Great Speaking Coach

How to Hold Your Audience in Rapt Attention

There is magic in those moments when everyone in the audience is paying full attention to you. You don't need to be a sleight-of-hand magician to make this happen. You only need to tell a great story.

A powerful example of how a great story is like magic was reported in the news about Bill Clinton speaking at Howard University's 2013 graduation. Clinton described his visit to Indonesia and a tour through the camps sheltering many tens of thousands of those left homeless by the tsunami in 2004.

Clinton praised the handsomeness of a 10 year old boy. The interpreter told Clinton that yes,the boy was handsome and that until the tsunami, he had had 9 siblings. All of them were lost in the tsunami. As the reporter wrote "The crowd fell silent."

It's what Clinton said next that makes this an example of speaking magic. He said to the graduates "This man who had lost nine of his ten children led me through that camp with a smile on his face and never talked about anything but what those other people needed and what he wanted me to do."

"No matter what happens to you, it is highly unlikely that you will ever face anthing as awful as what happened to that mother and father."

No facts and statistics, no policy rants, no logic. A compelling story related in simple meaningful words with obvious emotion in his voice. Those graduates will remember their graduation day for a long time. I'm sure that from time to time, when faced with the difficulties of life that everyone faces, will remember this story.

How well do you create magic with your stories and hold your audience in rapt attention?

 

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What Collaboration Is and Why You Should Embrace It

Every week I see teams collaborating and improving their decision-making and their results. I also see teams seeking consensus and see them failing to improve their decision-making and their results. What's the difference and why does it matter?

Collaboration is activity--conversations, discussions, planning, implementation--that embraces different levels of risk. There's something in the plan for the risk averse person and there's something in the plan for the risk forward person. Collaboration encourages innovation while helping the risk averse to be active participants.

Consensus on the other hand, as I see it practiced everywhere, is defined as a decision or plan that everyone agrees to. The problem is that within in every group there are people more and less risk averse. When you're a leader seeking consensus, you are automatically driving your decisions down to the level of risk the most risk averse person will tolerate. The risk/reward relationship --the more risk, the greater the reward--has not changed. So a consensus on the low risk approach limits your possible return. When your culture is imbued with the desire for consensus, the more risk-tolerant people get tired, lose interest and are likely to give up or take their ideas elsewhere.

Leaders and the language they use create self-fulfilling prophecies: a leader who uses the language of consensus gets it and leaders who foster collaboration get that, much to the benefit of their organizations.

Successful sports teams are the epitome of collaboration. Each member has his/her strengths and they combine their strengths with all the others to win. Some members are willing to take more risks than other (base stealing or tackling) and others will focus on extremely high output at their positions. Teams with high performers who focus heavily on their own stats are not likely to win over the long term.

Learn and use the language of collaboration: speak about the need for a continuum of options, from the low risk to the high risk; how that range generates varying levels of return that combine for the benefit of the organization; and that there is room at the table for everyone. If anyone mentions the need for consensus, speak up against it. Every meeting chair, every supervisor, manager, division leader or executive should use the language of collaboration all the time. You'll create a culture in which varying points of view are welcomed and that will serve you well in the modern, competitive marketplace.

 

 

 

 

The Undeserved Bad Rap on Groupthink

I recently read an article about 'groupthink' that was so heavily laced with a sneering tone I could practically hear the author's voice. The premise and the conclusion was that groupthink is only bad, forcing out innovation and invention in favor of sticking with anything and everything that's familiar.

If you define groupthink as plain vanilla, you'll probably get that because people perform to the expectations of their peers and those above them. However, if you define groupthink as the outcome of the people in a group thinking about and sharing all of their ideas fully and freely and then neogtiating to a conclusion, you have a very different outcome. Groupthink allows the group to generate an outcome--a plan of action--that is far reaching.

