Do you feel boring? Or fascinating? I promise that no matter how run-of-the-mill you may feel most days, you possess a leadership quality that others find fascinating. I see this unfold every day in my executive coaching practice. Every leader has a unique asset, an inner strength that defines their executive presence.
What I find fascinating is that most leaders arrive at my coaching session oblivious to their unique asset. They don’t see themselves as others do. I find great joy in helping leaders identify what’s influential about them – and then help them amplify it.
If you identify and amplify your unique assets, you will become far more influential. More powerful. More authentically and satisfyingly you.
I recently taped an interview with Sally Hogshead, the author of “Fascinate,” to help uncover seven qualities that she believes fascinates others. If, by chance, you’re snickering over Sally’s last name, she has a heartfelt, unique retort for you at the end of this video. As you’ll see, it’s part of what makes Sally so darned fascinating herself.
I hope you enjoy this quick video to learn which fascinating qualities YOU possess:
It was the silence heard around the world: Rick Perry’s brain freeze. Perry’s mental cramp during the GOP presidential debate stole the show and was quickly hailed as one of the worst memory meltdowns in history. It was a cringe-inducing 53 seconds as Perry scrambled to recall the name of the third federal agency he’d shut down, to no avail.
I’m not focusing on politics here. My interest is in YOU as an influential leader and how you can prevent your own case of message meltdown. After many year of observing and serving leaders, I’m convinced that brain freeze in public speaking is completely preventable, no matter how nervous you are. Many people’s fear of public speaking and delivering presentations hinges on this issue, so I’d like to share three strategies to conquer it. (With a respectful wink and nod to Governor Perry, let’s hope I don’t forget the third.)
What’s at stake when an episode of brain freeze strikes? Your credibility can disappear with your memory. Your confidence can take a profound, life-altering beating. In addition, brain freeze can either 1) create an unfavorable first impression of you, or 2) cement an unfavorable view that others already have of you.
Here are three tips to prevent you from drawing a blank when delivering a message:
Believe your message deeply. Your brain’s frontal lobe is sensitive to anxiety. Psychologists say stress hormones can temporarily block your frontal lobe from the rest of your brain. You’re frantically searching for a word, but like a computer file that’s locked, your brain is blocking access to it. Fear is like a virus, infecting your thoughts. It’s guided by self-preservation. The solution? Don’t rely solely on your brain to deliver a message when the stakes are high. Believe your messagedeeply. A speech or presentation is a transfer of emotion. Engage both your head and your heart to share your message with others. Tap into your message both intellectually and emotionally. When you deliver from the heart, you free yourself of the susceptibility that anxiety will scramble your brain.
Beware of adding new information too close to delivery.Brand spanking new information leaves you vulnerable to drawing a blank. You haven’t fully processed and internalized new info yet. You might as well send a party invitation to your brain inviting message meltdown when you add new information on the fly. But Connie, you ask – what if my boss gives me last minute information that I have to include? What if I learn something at the last minute that’s important? Of course you should add this type of information to your presentation. But here’s the antidote: write that information down and keep it right in front of you. Prominently. During Perry’s meltdown, he frantically searched his notes, but couldn’t come up with that third agency. Perhaps it was buried in his notes. Perhaps he was off-point. I don’t know. But I do know that a prominently displayed, bulleted list would have saved Perry from this public humiliation. So save yourself. If you have new, unprocessed information to share, keep it written prominently in front of you. Think of it as an insurance policy.
Deliver boldly. Do you fear criticism? Does the concern that someone will take a shot at you linger in the back of your mind during delivery? This is pure poison. The good news is that it’s self-induced, which means you have control over it. Confidence is the expectation of a positive outcome in a specific situation. Breathe deeply, visualize a positive outcome and let go of the fear. Forget perfection – think excellence. Don’t morph into your boring, evil twin in front of an audience. No one wants an automaton delivering a perfectly rote message- they value a person with a passionate point of view.
The only true metric of public speaking is the audience’s response. Embrace your opportunity to move others to action. Use these three tips and you’ll replace brain freeze with liquid gold for your audience – and yourself.
Here’s a thoroughly unexpected, powerful lesson in how to be more influential. Ever fumbled around learning how to use a gadget – and taught the world an important life lesson in the process?
Probably not. But that’s what Bruce and Ester Huffman did.
Watch these grandparents as they try to figure out how to activate their brand spanking new web cam. Their granddaughter posted their adventure on YouTube and it went viral. Prior to this, the happy Huffmans had never even heard of YouTube.
Most people think the dynamic duo’s video is merely comical. But the executive coach in me sees a lesson that could set you free and change how you interact with others.
Bruce and Ester accidentally schooled us ina highly influential communication skill: the magnetic power of authenticity. They reveal themselves, burps and all. That’s why you’ll love them. As you watch this clip, I’m asking you to ponder what I’ve taken to heart: revealing a bit more of your true self will draw people to you, too.
You’ll resonate. And that’s as real as it gets. Why not use this example to activate your influence, like Bruce and Ester?
