Why Most Executive Communication Training Starts with the Wrong Idea
Most communication training begins with words - we are taught vocabulary, grammar, presentation skills, storytelling techniques, and persuasion frameworks. Entire industries have been built around helping people choose better words. But I’d argue that communication begins long before language. Before you can persuade or influence anyone, you need a functioning instrument capable of producing a clear, engaging sound. And that’s why many professionals (and their teachers) focus on the wrong thing.
The problem isn't always what they're saying. More often than not, it's the system delivering the message.
The Three-Part Engine of Speech
Human speech is remarkably similar to a musical instrument. It has three essential components.
First, there is the power source. The lungs and diaphragm generate the airflow that drives speech. Without airflow, there is no sound.
Second, there is the sound source. The vocal folds inside the larynx vibrate hundreds of times per second, transforming moving air into sound waves. This is where pitch is created.
Third, there is the resonance system. The throat, mouth, tongue, jaw, and nasal passages shape and amplify the sound. These structures determine much of what we recognise as vocal quality, richness, and presence.
If any part of this chain isn’t firing properly, it makes it more difficult to get our message across. Not impossible. Just a lot harder.
The Hidden Cost of Listener Effort
When communication breaks down, we often assume the issue is language.
We need more or better vocabulary?
More grammar?
Or maybe our accent is too strong?
Now sometimes some of that is true - but not often.
I’ve worked with highly educated professionals who have excellent English, but have been difficult to follow because they rush, speak on insufficient breath (this one is huge!), flatten their intonation, or fail to create enough sound contrast (this means it’s harder to tell where one sentence ends and another starts). All of which means that the listener has to work harder (we call this ‘increased listener effort’).
The more effort required to understand someone, the harder the listener has to work to decode the message. That leaves less attention available for the ideas themselves.
This is one reason why two people can say exactly the same thing and receive completely different responses. One feels clear and authoritative but the other feels tiring. The difference is often acoustic rather than linguistic.
Why This Matters in Global English
This becomes even more important in international environments. Most business communication today takes place between people who do not share the same first language.
A German manager may be speaking English to a Brazilian colleague.
A French entrepreneur may be pitching to investors in Singapore.
An Indian executive may be leading a meeting attended by participants from five different countries.
In these situations, communication is not judged against a native-speaker standard but against a much simpler question: how easy are they to understand? This is one of the central ideas behind Global English. It isn’t about sounding British or American, or any other native-type accent. Its primary goal is to reduce listener effort. The easier you are to understand, the more likely your ideas are to be understood, remembered, and acted upon.
The AI Factor
There is another reason this really matters. Increasingly, we are not just speaking to humans but through machines.
Video conferencing platforms generate transcripts.
AI systems summarise meetings.
Speech-recognition tools convert spoken language into searchable text.
These systems don’t care whether you sound like the King of England or a rapper from New York. They care about clarity. They reward clear articulation, predictable pacing, logical structure, and strong acoustic signals. In other words, many of the same qualities that help humans understand you also help machines understand you. As communication becomes increasingly AI-mediated, clarity becomes more valuable than accent.
What Professionals Should Focus On Instead
If your goal is to communicate more effectively, I’d suggest you start with the foundations.
Pay attention to breathing. Create enough airflow to support your voice rather than squeezing words out of your throat.
Slow down. Most professionals speak faster than they think they do.
Use contrast. Important ideas need emphasis. Key points need space.
Allow pauses. Silence helps the listener process your ideas and gives your message structure (Barack Obama’s speeches are a masterclass in using pauses. for great effect)
And, most importantly, remember that communication is not measured by what you say, but by what the listener understands.
Final Thought
The future of communication will not belong to the people with the most sophisticated vocabulary but to the people who can make complex ideas easy to understand. That begins with language … but it starts even earlier than that, with breath, sound, and resonance.
If you’d like to test your English under pressure, why not check out Mary’s app ‘Clarity’ by clicking on this link.