We included Daniel Lubetzky on our “Communication for Leadership Success” list because of his message organization, use of supportive gestures, and ability to connect with his audience through personal stories. Daniel is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Kind LLC.
by Stephanie Bickel
We reviewed Daniel's interview on "Squawk on the Street" where he discusses the brand's expansion as it adds products in four new categories.
Daniel’s greatest tips on communication for leadership success:
Concise messaging: Daniel immediately answers the question asked and only includes the most important information. He stops and waits for a follow-up question before adding unnecessary details. This speaking style minimizes the chance of losing his audience and keeps them engaged. (0:04-0:06, 0:42-0:54)
Variety of gestures: He uses the karate chop, football hold, steeple, pincer, and counts using his fingers to emphasize certain points. When incorporating these supportive and intentional gestures, his messages are easier to follow. (0:15-0:28, 0:42-0:54, 2:25-3:00)
Structured and organized messaging: Daniel buckets his messages and begins by saying, “...we are entering 4 temperature stages,...”. When information is set up in this way, audiences know what to expect and messages becomes more memorable. (0:11-0:28, 0:42- 0:54)
Storytelling: When addressing sugar content, he explains that Kind bars have lower sugar than the competition and then brings up exact sugar content in frozen bars. (0:55-1:07) Then, he tells a story about being at a chess tournament for his daughter where all the snacks were empty calories. By painting the picture of a frustrated parent, his listeners can visualize and relate to exactly what he is saying. (1:14-1:36) (4:07-4:45)
Appropriate speaking pace: Daniel does have a slight accent, however, he speaks slowly and takes the time to fully articulate his words so he is more easily understood. (throughout)
Strong close: He ends with the mission for Kind…to inspire kindness, do the right thing for your body and the world, and bring people together. He also mentions being a Mexican immigrant and his father being a Holocaust survivor. Through personal stories and sharing his values, Daniel further connects with and builds trust with his listeners. (5:00-6:08)
What Daniel could do to improve his communication for leadership success:
Add vocal variety and soften facial expressions to show his passion toward the brand: Daniel could vary his vocal variety and nonverbal cues to better connect with his audience. He remains serious throughout, but could increase his volume and smile to show his passion at certain moments. At 3:10, when he says “We love what we do, we love being private…”, it is a perfect time to add variety in his voice and soften his facial expression. He does start smiling from 4:07-4:45, and you can see him light up.
Minimize use of filler words when responding to questions: Although not a huge distraction, he answers a few questions later in the interview by starting with “uh” or “um”. Because he was so articulate early on, using fillers for these questions could be perceived as uncertainty in the listeners’ minds. (3:28-4:08)
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