I recently returned from South America where I had the opportunity to keynote a large business conference in Colombia. (If you haven’t been to Colombia, it’s a great adventure.) Imagine this challenge, though: I don’t speak Spanish – and the audience of hundreds of business leaders didn’t speak a word of English. The other experts who presented at the event – from Spain, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia – were terrific and spoke Spanish, of course.
The language barrier could tank my presentation, right?
I humbly share that it didn’t. Before my plane even touched down back on American soil, the meeting planner shared that I’d made a powerful connection with the audience and theyinvited me back to keynote their next event.
How in the world did this happen, you’re wondering?
Increasingly, leaders like you are facing language barriers, both within your global organizations and in front of audiences in presentations. With that in mind, I’d like to share three quick lessons that I learned while preparing for my Colombian adventure in this brief video. I hope these tips will help you shine and make the most of your opportunity to connect, convey, and convince any audience!
Tim Sanders is a confidence guru. A New York Times bestselling author, riveting keynote speaker and former Yahoo executive, Tim has written a compelling new book called Today We Are Rich: Harnessing the Power of Total Confidence that’s loaded with insights on how to develop unshakable confidence in a shaky world. The book is based on the timeless wisdom he gleaned from his grandmother.
Tim’s take-aways in our recent podcast interview came fast and furious. He challenges your assumptions and can forever change how you approach confidence, scarcity thinking and relational equity.
Among the many take-aways, you’ll discover:
The 3 elements of a leader’s confidence
The difference between confidence and narcissism
How to cultivate confidence in others
What to feed your mind every day
Why scarcity thinking is an airborne disease that you catch from fools
How a “Chicken Little” mentality can be your downfall
How to get the “A” team assigned to any idea or project you pitch
How to attract success in the “Wow Economy”
Why criticism delivered to your face is a gift
Why you must stand against things as well as for things to be confident
Why a recession is like a Nascar race – and how to win when the flag drops
Tim’s Toolkit
I encourage you to download the transcript of my interview with Tim. You can read his remarkable interview insights here:
Sadly, the podcast is a bit difficult to hear. Turns out, Tim’s audio recorded pretty low. As hard as my team tried to boost Tim’s audio level and diminish mine, you’ll need good speakers to hear his answers comfortably. I suggest the PDF as a great option so you don’t miss out on any of Tim’s business acuity or get your ears blown off by my higher audio level.
Where to Learn More About Tim Sanders
If you’re a leader who wants to be more confident and people-centric, I wholeheartedly urge you to pick up a copy of Today We Are Rich: Harnessing the Power of Total Confidence.
You can download a free chapter of the book and learn more about Tim here.
You can also pick up a copy atbookstores or order it by clicking on thisAmazonlinkwhich takes you directly to the book.
Tim’s an indispensable resource for any leader or organization wanting to develop strong relationships that lead to better business performance. You might also enjoy his previous bestsellers, including Love is the Killer App.
You Write. We Reward.
Would you like to win an autographed copy of Today We Are Rich? Tim has kindly provided a copy for one of our Influential Leader readers. Simply add a comment to the blog, sharing what you found valuable about Tim’s interview, and I’ll pick a winner and get the autographed copy in the mail to you!
Recently, my life has been packed with one life-altering experience after another. Among them were two milestone graduations – my son’s from college and my daughter’s from high school. (This makes me feel so old. Congratulations, Spencer and Ali!)
Which got me to thinking about confidence – and how people completely misunderstand it. Confidence is more critical now than ever in the economy we’re facing today. It’s essential to cultivate it so you can seize opportunities and avoid pitfalls.
But it’s not just recent graduates who crave confidence – every C-suite executive whom I’ve had the privilege to coach wants a booster shot to help them be more influential and make things happen. They understand that confidence begets influence and personal impact.
But here’s the catch: you crush your own confidence every day. Oh, you don’t intend to. Chances are, you don’t even realize that you’re undermining your ability to make an impact, day-in and day-out. It’s certainly not your intent.
So what’s going on?
Simple. You may confuse confidence with self-esteem. Grasping the difference between the two can transform how you interact with others – whether you’re a seasoned executive or a newbie in the business world. I’ve witnessed extraordinary transformations in leaders’ abilities to influence as I share this secret of executive presence and then coach them in how to unleash their confidence in presentations and other make-it or break-it interactions. Even the most anxious public speaker – whose jitters would normally crush their own confidence in the front of the room – will morph into a remarkably influential presenter when they employ this unshakable confidence technique.
So what is confidence, then? Simply put, confidence is the expectation of a positive outcome in a specific situation. Period. It’s not self-esteem, which is how you secretly size yourself up and assign your status in the world. Self-esteem is where insecurities like Imposter Syndrome lurk. Unlike self-esteem, confidence is situational. Which means you’re completely in controlto ignite it or zap it like a bug on neon – one situation at a time. Confidence is easily within reach when you unhook it from the complicated, big-picture puzzle of self-esteem. Tell yourself that you are prepared in this specific situation, envision a positive outcome, and fear will melt away. This shift in mindset is simple, yet it’s a profound game-changer.
