Catherine Ducharme networks in the most appealing and thoughtful way. She is interested in people communicating well and it shows. Connecting people and ideas is fulfilled through her active volunteer work in the community. She started the High Tech Communicators Exchange (HTCE) and works tirelessly for professional groups such as the International Association of Business Communicators of BC (IABCBC). People like Catherine deserve more credit than they get. Kudos to you, Catherine for all you do so people can be better communicators.

How would you describe yourself as a child?

Somewhere between shy and outgoing. 

What helped you become a good communicator?

School (which instructor?) - Went to Journalism School and learned about the inverted pyramid style - lead with your main points. I still communicate that way. 

Mentors, family, friends, co-workers - I was born into an Irish family where conversing is an art form. I also had a mentor who had some fabulous 'war' stories about the workplace and realized this was a great way to communicate and teach. 

Other - I had an english teacher tell me not to pursue a career in writing or public speaking. I wrote him off as a jerk who didn't like me. What he gave me though was clarity because I knew he was wrong.

What are the traits of a good communicator?

Good listener. Asking good questions. Able to see issues from a few sides (from other points of view). Ability to see and put things in context. Understanding and assessing body language, responses and adapting communication style. Having clarity about what you want to communicate and achieve. Realizing if you don't communicate with people when you need to, you aren't doing them any favours. 

What tip or advice would you give to help people become better communicators?

Listen more. Think outside yourself and see things from other perspectives. Be clear on what you want to communicate and your desired outcome. Be open and not so quick to judge - take people as they are. Be curious not defensive. Ask questions. Don't take things personally (unless they are). If communicating something to someone doesn't help them then don't say it.

What is your biggest communication related pet peeve?

Oh I have lots of them. People who talk about themselves and don't ask questions of others. People who don't listen (no eye contact/texting while you are talking/thinking of what they are going to say next. People who want to connect in Linkedin but can't be bothered to take a few seconds to send a personalized "hi how are you doing". Linkedin is about connecting People who only reach out to you when they want something (that's called using people not communicating). People who really don't understand that the concept of networking is about building connections, helping others and letting people get to know you. No one is going to give you a job or recommend you if they don't know you. I'll stop there!!

Who do you think is a famous compelling communicator? And, what makes him or her compelling? 

Every time I listen to Barak Obama give a speech its almost as though he reads my mind. He says something which raises a question and then the question is addressed. He knows his audience and comes across as reasoned and thoughtful. Very compelling (of course I'd be a democrat if I lived in the US). I find a lot of the people who do TED talks very compelling also. Not only is their content fascinating, it is the way they tell their story: they are unassuming, entertaining and interesting. No theatrics just real with great content. And as we all know the content is everything.

Please share a communications story (good or bad) that will be beneficial for others. 

A CEO was holding an all staff meeting to let them know he had sold a division and it meant 70 people would lose their jobs. His speaking notes I prepared led with that message. The CEO was clearly uncomfortable with the directness feeling the message needed context and build up. I had built trust with this CEO so said “I know this is extremely difficult, but staff know change is up (we had been open with staff) and now all they want to know is ‘how am I impacted’. Unless you tell them right out of the gate, they won’t hear a word you say.” I reminded him that respect and dignity were key guiding principles for this change and he owed it to staff to be straight up with them. So he did it. He did provide some context and background but we kept it short. The impacted employees were all contacted within an hour of the meeting. As one person put it: “I didn’t like that I lost my job but I did appreciate that everything was up front and I was treated with respect.” Rule #1 of any internal communications is respect your audience.

Catherine describes herself as a career communicator. She is currently the co-founder of Outsidein Communications - a small brand and communications company based in Gastown Vancouver.