Speak to Lead

Public Speaking: Audience research lesson from Speaker Hall of Fame Herb True CPAE

Early in my speaking career, I had the privilege of appearing on the same program as Herb True, a member of the National Speakers Association's Hall of Fame.

Since most of you reading this post may never have heard of Herb, let me introduce you.

After years on the faculty of Notre Dame, Herb went full time speaking to corporate and association audiences. Herb billed himself as the "EduTainer," blending education with entertainment. 

For some audiences he wore costumes to make his points. When most speakers presented without A/V, Herb was using 35mm slides...lots of them. Not word slides, but exciting, interesting pictures and graphics. On a visit to South Bend, I stopped to see Herb and saw his slide collection--literally thousands of slides, all catalogued. 

Funny, informative, motivating, relevant, Herb was one of the busiest speakers in the country.

Now back to the program with Herb. Both of us were scheduled to speak to an association annual convention on a Thursday. Herb had the opening keynote; I was doing a breakout session.

The convention began Wednesday evening with an opening reception, a simulated Philadelphia block party (yes, we were meeting in Philly). While I was enjoying the Mummers and Philly cheese steaks, I noticed Herb was sitting on the floor, reporter's notepad in hand, talking with an attendee. I moved closer to hear what he was saying.

"Were you at last year's convention? What was the best idea you took home? What are you hoping to learn this year? Anything happen to you this past year that was especially good or bad? Anything that would be typical of what other members are going through? Whom do you admire most in your industry? Why? What have you learned in the past year?"

Then he would hop up, grab another attendee, sit him or her down, and go through the questioning process again.

While the rest of us were partying, Herb was mining the audience for examples, names, issues, concerns, and industry humor.

By the next morning, he had refined much of what he had mined, and gave it back to the audience as gold nuggets of industry understanding and insight. And quickly, he was one of them. 

I saw Herb the next day after we both had presented. I mentioned how I had observed his interviews and complimented him on how much of the information he had incorporated into his talk.

"Yes, it's a great source of what's really on people's minds, a great way to customize. But the main reason I do it is I love to learn! If we don't learn something new every day, we can't improve."

Then right before we parted, he looked at me and asked intensely, "Lou, what did you learn today?."

After every speech, workshop, client meeting, or at the end of a day at home, Herb's question comes back to me. "What did you learn today?"

Persuasive techniques: Can you fake charisma? And why would you want to?

Charisma is a critical element of a persuasive presenter. But is it an innate characteristic, or can it be faked?

Executive coach and author of The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help - or Hurt -
How You Lead, Carol Kinsey Goman, PH.D., has the answer. 

Here it is, reprinted with her permission from her newsletter:

How to Fake Charisma 

Charisma has been described as personal magnetism or charm. To me, charisma is all about an individual’s infectious positive attitude and personal energy, as projected through his or her body language.

People are the most charismatic when they are genuinely enthused, confident and upbeat about themselves and their topic. And as a leadership coach, I help clients develop their own unique brand of charisma.

I also help them fake it.

Trying to display confidence when you’re actually feeling uncertain, or to be seen as upbeat and positive when (for any reason) you are feeling the opposite, is a tricky thing. From "The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help - or Hurt - How You Lead," here are two valid options:

Speech coaching: 'The King's Speech' nominated for 12 Academy Awards

It's not every day, year decade that the work of a speech coach is the main focus of a movie.

That The King's Speech leads in the number of Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, is a result not only of a superb script, brilliant acting, and talented directing, but also of a compelling story. (Doesn't hurt that the story involves the wartime King of England either.) 

(For an account of the real story behind the movie, read story by CNN's Nick Glass, Forgotten archive reveals true story behind 'King's Speech.' )

If you haven't seen it yet, catch it before it leaves the theaters. 

Here are a couple of the movie's lessons for SpeaktoLead readers:

• The king's goal was to eliminate the stuttering. In the process of doing so, he also discovered he needed to learn pacing and pausing, cadence, inflection, enunciation, and emphasis to deliver a speech with impact.
  
  You may not have a speech impediment, but we all need to learn and practice delivery skills if we want to be heard and remembered positively.
• George VI had his coach rehearse him for every major address.
  