I encourage you to devour the interview with Tim Sanders in my next post. Tim will challenge you to reconsider confidence, helping you overcome self-doubt and fear.
In this quick 2 minute “Connie off the Cuff” video recorded behind the scenes of a keynote speech in Phoenix, you’ll discover the one thing you need to deliver a presentation.
Les McKeown doesn’t buy into the common belief that passion and authenticity can make you influential. It’s not that he’s a contrarian – but this über-successful business author and serial entrepreneur pinpoints another, more specific reason for why leaders influence others.
“It’s not very popular to say these days, Connie, and it will go against what a lot of other people are saying,” says McKeown, “but influential leadership is not passion, it’s not authenticity and it’s not trust. In my experience, it’s execution. It’s actually making things happen.”
(Whew – am I ever glad the subtitle of my book is How to Influence Others and Make Things Happen. That was a close one.)
The author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller Predictable Success says today’s highly touted traits are by-products of influential leadership. Passion, authenticity and trust are like molasses from refining sugar. Like asphalt from the refining of crude oil. They’re useful, marketable, bankable by-products. They should not be the primary product.
“If you deliver for people over and over, well, they’ll see that you’re being authentic. And if you have to deliver, then you’ll use passion when necessary. But just being passionate, just being authentic or just building trust with people – none of those, in and of themselves, in my observation, makes someone an influential leader.”
McKeown is in the business of pattern recognition. He started 42 businesses by age 35, and pinpointed that “80% of the patterns that every business goes through are repeatable and predictable.” If you know where your business falls on the Predictable Success apex curve, you’ll gain context for what’s going to happen next. And this knowledge will help you influence your team and customers.
McKeown says today’s world is littered with “The Kim Kardashian Effect” – people who’ve gained followers, but don’t lead others to substance. And he disagrees with those who believe Apple is successful because Steve Jobs is a great communicator. “Is he a great communicator? Sure” says McKeown. “Does that help? Sure. Is he being authentic? I don’t know. A couple of people have tried to tell me that he’s not – that he can be a really, really difficult person and very different from his public persona. But one things for sure; he delivers.”
Hence Job’s measurable influence. He executes brilliantly.
Click here to download a PDF of the full interview.
Predictable Success by Les McKeown is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. It’s a powerful resource for any leader wanting to get your organization on the growth rack – and keep it there.
Carol Roth is a leader you should know. Think of her as Suze Orman, one generation removed; she’s a financial braintrust who leapfrogged from working class to privileged status through sheer determination and wicked smarts.
Carol has a “spinach in your teeth” approach to business and life. She tells it like it is. Period. Growing up, friends labeled her ‘Lucy Van Pelt’ (as in Peanuts fame) because people have always been magnetically drawn to Carol for advice – and she doles it out.
Carol has a new book on the shelves called The Entrepreneur Equation. On launch week, it was the top selling book on Amazon. No surprise here. Carol’s determination would settle for nothing less.
If you’re not an entrepreneur, don’t be deterred by the book title. In our interview, Carol doles out advice that you should take to heart if you want to be successful as a leader in any field. I hope you’ll listen to my podcast with Carol or read the transcript, which are at the end of this post.
Meantime, here’s a sample of my no-holds barred conversation with Carol:
You take a ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’ approach.
Yes. Just because you are able to do something, doesn’t mean that it’s the choice for you. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to be successful at it, and it doesn’t mean that it is the path that will best serve you.
So I really wanted to create this framework, Connie, where you can ask yourself tough questions and really be able to evaluate things, whether it is a business – or really using the framework for anything else in your life – to see if you were making good decisions, if you should, if the rewards greatly outweigh the risks, and it’s the way that you’re going to be most successful. If not, if there’s anything you can go and do to stack the odds in your favor to make yourself more successful or give yourself a better chance at success.
I want to pull out a quote from your book, which says, ‘Our society is built upon blowing smoke up each others (butts). Our collective unwillingness to engage in a reality check has gotten us into deep doo doo.’
Yes. And I did not use the word butt! If you think about the economic crisis that we are in still, and have been in for several years, how did that happen? It started happening because people were buying things that they couldn’t afford. Particularly homes, but also running up credit card debts for everything else.
If we were based in reality, we’d say, “Hey, folks, don’t do this. You can’t afford it!” We would not be in the situation we’re in today.
And so I think it’s really, really critical to be able, in life, to address issues. To call them out. Just find that elephant in the room and say, “Hey! There’s an elephant in the room: let’s just address it!” And, if we’re able to do that, that’s when we can grow. We can grow by addressing the problem.
But, if we just ignore it, then, eventually, that elephant wreaks havoc! And it did in our economy. And so I think that, whether it’s entrepreneurship or leadership or influence, you’ve got to be willing, in a non-confrontational and very smart, straightforward way, to say, “Hey, we have a problem. And the only reason we’re pointing it out is not to throw blame, but because we want to fix it. We want to grow and be successful. We want to move on.”
But there are many people who sugarcoat because we want people to like us and we don’t want to hurt peoples’ feelings.
I’m over that!
We sensed that, Carol. Did you ever do that?