Three elements must be in place for a group to produce an exceptional plan of action:

1) A clearly defined problem or question to address. If you start a group off with a question such as "what are your ideas for growth?" which is extremely broad, you'll either get lots of suggestions or you'll get none because there is no guidance.

Instead craft the question with clear boundaries. The question must be tightly connected to one of the strategic visions of the organization. If a strategy is to grow revenue by tapping into new markets in Asia, in three years time, and with a target of a 5% increase in sales, the group gets really focused.

2) There must be a single owner of the question and the actions that follow. This owner must effectively facilitate the group's discussion. Facilitation is a specialty skill--not something someone does off the cuff--and requires certain practices to ensure that all ideas are captured, that there's fair and open conversation, and that eventually leads to the plan of action. The facilitator will ensure that groupthink does not lead to the lowest common denominator, which is the biggest criticism of groupthink, but rather leads to a plan of action that includes actions at varying levels of risk and intensity.

3) Progress reports. You will continue to emphasize the value of groupthink by circulating regular progress reports to everyone in the group. The reports should encapsulate progress at all the various risk levels. This allows those who are risk averse to feel satisfaction that their piece of the plan is respected and is working and it helps them see that activities carrying higher risk are also working. Over time, the most risk averse might loosen up. The most risk forward people get to see the contribution that the low risk actions are making, reducing the tendancy to dismiss low-risk perspectives as not meaningful.

I always say "language counts." When you use the word 'groupthink' and define it as the lowest common denominator that's not worth anything, that's what you'll get. If you use the word 'groupthink' and follow it with your definiton as the plan of action that includes low and high risk activities, people will realize they have a place at the table and they'll be eager to participate.

Groupthink has an undeserved bad rap. Open your minds to the value of assembling a group of diverse perspectives and facilitating the discussion to generate a plan of action. Be the leader who turns the word groupthink into a positive, appreciated concept that generates meaningful results for the organization.

Share your experiences, good and bad, about groupthink, in our comment box.

Bold Self-Promotion-A New There?

How comfortable are you promoting the results of your work? Whether you work within a company or you're the owner of the business, you need to boldly promote your successes. Yet, except for the entertainment and sports industries, there's a powerful aversion to bold self-promotion. We've been conditioned to believe that self-promotion is unseemly and wrong. We're told repeatedly that there's no "I" in team. Let's just do great work and others will notice and promote us.

So how has that worked for you? Probably not all that well, and certainly not well enough to help you quickly climb your success ladder. Other people are too self-centered to pay much attention to your work, and too interested in their own climb to help you with your climb.

The only answer is to boldly promote yourself. This is the new "there".

I'm making time in my own life to think deeply and creatively about the main idea Marshall Goldsmith writes about in his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There. He asks readers to imagine themselves near the end of their lives. They should articulate what they wished they had done differently when they could have. That's the 'there.' Then he urges readers to do those 'theres' now.

So if you decide that one of your 'theres' would be reaching a higher rung on your ladder of success, you have to decide to take the actions today that will get you there. I think one of the most powerful actions is bold self-promotion.

What problem did you solve or what need or want did you help meet and who says so? Effective testimonials focus on results, not on platitudes such as 'great to work with' or 'creative' or 'motivational'. Testimonials are also not about your methodolgy such as 'brought a new process to us.' What was the problem or need and what outcomes did the person enjoy as a result of your contribution? Remember that people get the results, not corporations or organizations. Readers of these testimonials will relate to individual people who are like them. Even if you can't use a specific name and company, attribute the testimonial to a person in the most descriptive way possible.

What are you doing to overcome the bias against bold self-promotion? The first step is to imagine yourself years from now, wishing you'd been a bolder promoter of your work and realizing that you can no longer do that. You can do it now, however. So start today--who had a problem, what results did you help them achieve and how will they go on the record?

Share your examples of bold self-promotion that made a difference to your success ladder climb. Post your stories in our comment box.