  You may not need a professional with you for every presentation. But when was the last time you had a professional review a video of one of your presentations? In fact, when did you take time to view yourself? 
  
  Even if you present well, it is easy to get get sloppy, or have a previous bad habit reappear.  

 A challenge for you. If you have not "seen yourself as others see you" within the past six months, have someone record your next presentation, then do a self evaluation. Or contact me if you'd like a professional evaluation.

 

Resonate: present visual stories that transform audiences is a "Must Read"

Transforming audiences. That's been my profession for over 30 years. I transform audiences by transforming the speakers who present to them.

In that time I have tried to stay current on books relating to public speaking and presenting. In the earlier years, before the proliferation of self publishing (when publishing houses served as a print spam filter), the task was close to manageable. Now that's no longer the case. Nonetheless, I make the attempt.

Here's what I find. Much of the writing about public speaking and speech writing is, to be polite, mediocre. Fortunately, there are still some fine works being written. Books that refine our understanding and broaden our view.

Then, every once in a while, a book comes along that transforms the dialogue. That demands we no longer tolerate mindless, emotionless, purposeless presentations disguised as state-of-the-art communication technology. 

Resonate is one of those rare books.

Nancy Duarte (who also wrote the highly popular Slide:ology) delves into the processes of creating audience transforming experiences with an enthusiasm, depth, and insight rarely seen.

Resonate is a joy to read. For every communication professional, this is a must read. Neglect doing so at the risk of being put out to pasture.

Acronyms, memory devices, and terrorist attacks

Acronyms have long been used by speakers, authors and trainers to help audiences more easily remember such things as lists, processes, concepts, and the names of federal bureaucracies.

From one of the latter comes an especially interesting, memorable, and might I add, ironic acronym. 

Here from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is the B-NICE acronym to help you remember the 5 types of terrorist attack:

• Biological
• Nuclear
• Incendiary
• Chemical
• Explosive

And remember, b-nice to those terrorists.

 

Public Speaking: Churchill & FDR Staffs on Speechwriting

Yesterday was, as I was reminded by Max Atkinson, the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. 

He has included on his blog two anecdotes, one from Winston Churchill's staff, one from Franklin D. Roosevelt's staff, related to the preparation of speeches. Also included is a video of Churchill's famous, "Never...was so much owed by so many to so few," speech.

Here is the link to Max's blog:  http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/9mmjai/maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2010/08/70th-anniversary-of-battle-of-britain.html/r:t

Smile to Connect & Succeed

One of the best "tools" for connecting with people is a genuine smile.

Note, however, the word "genuine." In a 30-year study, researchers began by going through 141 photos in a Mills College (Oakland, California) yearbook, and marking those with more genuine smiles. Study participants were then contacted at ages 27, 43, and 52 and asked about their marriage and life satisfaction.

Those with genuine smiles were more likely to get and stay married, and to experience a greater sense of personal well-being. (A Genuine Smiles Goes a Long Way, Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D.)

Other studies suggest smiles may be one of the causes of success. Researchers who analyzed 225 studies involving 275,000 people have concluded that if there is a causation, it goes from smile to success. Genuine smilers tend to be fun, easy to work with, highly motivated, and willing to take on tough problems. A 2005 study published by the American Psychological Association suggests that this is what leads to their success.

So how can you obtain a meaningful smile? Here are 5 tips:

1. Cultivate your sense of humor. Funny things are happening all around us. We just need to know what to look for. I highly recommend you get...and use!...Jeanne Robertson's book, Don't Let the Funny Stuff Get Away.
2. Avoid smile killers. It's hard to smile when you're whining, for instance. (And conversely, it's hard to whine when you're smiling!)
3. Begin the day by deciding to be happy. Count your blessings. Look for the good in others. Be willing to laugh at yourself.
4. Practice. Some of us forget to smile. When you catch yourself frowning, lighten up.
5. Surround yourself with smilers. According to recent research, people who don't smile have a negative impact on both their friends and strangers. Grumpy persons can decrease your chances of happiness by nearly 10%; smiles can increase your happiness by the same amount.

So for positive connection and greater success, SMILE.

Public Speaking: Mnemonic Devices-Barfing Your Way to Success

Mnemonic devices for public speaking have been used for thousands of years.

