The Quantified Communications Index: Background & Methodology
J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is the most authentic CEO communicator in the Fortune 100, according to a new study by Quantified Communications.
The study uses proprietary algorithms based on linguistic, vocal, and nonverbal patterns that have been proven through academic research and audience testing to rank CEOs. The work is based on publicly available communication samples.
Dimon, who has led the bank through one of the most disruptive and tumultuous periods in recent time, is followed on the list by AT&T’s Randall Stephenson and PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi.
In an atmosphere of distrust, Dimon’s authenticity in his communication to the public, government oversight committees, and employees has helped shore up both the bank’s reputation and the loyalty of its employees.
“Love him or hate him, Dimon comes across consistently,” said QC CEO Noah Zandan. “Authentic communication is a key skill for all CEOs, but is especially valuable in times of stress or crisis.”
What is Authenticity, and Why Does it Matter?
As James Kouzes and Barry Posner say in their bestselling book, The Leadership Challenge, “Authenticity is the true test of conviction, and constituents will only follow willingly if they sense that the vision is genuine.”
In terms of communication, authenticity is the audience’s impression that a speaker’s remarks match his or her beliefs and actions—they appear natural and not overly choreographed or contrived.
When leaders communicate authentically, they inspire audiences to make extraordinary efforts on behalf of their organizations. When they don’t, pessimism prevails, and employees do no more than the minimum to get by.
QC’s Methodology and Platform
Our proprietary platform is built on decades of communication research and development with academics, professionals, and data scientists, and it allows us to measure, compare, and track ourclients’ key communications to enhance their impact. We have used the platform to compile millions of data points on hundreds of thousands of communication samples.
Our algorithms are based on linguistic, vocal, and nonverbal patterns that have been proven through academic research and audience testing. Each algorithm comprises a proprietary mix of research by linguistic experts such as James Pennebaker (University of Texas), Paul Eckman (UCSF), and Sandy Pentland (MIT), and a wide range of academic studies. (Learn more in our white paper.)
To rank leading CEOs, we collected publicly available communication samples from the Fortune 100 CEOs, first searching for video recordings of the CEOs speaking as representatives of their companies. In the case where videos were not available, weused audio recordings of the CEOs’ participation in recent earnings calls.
We then used a combination of natural language processing, automated vocal analysis, and expert panel ratings to measure their communication skills on more than 100 characteristics, ranking them by their authenticity scores.
About Quantified Communications
Quantified Communications is an Austin-based company that brings an objective, data-driven approach to the art of communication, working with C-suite executives at some of the nation’s largest companies, MBA and EMBA candidates at leading institutions such as Stanford University and the University of Texas, and TED and other world-class speakers.