Oh yeah. I’m a people pleaser by nature, so it’s always been a little bit of a struggle, when I realize somebody doesn’t like something I’ve suggested. But then I finally reached a point where I realized that, if I wasn’t pis_ing a few people off, then I wasn’t pushing the envelope enough, I wasn’t doing anything worthwhile.
The people who are considered nice or caring, are the vanilla people in the middle. They’re not doing anything remarkable or interesting or extreme. I didn’t want to be that, and I’m not that person. So I got to the point where I wasn’t getting any haters on my blog and I was kind of upset. “Everyone’s agreeing with me – I must not be writing the right things.” And then, finally, I start getting some haters, and I’m thinking, “Yes! Now we’re rolling here.”
Where to Learn More about Carol
Carol’s book is great resource whether you’re considering being an entrepreneur or already well down the path. It’s loaded with practical, spinach in your teeth advice to save you a lot of heartaches and headaches.
Would you like to win a fre-e copy of Carol’s book? It’s simple. Just submit a comment below, telling me the most valuable lesson you learned from Carol’s interview. I’ll pick a winner and send the book to you. Good luck!
Are you an authentic, charismatic leader? Do you need to exude these qualities in order to lead effectively?
One of America’s top communication theorists and coaches says, “Yes, absolutely.”
Connie interviews Dr. Nick Morgan
Dr. Nick Morgan believes authenticity and charisma are a key to your leadership and that you shouldn’t leave them to chance. Dr. Morgan is the CEO of Public Words, former editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter, and is the author of Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.
I urge you to download the complimentary 30 minute podcast and PDF transcription of our conversation. You’ll hear Nick’s take on many subjects including:
How the latest brain research could transform the way you think about communicating
What you do that accidentally sets people on edge & shuts down all chances of getting your point across
Why adrenaline makes you robotic and monotonous
Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:
Nick: I think that influential leadership is about authenticity. I think that, in this day and age, we have such a very highly attuned bullsh*t factor, if I can use that word. We’re very quick to determine ‘fake’ in people and in companies; so I think that powerful leadership begins with that: “What are you really about?” Focus: give me the essentials. I think it’s the job of a leader not to just have a vision, but to spend the time getting that vision down to its simplest, purest essence, because of the information overload that we’ve talked about.
I think that the requirements, the ante has just been raised; maybe it used to be simpler, but now it’s tough. And that’s what you have to do. And so leadership keeps getting harder and harder but, in a sense, there’s good news; and I think it’s all more and more about being truly real, being authentic. And, with that authenticity, comes focus; and, with emotional focus, comes charisma. So it kind of flows naturally out of getting the authenticity right.
Connie: And then, of course, you’ve got to make things happen. You can’t just be a person who speaks eloquently but doesn’t actually execute.
Nick:Right. And we’re getting out of my head into yours, but that’s exactly right; leadership, ultimately, is about changing lives, changing behavior, getting people to do things that they wouldn’t do on their own, together.
If you’d like to win a fr-ee, autographed copy of Trust Me, I’ve arranged with Nick to send one to a lucky leader. Simply leave a comment today on this blog about how the interview inspired you (be specific, please) and I’ll select a winner to receive the complimentary copy. Good luck!
Experienced an authentic, impactful moment recently? Two families witnessed one this past weekend when my son, Spencer, proposed to his soul mate, Christine.
Allow me to explain the bus and how it relates to your leadership. Spencer and Christine rode the bus together through middle school. Even though the bus transported them to different schools, they became friends as they shared a daily ride in the back seat of Mrs. Voricek’s bus.
Now fast forward eight years. After losing touch during high school, then rekindling their friendship and dating through their college years (again at separate schools), Spencer was ready to propose to his beautiful, perfect match. But it was important to him to create an experience that would feel meaningful and authentic to Christine.
He remembered the bus. Ah, yes – that would be authentic, wouldn’t it? After much planning, including tracking down their original driver, a balloon arch custom fit for the back seat of the bus, a white aisle runner and a path of fresh rose pedals and heart shaped balloons, Spencer gave Christine a remarkable experience which evoked their past and future simultaneously.
He created The Love Bus for his true love.
Which brings me to you. Do you create authentic, audience-centric experiences when you speak? Or do you merely deliver dull PowerPoint presentations to your audiences?
Do your intentions and your impact align? The difference has a profound impact on your ability to influence others and make things happen.
In the post that follows, Dr. Nick Morgan, former editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter and a top communication theorist, shares why authenticity and charisma are crucial to your leadership. You’ll discover why he proposes that it’s a mistake to leave these two elements to chance – even worse than leaving gum under the seat.
Interesting question, isn’t it? When you were in high school, influence and popularity were one and the same. The popular kids (the ones at the private lunch table who savored their tater tots nerd-free) quickly swayed others’ opinions, fashions and actions. Regardless of the grades on their report cards, popular kids scored high as key influencers.
But what about you in the business world? How do you measure your influence today – and is someone still keeping score?
