philippines largest conglomerates, whose CEOs together
selected Ms. Carreon as the company's first president. This isn't
the first time, however, that Ms. Carreon has been in a position
in which she has worked with strong CEO personalities in a collaborative
environment. She also set up Megalink, the country's largest ATM
network and another consortium, that time of major banks.
Like Galang and Ms. Carreon, Ms.
Zamora, when asked recently by a reporter for a large US newspaper,
says that leading a firm successfully is much more about communication
than technical skills or even track record. "There are three
dimensions to my position as Headstrong managing director. The first
is leadership. Our success depends on our capacity to attract, motivate,
and mentor a high-performance team. And building an exciting work
environment," she says.
"Second is setting the example.
Finally, maintaining relationships with clients, prospects, suppliers,
and business partners." Each of these roles involves regularly,
meaningfully, and effectively communicating with people.
Toastmasters will be conducting its
annual conference April 26-28. For the first time, it's open to
non-Toastmasters (Full Disclosure: BayanTrade and Toastmasters are
clients of my firm.). If you or your people would like to consider
following in the footsteps of Galang, Ms. Carreon, and Ms. Zamora,
well, they say this is the place to start. For details, contact
Monette Hamlin (mihamlin@teamasia.com.ph).
(Michael Alan Hamlin is the managing director of consultancy TeamAsia
and the author of three books on Asian economies and companies.
His latest book is Marketing Asian Places, of which he is co-author.
His e-mail address is mahamlin@teamasia.com.ph.)
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