At some point in your career, you’ll need to communicate with someone powerful, whether that’s your direct boss, a company CEO, or a high-ranking hiring manager. From networking to job searching, you’ll need to learn how to handle interacting with higher-ups in a professional setting.
To avoid being intimidated, you’ll need to learn how to balance confidence without circling back to arrogance. Prepare for communicating with powerful individuals by preparing with these pieces of advice in mind.
Do your research
If you’re in the advantageous position of knowing you’ll meet a higher-up before it happens, such as at a networking event, job interview, or meeting, you can be proactive and research the person you’ll be meeting. Not only will this help you find important talking points but you’ll also learn more about the person, which should make them less intimidating.
CEO of JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon says that he is most impressed by candidates who have done their homework beforehand rather than asking questions they should already know. Doing prior research allows your conversation to bring more value to both you and the other person, and that preparation reflects well on you.
Project strength
You won’t always have time to prepare beforehand; you might have a chance meeting with a powerful person. Thankfully, there are strategies you can adopt that will prepare you for any meeting. Even if you’re caught off-guard, if you’re able to project strength with your words and body language, you’ll stand out and make a great impression.
Fast Company’s Judith Humphrey says to project confidence by using strong verbs in your dialogue. Phrases like “I will,” and “I believe,” sound much more appealing than “I guess.” or “I wonder.” Avoid using filler language such as “umm” and “like” and overly apologetic language as much as possible. Top that off with good nonverbal behavior like looking them directly in the eye and being mindful of your posture and you’ll project confidence.
Be direct
Follow up your strong language by being direct and meaningful in your conversations. Confidence is good, but you want to make sure you’re actually bringing something of value to your elevator pitch.
Inc.’s Jayson Demers says that the best leaders avoid buzzwords and cliches. These phrases often lack real meaning or often disguise what you really want to say. In addition, they tend to use simple, direct language over big words. Five-dollar words are fun, especially in writing, but in casual conversation, they can make you sound pretentious. Emulate these behaviors in your own conversations and you’ll find them more rewarding.
Be thoughtful
In any networking effort, you shouldn’t be focused on what you can gain from the interaction. An ideal connection brings value to both parties. Likewise, it’s important to spend time in conversations listening. Even with a powerful person, you should view the interaction as mutually beneficial and try your best to be thoughtful and bring value.
You can start by asking more meaningful questions. Even with small talk, you can frame your questions in more interesting ways according to CNBC Make It’s Charles Duhigg. You want to draw out real experiences and values. In return, you’ll get more thoughtful responses that you can learn more from. This person might have a lot of wisdom you can learn from. Do your best to make the most of your opportunity by letting them speak and internalize what they share with you.
“When you listen, remember what you’re hearing and engage with the person you’re in conversation with. Ask questions about what they’re saying to gain a deeper understanding of their goals.” –Jeanne M. Stafford, Forbes
Don’t focus on rank
When meeting a powerful person, the most important thing to remember is they are a human just as you are. There’s no need to be overly intimidated. Despite a high-ranking title, they aren’t an overlord you need to bow down to. In fact, most powerful people want to be talked to like a normal person.
The Muse’s Lily Herman says that while you shouldn’t go full-on in the other direction and act “too cool” around the person, you shouldn’t act starstruck. Stick to your traditional networking principles while keeping the aforementioned advice in mind and your conversation should get into a good flow.
“But like the Great and Powerful Oz, at the end of the day, the man or woman behind the curtain is just that—a human.” –Diamond Leadership
Wrap up
Navigating the professional world means you’ll often come in contact with powerful people. But don’t let a title make you meek. You bring a lot to the table yourself, and if you remember your value while embracing the above tenets, you’ll find yourself having pleasant and meaningful conversations with powerful people.
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