Connie interviews Barry Moltz
In this week’s Influential Leader Podcast, the inimitable Chicago entrepreneur Barry Moltz tackles this “influential or popular” question, even sharing how to parlay it into privileges in Las Vegas. Here’s a tidbit of our lively conversation that you’ll hear in the podcast:
BM:There’s a whole new thing going on – are you familiar with an internet service called Klout?
CD:Yes, I am. It’s scary to see your score.
BM:It is scary. I’ll tell you something that’s even scarier, Connie. There’s a hotel in Las Vegas that used to give privileges to high rollers – people who spent a lot of money – and now they’re starting to give privileges to people who have high Klout scores. For example, if you’re staying at the Palms and you give them your Twitter ID, they’ll actually look up your Klout score. And if you have a high Klout score they’ll give you privileges as if you were a high roller! So they really measure what your influence is on other people. What companies like the Palms want is that, if you have a good experience, they want you to Tweet about it. They want you to post it on Facebook so your followers and your friends will see it and therefore they’ll get some good buzz, they’ll get some good publicity.
If you aren’t familiar with Klout.com, you can learn more about your score in the podcast. And since Barry is the author of “Bam! Delivering Customer Service in a Self Service World” we naturally got into how companies like Amazon are influencing customer service and why growing your personal fan base matters.
CD: We’re getting so used to customization (like Amazon remembering our preferences) - are we becoming a narcissistic nation?
BM:I think we want it when we want it. I call it “pseudo personalization.” We want to be serviced. We want people to be there, because we are, as you said at the outset, used to 24/7 service. My son doesn’t understand; when we order something over the web, why isn’t it here 30 minutes later?
CD: Exactly. How has influence evolved in this self-service world?
BM: We have to understand two things; the first thing is that every single time you’re out there, you’re either extending your own personal or business brand or you’re detracting from your own personal/business brand because – guess what? – people are always reporting on what you’re doing. The second thing is that it used to be only celebrities who have fan bases. But now we all have fan bases. We all have people that we influence, who’ll pass things on to their followers, so we need to be aware of that.
To hear the podcast with Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductee Barry Moltz, the influential business guru who helps businesses get un-stuck, click here. For a PDF of the interview transcription, click here.
Where to Learn More About Barry
Barry’s books are a great resource for any leader who wants to grow their business. Here’s where you can pick up a copy of his latest book, “Bam! Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World”
You can also win a free copy of Barry’s book by leaving a comment on my blog about your worst customer service experience. I’ll send a free copy to the person who posts the best answer. (Influence me!)
It struck me recently that you may associate influence with two things: money or charisma. You may think you need one or both to be a convincing leader who influences others and makes things happen.
Not true.
Connie interviews Bob Burg
Bob Burg and I had a conversation about this the other day. You may know Bob’s name – he’s The Wall Street Journal bestselling co-author (with John David Mann) of The Go-Giver and Go-Givers Sell More and author of Endless Referrals. I was inspired by the leadership insights Bob shared and I believe you will be, too. Luckily, he agreed to let me tape our call – it’s available as a free, quick MP3 podcast which you can download here.
Key Take-Aways
A few take-aways from my interview with Bob may surprise you:
An introvert can be highly influential with one incredibly simple shift
You are enough. Authenticity is the greatest gift you can offer others
The deepest source of your influence
The fastest, most powerful way to elicit trust is counter-intuitive
How influence can be learned
You’ll discover how to apply these insights (and more) immediately when you listen to Bob’s interview. You’ll also hear why Stephen M.R. Covey calls Bob “engaging” and “powerful.” And I can’t wait until you hear Bob’s voice. It will hit you like a thunderbolt – I was a bit intimidated by the power of his pipes, even though I’ve been a broadcaster for 20 years!
Where to Learn More About Bob
Bob’s book is a great resource for any leader who wants to have impact. I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Go-Giver on Amazon.comhere:
Or, if you’d like to win a free copy of The Go-Giver, I’ve giving one away! Simply leave a comment today about how the interview inspired you (be specific, please) here on the blog and I’ll select a winner to receive a complimentary copy.
When you hear “flight” and “fateful seat” in the same sentence, what comes to mind? An accident, perhaps? Allow me to explain.
My recent adventure started in New York, where I boarded a Continental flight for Texas to deliver a Talk Less, Say More keynote speech. My seatmate, Jeff, had endured two canceled flights due to airport shutdowns in wintry Texas. A world-traveling executive, Jeff had been stranded in New York for two days – including his birthday – causing him to miss a celebration with his wife and daughters back home in Austin.
As we slowly taxied to the runway, our pilot announced that we should settle in for an extra long flight. It would take four and a half hours to reach Texas, he said, because we were facing strong headwinds.
Alrighty, then.
After we’d chatted for a while, my seatmate and I began to tackle our workloads. As Jeff tugged his laptop out of his briefcase, he whipped out a Kindle, too. The sleek new reading device was a Christmas gift for his daughter, Jeff explained, but he “borrowed it” for the business trip. (Those of you who are parents know that “borrowed it” is code for “my child doesn’t realize it’s missing.“) As he powered up the display, Jeff explained that he’d read a book over the weekend that had a strong impact on him and he wanted to consult it again. He had an important, complicated message that he needed to deliver to his organization and it was critical that others understand him clearly. Change was imminent. Profitability was on the line.