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Here Tenacious as a Dog with a Bone; There Listening and Flexible

Since reading Marshall Goldsmith's popular book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, I've invested in some introspection about my own 'here' behaviors and what I need to do instead to get 'there.'

Goldsmith invites readers to define their 'there' in terms of changes they would have made during their lifetimes, and then to make them now, rather than waiting until the only option is wishful thinking at the end of their lives. This is powerful stuff!

I've reached my current level of success as a consultant and coach to people who want to become great speakers in part because I'm tenacious as a dog with a bone when it comes to pursuing acceptance of the customized project plans I write for every client and prospect. Tenacious is good-until it stops you from listening and being more flexible. I've realized that when I'm so focused on the plan, I risk not hearing new information, new desires, new realizations, and new obstacles that the client is facing.

So what is going to get me to one of my new 'theres' is to listen more and increase my flexiblity. I'm already imagining how powerful this will be in my own work and how I will be able to help my clients talk about their 'here' and 'there' in the speeches and presentations that they craft and deliver.

What is a 'there' you'd like to achieve? How are you going to do it, starting now? Share your thoughts in our comment box.

 

 

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My 'Chunking' Approach to Speech Writing

"No time!" "Too busy." "Never enough time." "Can't spend days on it." These and many other similar reasons are why so many business speakers avoid presentations. It's just too time-consuming to put together a speech or presentation you feel good about.

The second most frequent set of complaints I hear are: "I just don't know what to say.""I hate to be boring but every speech I do is boring." "There's too much information, I can't figure out what to include."

My newest approach-- I call it 'chunking'-- resolves both of these problems. Try it for yourself.

To start, download a copy of my Write a Speech Now (WSN) model for collecting and organizing your speech/presentation content. The following steps are based on WSN.

1) Make a folder for your calls-to-action (CTA). Your CTA is the last sentence of your speech/presentation and you use it to tell (recommend) your audience what they should do after listening to you. No speech is complete without a CTA.

Your CTA folder will have 5 or 6 calls-to-action in it, and each of these is about 5-8 words. That's it! Very quick, very easy.

I know you'll only need 5 or 6 CTAs because you'll only be speaking on topics where you have inner knowledge, passion and authenticity.

2) Get up to speed with these short videos on the concepts of key points (KP) and the high impact content mix (HICM). Think of the KP as your argument and the HICM as supporting the argument.

Here's where the chunking approach really takes off! You'll have a set of key points that you can mix and match depending on the CTA you choose for each particular audience. Create a folder to store your collection of CHUNKS--the various Key Points and the associated HICM.

For each Key Point, decide what HICM best supports the point.  The WSN model shows you an assortment of HICM. The value of this model is in the way it shows you how to collect HICM that has wide variety. Variety in your HICM will differentiate you from all other business speakers in the best possible way.

3) When you need to write a speech or presentation, immediately go to the folder for CTAs and determine which one is best for that audience. Then go to your KP+HICM folder and select the chunks that drive to the chosen CTA. When your chunks are done well, you will simply pull them out whole and arrange them in the sequence that makes the most sense for this speech/presentation. The last step is to craft your Attention-getting opening. Your speech or presentation is now written.

Of course, the final step is to practice and rehearse this particular assortment and sequence of chunks. By using the chunk method, you will have more time to practice and rehearse and achieve the goal of being yourself, polished.

Let me know how this works for you. Post your stories in our comment box.

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Avoid Uniformity for the Sake of Uniformity

There's a difference between proposing improvements and proposing innovations. During a recent discussion about the titles for several slides, a couple of people were pushing for all the titles to read either Improvements or Innovations, even though what was being proposed were neither all of one or all of the other.

What is the intrinsic value of uniformity, I wonder? Accuracy and reality have intrinsic value. The points being made were showcasing either improvements or innovations and the audience would know the difference.

I also have this argument against the brand look and content being the driving force behind presentation slide decks. The only people who enjoy branding are the ones who created it. Real audiences--human beings!--like variety.

