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ENTREPRENEURS - March
'98 by Kathy Brown Consummate Communicator
A 12-year stint as an actress and voiceover artist taught O'Neal enough about communication skills that she now owns a consulting business, sharing the "language of creativity" she learned in theater. "The single most important factor in creating successful professional and personal relationships," O'Neal says, "is clear, effective, and meaningful communication." Citing studies showing at least 55 percent of communication to be non-verbal, 35 percent vocal (tone, volume, pitch, rhythm, etc.) and 7 percent actual words used, she says it's not surprising that many people want to communicate better, but don't know how. "It's uncomfortable being in a place where communication is not quite being achieved, and it was a goal of mine to learn how to facilitate that." As a consultant, O'Neal provides keynote presentations, speaks at conferences and conducts professional development workshops that meet specific needs for individual businesses. Her offerings are as varied as the individuals and work, places she serves. "The Art of Successful Communication" covers all aspects of communication from intrapersonal to interpersonal – body language, or nonverbal communication; problem-solving through compassionate confrontation; vocal tonality; boundary definition; intent clarification; and humor – all vital elements for mutual understanding and for heading off conflict. Because intrapersonal communication is "the foundation of everything," O'Neal offers a workshop on creating a personal mission statement. "If what you say to yourself is dysfunctional, then your communication with the world will be also," O'Neal points out. Other workshops include "Vocal Presence," "Creating Happiness and Well-Being," which she conducts for service and wellness organizations such as Health Dimensions, and "Team-Building through Humor and Creativity," which effectively brings co-workers together. According to leadership guru Tom Peters, every business is a service organization. Given that parameter, says O'Neal, communication becomes the key to success. Taking responsibility for creating understanding – both with clients and within a company itself – is a proactive approach that will create unity. "It's not about trying to make people agree with you," she explains. "There can be understanding without agreement, but unity means creating understanding so negotiation can happen." When corporations and businesses that establish the commerce of a community have good communication skills, she says, they encourage an open exchange between business and private sectors, thus creating a vital, growing community. As exemplified by O'Neal's busy schedule, more and more businesses are beginning to concur. Clients include Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA/ Northwood University, Kentucky Department of Education, American Council of Negro Women, Professional Women's Forum, Small Business Development Center, Lexington Community College Center for Community Partnerships, and Health Dimensions. (Workshops for individuals are available at the last three.) In addition to consulting, O'Neal sports several other hats. She's an artist in residence for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and serves as program director for Very Special Arts Kentucky, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. that distributes grants to provide arts experiences for people with disabilities. O'Neal is starting a program at the Veteran's Administration Hospital using local artists to teach art to outpatients. A published writer and storyteller, she's also writing a book on communications. Despite her success in fulfilling work she loves, O'Neal professes to still be gleaning new information about connecting with others through communications. "I think the more you know about something, the more you realize there is to know," she says. "The process keeps unfolding. And that's exciting because I know I'll never reach the end of it ... there's always more to learn."
Kathy Brown is a staff writer for The Lane Report.
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It's hard to
imagine that an actress good enough to go on stage with Anthony Hopkins could have a shred
of problem communicating. But Mary Claire O'Neal began acting in her twenties to overcome
a shyness so great she'd took at the floor when talking to people. It must have helped,
for in 1986 she was chosen as one of 20 professional actors from across the U.S. to work
and study at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain in London with Hopkins himself.