As he toggled through his titles to show me the magical book, my jaw dropped - Talk Less, Say More.It was my book!
My heart glowed. But I didn’t let on that he was sitting next to the author. I thought I’d toy with him for a minute.
“By the way,” Jeff said, “what do you do for a living? These 3 bubbles might help you,” he shared, as he pointed to the 1-2-3 method on his screen.
“I’m a business author,” I replied.
“Really? What’s your book?” Jeff asked.
“That one.” I said, as I pointed to the pilfered Kindle in the palm of his hand.
It was in that moment, as we cut through the clouds and the sun began to shine, that I realized I’m living my true purpose.
Jeff and I honed his message for most of the flight. We devised how he could best Connect, Convey, Convince his organization to take positive action in this time of change.
When we landed in Texas, Jeff said he believed it was fate that his earlier flights were canceled. He said he was meant to sit next to me and it was a flight he’d never forget. No, Jeff, the honor was all mine. To all of you executives I have the honor of working alongside, thank you for the privilege of helping you discover your leadership influence, in-flight or with your feet firmly planted on the ground.
So my promise to you is this….if we find ourselves seated together on a flight, I’d be delighted to help you develop a leadership message to influence, inspire and impact your world.
P.S. I’m blushing about a recent honor. I’m grateful to http://www.Speaking.com for selecting me as one of America’s Top 5 Speakers of 2011. It’s a privilege to spread my Influential Leader message to audiences worldwide!
Tips to Help You Influence When You’re in the Spotlight
An astounding thing happened to this quirky brain researcher – she suffered a massive stroke and studied herself as her brain functions shut down, one by one. In this remarkable TED Talk presentation, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor reenacts exactly how it feels when your brain fails you.
Even more powerfully, she crafts an unmistakable call to action that could alter the course of your life. That’s what makes this unassuming, unpolished doctor my selection as this month’s “Presentation Rock Star.”
I’d encourage you to watch this brief video because you’ll gain insight from Jill. But if you’re in a hurry, please read my actionable tips below to discover how you can command any room and influence your world, no matter what topic you’re delivering…
How to Rock an Audience Like This Star:
1) Be a naked presenter. No, Dr. Bolte Taylor is not sans clothing. She’s devoid of pretense. She doesn’t slip into formal presentation mode or try to impress the audience with “doc talk.” Yes, she has some unique delivery quirks, but she’s not trying to be slick so you embrace her as the authentic professional that she is.
You can have this impact if you:
Suspend your fear of criticism. Confidence is situational – make that choice. Accept that your expertise deserves a spotlight.
You are worthy. Be you, not a pretender.
Chase away your evil twin who thinks you’ll impress people by being formal and slick.
2) Share a jaw-droppingly relevant visual. Did you feel the energy in the room shift when she revealed a real human brain on stage? Sure you did. Afterwards, her body became the only visual necessary. Slides be darned.
You can do this if you:
Ask yourself, “What’s the most impactful visual I could share in person?”
Move mountains to secure it. It may not be a human brain, but a relevant visual will instantly engage and improve the dynamics in the room.
3) Know exactly where you’re taking the audience. Dr. Bolte Taylor developed her presentation with a clear, simple intention: she wanted you to choose to live more from the right side of your brain. Her efforts paid off – she received a rare standing ovation from her TED Talks audience.
You can impact an audience like this if you:
Develop your message upside down. Start with your close. Ask yourself, “What, specifically, do I want this audience to do as a result of this talk?” Once you’ve settled on this critical but often overlooked element, then you can go back and develop your open and middle.
Hold off on opening PowerPoint. Software programs are linear and will take you down the information track, not the influence track. Decide where you’re taking the audience before you let your software influence your mission.
Exclusive Podcast: Connie Interviews Russell Bishop
What if you could:
* Overcome resistance and influence negative people who won’t budge?
* Bypass those frustrating systems and roadblocks that give you headaches every day?
Would that make you a more influential leader?
I can picture you nodding like a bobble head doll.
That’s why I asked the incomparable executive coach Russell Bishop to share his secrets of influential leadership with you. In addition to his role as senior editor/columnist at the Huffington Post, he’s also launched five successful companies, co-created the wildly successful Getting Things Done program with David Allen and he just released a terrific new book that’s making a big splash called Workarounds That Work.
Russell combines heart and smart. He’s devoted his life to helping leaders like you make the impact you intend. In this Influential Leader Podcast, you’ll discover:
Why he says the first workaround is hiding in your mirror (gulp)
What Russell’s close friend Marshall Goldsmith told him that changed his behavior forever
How workarounds can improve your influence skills, especially in today’s economy
Listen HERE!
Russell’s book is a powerful resource for any leader wanting to boost their influence and productivity and find workarounds to the unexpected setbacks that can arise at work.
