Speak to Lead

Framework for Persuasive Speaking

Sixty-five years ago, 19 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill came to Washington and spoke to a joint session of Congress. He came to cement the British-American alliance he and President Roosevelt had established, to review the British experience in the war so far, and to preview the long and difficult struggle ahead.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, Churchill uses humor at the beginning to establish a bond with his audience. To listen to his opening, click here.

This would also be a good time to read a paper Churchill wrote in 1897 while an army lieutenant on  The Scaffolding of Rhetoric. In it he discusses five elements for persuasive speaking. Even though our use of language today does not have the same embellishments as Victorian English, his general points are still quite valid.

A Question for Leaders

During the memorial service for my friend Martha (see previous post), one of the speakers commented, “Being around Martha made me want to be a better person.”

What a powerful question for leaders to ask: "When people are around me, do they want to be better persons? Do I bring out the best in others?"

Speak Kind Words

Two memorial services in a week. Two long-time friends passing on. Both leaders in their own way.

Martha, in her late 70s, broke her hip, had successful surgery, then, either while in the hospital or at the rehab facility, contracted an infection. She died of sepsis. More about her in a later post.

Susan, mid 50s, a successful professional, died of brain cancer after an eight-month battle. 

Susan moved to Washington, DC 20 years ago and rapidly became a leader in church and community organizations and in her profession. In a city where many equate leadership with visibility, status, and wealth, Susan eschewed all three. She kept the focus on the people who worked with her and on those they helped.

In a city preoccupied with photo ops, Susan avoided the camera. So much so that when her friends were selecting a photograph to use for the memorial service program, they had to resort to

Nobles & Knaves Contest

Each week the Washington Times picks Nobles and Knaves from that week--those individuals, groups or organizations who have had an inspiring and positive impact on society and those who have had a frustrating, negative impact.

Now the Times is asking you to pick (from a list of 27 for each catagory), the Most Noble and the Biggest Knave of 2006. Voting closes January 1, 2007, so hurry!

Hierarchy of Message Proof

Often the hardest part of message development is making the message believable, memorable and one that compels the audience to act.

In thinking about message proof, I found this interesting hierarchy from political blogger Jon Henke. Henke was quoted by Greg Pierce writing today in his Washington Times column, "Inside  Politics."

…a story is more powerful than a statistic, and a narrative more powerful than a story. Similarly, a picture is more powerful than a story and a video is more powerful than a picture.

Lesson: Think visual. (And we're not talking Powerpoint text slides!)

Messaging Is the Art of Sacrifice

Recently while preparing the first draft of an article, I wrote a personal example that I enjoyed and felt readers would enjoy too. It created a clear mental picture, evoked feeling, and had humor. Before finishing the draft, I stopped to go back and polish the example. With every tweak, I liked it even better. Not quite the wit of Mark Twain or the wisdom of O. Henry…but pretty close!

It was the perfect lead paragraph. Except for one thing—it didn’t fit.

But I really, really liked it. So I spent half an hour searching for some way to fit in my anecdotal “gem.” Try as I might, I couldn’t find any place where the example helped move the reader to the desired conclusion.

Whenever I get stuck, I step back and run through my message development system to see where I’ve gone wrong. The answer was in one of my own maxims: Messaging Is the Art of Sacrifice.

With any worthwhile issue of which you are knowledgeable, there will always be more you would like to say than you have space for, or time for, or that the reader will understand, or that the reader even needs to know. Excise those extras.

And that’s what I did. I cut the example and pasted it to its own file, awaiting a time when it will fit. So if in the days, weeks or months ahead you read a post that mentions a “cure-all” potion, you’ll know that time has come.

Hampton’s Law Embraced by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

A front page article in today’s Washington Post focuses on a new report from NCTM that attempts to solve a tough mathematical problem: too much math. It seems that as states and the feds have pushed for greater proficiency, the math curriculum has widened while mastery has weakened. Students have been exposed to lots of concepts, but aren’t able to use them.

NCTM's solution? Apply Hampton’s Law.

The article doesn’t specifically mention my law by name, but rest assured, that is what is being described (see the fifth paragraph of  the Post article). Those of you who have been clients should be able to recite Hampton’s Law in detail. (3 x 3 = 1 or 2 or 3; 9 x 1 = 0) But for the unfamiliar reader, the essence is this: Maximum communication is realized when the number of messages is kept to three, each being reinforced by memorable detail or actions and repetition.

Key point: If you want your listeners to remember and act upon what you say (during interviews, presentations, meetings, and when giving instructions), apply Hampton’s Law.