Board Of Communicators – Meet Linda Kao
We are thrilled to introduce you to one of our Board of Communicators members, Linda Kao. We spoke with Linda about why she is excited to be on our Board Of Communicators and her communication approach.
1. What’s your approach to helping folks improve their communications confidence?
The first thing is to know the material. The more you know your stuff, the more confident you will be and that confidence will show when you communicate. The next thing to remember is that communicating is not about the person speaking but more about the person or persons listening. Why do they care about what you have to say? When you turn the tables, it really improves your communication confidence because it’s no longer about, how do I feel up there and more about how do I make the listener feel.
2. Why do you think communications is so important for career success?
Everything is centered around communications. Whether you’re an individual contributor or a manager of a large team, you need to communicate clearly and effectively. And it’s not just communicating up or down; it’s equally important to be able to express your thoughts coherently to your peers. Even for non-corporate, entrepreneurs or small-business owners, communications is key whether it’s for pitching your product or service or for getting funding from investors.
3. In your experience, why do people struggle with communications?
I think people are very focused on the technical aspect of a skill and less so on the softer
side, like communications. People tend to think, how hard can communications be? I can talk! But it’s a lot more than that.
4. What do you love most working with clients on speaking?
I love seeing their a-ha moment and the gradual increase in confidence.
5. Please share your communications growth story.
I found this passion to help others improve their communication skills when I observed really smart people failing to communicate effectively and as a result, being passed up for an internship, job or promotion. I also realized that communications is not a one-time occurrence, it’s something you can continue to grow and develop over time. I love that it’s dynamic and shifts all the time, especially when we, as a society, continue to increase different channels of communication. What started as helping people from time to time and giving advice ended up turning into a really satisfying job that makes such a positive impact.
*Disclaimer: Soulcast Media is proud to be a brokerage provider of these 1:1 communications advising services. Each Board of Communicator Independently Contracted Coach operates independently from Soulcast Media LLC. Soulcast Media vets each Contract Coach before referring them to prospective clients but is not involved with or responsible for any advice given by each independently Contracted Coach.