Ever received an e-mail response that struck you as the communication equivalent of Whac-A-Mole? Maybe you got a curt “see below” when you sent a question to a peer in an e-mail chain. You felt clobbered by your peer’s abrupt, dismissive tone. Instead of getting clarification (you already knew the answer was not below), you felt hammered by Ms. Snippy or Mr. Ever-rude.
Now let’s reverse the scenario. YOU’RE the one who sends the response. You know your peer is under deadline, so you reply pronto (mid-meeting from your Blackberry, to boot). You don’t intend to be abrasive – you believe the answer they’re seeking is in the e-mail chain below and you’re trying to guide them to the right spot in a timely manner.
See the difference? It’s the tone gap.
There’s often a profound difference between the tone you intend and the one the receiver experiences. It can be critical because your tone can be an influence maker or an influence breaker.
That’s because when you receive an email, you assign the tone. You interpret whether the sender’s tone is helpful, dismissive, playful, snide, warm or cold. Now reverse it. When you send an e-mail, others do the same thing to you. As a result, you may be ticking people off left and right without realizing it. As an executive coach, I’m hearing tonal gap issues playing out with alarmingly increasing frequency. Good people are damaging relationships and being held back from leadership advancements because they’re unaware they’re alienating their bosses, peers and clients.
Here’s the thing: e-mail communication lacks the three human signals that indicate tone. 1) There’s no warmth of voice. 2) No body language. 3) No facial expressions. Faced with a lack of tone, people often assign your words the worst possible tone – especially if you happen to catch them when they’re under stress or in a grumpy mood. It’s particularly important when e-mailing people who don’t know you well enough to “hear” your voice accurately.
How can you prevent a tone gap? Make it a connecting habit to add intentional warmth. I don’t mean to pour on the syrup with fake, sticky-sweet e-mails. That would defeat my Talk Less, Say More mantra. Instead, three tiny tweaks can make an enormous difference in how people interpret your typing tone and boost your ability to influence.
Here are three quick tips to add intentional warmth:
Start with the person’s name. A simple personalized “Hi Les” or even just “Les,” signals that you’re thoughtful and respectful and don’t intend to cop an attitude.
Add a warm connecting sentenceto the top such as “Good to hear from you,” “Thanks for your quick response,” or “I appreciate your input.” Make a habit of re-reading your e-mails before hitting “send” and adding a connecting sentence. This can prevent your tone from coming across as blunt or dictatorial.
Sign off in a friendly manner with your first name, such as “Best regards, Elizabeth,” or “Thanks, Elizabeth.” Insert this before your signature file which generally contains your full name. Inserting your first name suggests a more personal, friendly tone.
The bottom line is this: we judge ourselves by our intentions, but we judge others by their actions. Make adding warmth an intentional connecting habit and you’ll tame the tone gap, come across as you want and achieve the results you desire.
I recently intereviewed Dr. Condoleezza Rice in front of a live audience gathered for a book signing of her newly-released memoir, “Extraordinary, Ordinary People.”
The former Secretary of State exceeded my high expectations during her public speaking opportunity.
Yes, she was a terrific interview and the book-signing crowd loved her – but you would have expected that. Media pros know how to bridge any question to a key message they want to deliver. She shared engaging stories about her parents, her recent experience accompanying diva Aretha Franklin on the piano, her love of football, and the most compelling people she met around the globe as the country’s top diplomat.
But what caught me off guard was her genuine warmth backstage in the greenroom prior to the interview. Some book critics have taken shots at Dr. Rice’s memoir, describing her writing as “aloof” and “distant.” As a result, I expected a brusque, all-business presence to sweep into the green room, impatient to move on with the evening.
Instead, Condi Rice was remarkably warm, thoughtful, and razor sharp. Upon learning my name, she even labeled us the “Connie and Condi” show. Despite her stature, influence and impact, she totally connected with every person in the room, from an intern to a pro athlete and NFL analyst.
Matter of fact, after the interview, the NFL analyst told me that Dr. Rice seemed to knows more about detailed football strategy than he does. Talk about influencing a discerning audience!
Being a confident communicator who influences others is a choice you make each and every day. Every time you attempt to sell an idea, product, or service, you can choose to:
A) Own your message and go all in, or
B) Wimp out by watering down, withholding, or collapsing to the competition.
I was the queen of watering down when I launched my business ten years ago. I’d like to think my intentions were honorable – I wanted to get along with everyone in my industry and I didn’t want to sound too full of myself. But by diminishing my messages about how potential clients could benefit from working with me, I sold myself short. Worst yet, I missed opportunities to contribute and help leaders learn to influence at the top of their game.
What about you? Are you selling yourself short? Perhaps you could learn a lesson from this little girl:
I’m on a mission to help you become a more confident communicator – every bit as motivated and self-assured as the little girl in the video. Confident communicators influence others and make things happen. Let me ground you with a few communi-truths:
Confidence is the expectation of a positive outcome. It’s the opposite of negativity. Confidence requires that you tackle and wrestle your inner critic to the ground so you project an outlook every bit as positive as the little girl in the video. Don’t choose to be road kill. Confidence is situational – expect a positive outcome in a specific situation, motivate yourself to attain it, and deliver your message to the world, unabashed. You’ll exude executive presence.