The initial application was to help speakers remember what they were going to say as they delivered the speech. (For an overview and history of mnemonic devices used by the ancients--remember, the great Greek orators didn't have teleprompters--CLICK HERE.) 

Some mnemonic devices, however, are also useful to help the listener retain and recall your message.

The acronym is one of those. 

Many Americans learned the names of the Great Lakes with the acronym H-O-M-E-S (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior). K-I-S-S (Keep It Simple Stupid) and A-I-D-A (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) are well-known acronyms applying to persuasive speaking.

Which brings us to barfing your way to success.

Recently I heard William H. Nixon, Chairman and CEO of Policy Impact Communications, speak to a management group about his formula for business success, organized as

Persuasion: Dangerous Message - Joe Friday vs Clarence Darrow at Political Bloggers Conventions

"Just the facts, ma'am."* The phrase made famous by Dragnet's Sgt. Joe Friday, raised its deceptive head last week at the Netroots Nation (liberal) and RightOn (conservative) political bloggers annual conventions in Pittsburgh.

Toward the end of a Q&A session a woman stood up, thanked the presenters and said, "The facts are on our side. I realize now if we just get them out there, we will win."

In the non-partisan tradition of this blog, I won't be specific as to which of the conventions I attended. I did, however, expect the dangerous thinking exemplified above to be unique to us. I was therefore gratified to see an attendee of the other convention quoted in the newspaper professing the same misguided thinking.

Facts do not produce converts.

Facts are too susceptible to fabrication, half-truths, intentional and accidental misrepresentation, interpretation, skepticism, disinterest, rationalization, and denial. 

Facts can be useful in conversion, but only when used as part of a process, never as a stand alone.

If we want converts, we need to meet them where they are. We need to deal with their concerns, their perceptions, their assumptions, and their experiences. We need to build a relationship of genuine concern and trust.

And we need to offer, in the words of Bush 41, "that vision thing" so people find a better way.

Clarence Darrow, one of the most prominent American defense attorneys in the late 18- and early 1900s, summed it up well: "Don't give the jury reasons to acquit your client. Make them want to acquit him and they will provide the reasons." 

* Joe Friday actually never said the phrase he made famous. But he came close. What he did say was "All we need are the facts."

Persuasive Speaking: Reputation Protection Part 3 - Five "Quick Fixes" to Safeguard Your Client

In Part 1 (Do Speakers Need a Reputation Czar?) I pointed out that many high-profile speakers end up looking bad because their personal staff and public relation advisers fail to make sure the speaker is ready for "prime time."

In Part 2 (Why Staff & PR Pros Fail to Protect the Speaker) I identified six triggers that produce poor counsel.

Here then are 5 tactics you can do to protect your speaker's reputation:

1. Be clear about what the speaker wants to accomplish in the speech or interview. Thendetermine what conditions you'll need for that to happen. In Secretary Geithner's Wall Street presentation, for example, a major goal was to reassure investors that the administration's rescue plan would work. A necessary condition to get investor buy-in was a detailed plan. Instead, investors got generalities. 
2. Become the audience. Ask the questions they'll be thinking: So what? Who cares? See your speaker's actions through the listeners' experiences. Perhaps using the corporate jet does save money for General Motors in terms of the CEO's time, but that's not part of the listeners' experience.  Note: If you're too close to the speaker and having trouble thinking like the audience, bring in someone who can. 
3. List your speaker's vulnerabilities. As you think like the audience, you'll discover soft points in the speaker's thinking or inconsistencies in his or her actions. Write them down. Then decide how to eliminate or neutralize them.
4. Know your speaker's comfort level and don't exceed it. For example, in Governor Jindal's response to President Obama's Address to Congress, the staging required him to speak directly into the camera for several minutes while standing in place. That unnatural staging would have been hard for even a good actor to pull off, let alone Governor Jindal. 
5. If something doesn't work in rehearsal, change it. In these high-profile situations, rehearsal time is often short. If your speaker is still having trouble with a word, phrase, or movement after two or three tries, change it or move on. Trying to "get it right" is unlikely to succeed and will lead to heightened frustration.

  Applying these five tactics well will help your speaker accomplish the desired objective.