How many times do you listen to a song? The first few times you listen to get the overall sense of it. Once you decide you like it, you listen to it repeatedly to get more of the words. As you listen to it even more, the details of the composition become clearer and clearer.
You're not surprised by the fact that it takes many listenings for you to really internalize the song. So why would you expect your executives, your employees, your industry partners and others you speak with to get any message you deliver from a one-time presentation of it?
I am not advocating boring repetition, or speaking simply to people like you might speak to a young child. I am advocating respect for your audiences and their capabilities. You do this and help them hear your complete message by speaking creatively.
Creative speaking means including a wide variety of interesting content in every speech and presentation. Appeal to both the right and left sides of the human brain. Illuminate your key points with several different presentations of it.
I've been calling this variety of content 'leading materials'. You can use survey results, visuals, props, participation, sound, statistics, song and movie titles, sports analogies and stories.
If you're talking about dealing with a major change in the organization, think about a well-known movie that was about upheaval and how people dealt with it. Remind the audience about those characters--the crisis, the obstacles and what they did to overcome them.
Next, show some visuals--photos in particular--of people overcoming big challenges. Share why you admire the people in the photo. Ask the audience to imagine themselves in a similar situation. What would they do and how would they feel?
You could also ask them to solve a puzzle that you've provided on a handout. There are few instructions and there's a prize for the first one correctly solved. These characteristics are similar to those found in a situation that demands change.
After these three different presentations of change situations, you get to your key point, which is urging the audience to be flexible, adaptable, creative and personally strong in the face of the challenges that lie ahead.
How will you speak, refresh and speak again in your next speech or presentation? If you need help, give me a call or send an email.
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