This is not about your content being all over the place. It is about knowing your values and then using variety to express those values. Even the biggest brands in the world offer new looks and new words all the time. Getting stuck on uniformity for the sake of uniformity makes no sense when you need to be remembered.

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Passion is Good, Blind Passion Is Not

Think about a time when it was evident that a speaker was passionate and yet you wondered "what does this have to do with me?" Blind passion is when the speaker gives in to his or her passion without ever once considering how the audience feels. It's a turn off.

Passionate speaking is great when it's directed to and meaningful for the audience. This is what I mean when I talk about Put the Audience First.

Here's how you speak with passion and in a way that puts the audience first:

1) Know what the audience cares about.

• If you know they don't care at all about your passion, decline the invitation to speak.
• If they care and have a particular point of view or bias, craft your speech or presentation towards that perspective.

2) Let your passion surge and wane during the course of your speech. No one will stay tuned in if they are worn out by unrelenting passion or emotions. Get the audience excited, give them a break, get them excited again, and so on. End on a high note that is all about them.

3) Less is always more. Passionate people have depth and breadth often ad infinitum. That's too much for an audience. Give them a superb taste, not the whole meal. Those who want more will ask for it, the others will remember you positively because you stopped before overloading them.

Speaking and presenting is first about listening to your audience. Listening to their questions, to their own passions, to their hopes and desires. Once you've listened and really heard them, you can share your passion in a way that connects them to you.

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Speakers Bloom with the Right Soil, Water and Sun

 

The right soil for speakers is the topic and audience. Speakers who speak only about topics and/or perspectives that mean something to them are planted in nurturing soil. Not all plants thrive in all kinds of soil. No speaker planted in the wrong soil will thrive, even those who think "I can speak about anything." Believe me, you may think you can do this, but you'll fail, just like a cactus planted in wet soil.

Water and sun are the time you take to get to know your audience, craft your call-to-action first, then figure out your key points, your high impact content and finally your attention-getting opening. Water and sun are also the time you make for your practices. Just like a certain plants needs 6 hours of midday sun--in other words, 2 hours of morning or afternoon sun isn't meaningful--so do you need plenty of time to practice. You simply can't rush it, and you can't pack it all into one day.

Water and sun are the compliments you give yourself when you get one small part right. Stop saying "but, I did this or that wrong." So what, you'll get it right the next time. Allow yourself to flourish as a plant does with frequent doses of water and sun. Then when it's cloudy or dry the plant has stored up enough to make it till the sun comes out again.

Don't let others put words in your mouth, or do that to yourself by thinking you have to do what everyone else does or "what they expect." A rose doesn't try to be a daisy. It thrives by being a rose, day after day.

You can think of yourself as a cherished perennial that receives just the right care year after year, or you can see yourself as the unexpected flower blooming from a crack in cement. In either case, that plant is thriving because of the right soil, water and sun. Provide soil, water and sun for yourself and you'll thrive as a speaker.

 

Write Your Own Speaking Development Plan

There isn't an admirable speaker alive who doesn't continuously work on developing their speaking skillfulness. Once they've got the opening nailed they work on the closing; or on adding humor; or tightening up their stories for more impact. Admirable speakers are always developing themselves.

When you've committed to developing your own speaking skillfulness, you can assess yourself with several tools on my website. You can evaluate yourself in terms of Edgy and also in terms of Breakthrough. Each of these double axis charts helps you diagnose your current state and provides prescriptions to impove.

You can get more insight in your current capability by using my assessment questionnaire and assigning a number to a series of statements about your current skillfulness. The numbers help you zero in on areas that you should focus on first. That's so much easier and more comfortable than a huge statement such as "I need to be a better speaker."

I use all of these resources when starting mentoring or coaching relationships with clients. They give us a snapshot of today and help us prioritze. You're invited to use them yourself today.

Share your experience with these resources through posts in our comment box.

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