Confidence stays in the moment. Maybe the product or service you sell has an imperfect past. So what? Every product/service worth its weight in gold has been beta tested and improved in stages. Stop looking behind you and sounding apologetic as you dwell on past imperfections. Great ideas are a work in progress – your job is to stay in the moment and deliver the here and now.
Own your message or your competition will own you. Don’t let the competition define you by telling cautionary tales to potential customers. That’s the negative comparison trap. Instead, spread your own message. Communicate your unique success stories and watch people gain trust in you.
Confident communicators don’t sell themselves short when they face pushbacks. They don’t come across as defeated when challenged. Instead, they move the ball forward and confidently change minds, resulting in a win-win for all involved. Now get out there and influence your world!
Goldman Sachs executives were skewered on Capitol Hill this week. They were sach-ed. The men faced blistering cross examination by the Senate on the firm’s mortgage market and its role in the country’s financial collapse.
During their time on the hot seat, the current and former leaders, along with the prolific e-mail braggart known as “Fabulous Fab,” were lambasted with biting questions and criticism from outraged lawmakers. Unrepentant, resistant, and uneasy, the executives denied responsibility as lawmakers ripped into them.
Can you imagine handling that kind of fiery criticism? Many businessmen and women are fearful of being blasted in the workplace following presentations or even in team meetings.
As I’ve coached high-powered executives for the past decade, I’ve heard a recurring theme: the fear of criticism. It’s the fear that you’ll be judged harshly or won’t measure up to expectations. This fear is growing because we’re living in a world that encourages cheap shots. Snarky people abound on the Internet and otherwise, unleashing their inner Simon Cowell, judging others severely.
Here’s the problem: fear of criticism is like kryptonite to executives. It has a crippling effect, draining your power and influence. It can cause you to hold back instead of contributing. It may lead you to be defensive when well-meaning people offer constructive feedback. Or it may cause you to play it too safe and offer a vanilla version of what could have been a much more compelling contribution.
Even the most capable leaders can be crippled by a secret fear of criticism. Here are a few tips to help you overcome it:
Resist the temptation to be defensive. Do you often jump in and cut off criticism with a knee-jerk defensive reaction? If so, you may unwittingly escalate the situation. Cutting off tough critics often causes them to grow more determined. As a result, they may zap you even harder next time. Defensiveness and evasiveness can also turn off well-meaning allies.
Keep the criticizer’s intent in mind. Bosses, co-workers and others in your life may offer feedback because they want to help you. Their constructive feedback may be intended to help you improve your performance, not as a cheap shot or a grandstanding opportunity. Consider their true intent. Maybe they’re sharing wisdom from their own lessons learned. Is it possible you’re overly sensitive to criticism?
Ride the wave. One of the best approaches to handling criticism is to listen carefully and let the person finish completely. Resist the temptation to deflect point-by-point. By hearing their full point of view, you stand the best chance to uncover the real issue and correct what may need to be fixed.
Conquer your inner critic. Often, the critical voice in your head is carrying too much weight. It can be far worse than anyone else’s potshot. Give it a rest. Starting today, create a positive daily dialogue to overrule your habit of critical self-talk.
Don’t be an avoider. There’s an old saying, “To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Clearly avoidance isn’t the answer. Turn it around. Face it. Get the confrontation over with instead of dreading it all day. Often, reality isn’t nearly as bad as the situation you imagined and avoided.
Some people trace their fear of criticism back to childhood, when they experienced excessive criticism that’s gotten stuck in their head like a broken record. Others have received tongue-lashings from hypercritical bosses and had their confidence crushed.
Whatever its source, learning to conquer criticism gracefully is a sign of maturity and leadership.
Top 10 Communi-lutions to Improve How People Respond to You In Our Distraction-Driven Decade
Most of us resolve to shed extra pounds, get out of debt, or be more organized as we strive to reinvent ourselves in the New Year. But as the odometer turns over for 2010, what if we focus on a more professionally profound improvement?
Why not resolve to improve how people respond to you? Think of it as your New Year’s “Communi-lutions.” After all, interpersonal communication is radically different in today’s information-overload, distraction-driven decade, so isn’t it time to upgrade your ability to sell your ideas and lead effectively?
Here are my Top 10 Communi-utions to influence your world in the decade ahead:
1.Stop Informing, Start Influencing
The most important communication resolution you can make this year is to transform from being informational to influential. Stop data dumping like a linear play-by-play announcer. Instead, convert into the analyst – the color commentator. Your goal should be to shape people’s understanding and actions, not to dispense information.
2. Stay in Their Moment
Conquer today’s endless distractions by managing your own attention first. Resolve to be right here, right now when speaking with others. Focus on meeting their needs and values, instead of being caught up in your own concerns. Scan for signals and listen for values.
3. Frontload
Don’t bury the lead.People are impatient and overloaded today. Quickly nail your big idea and marry it to what’s most relevant to your listener. People must grasp what’s in it for them – pronto – or they will tune you out. Frontloading your message is the antidote to rambling.
4. Use Goldilocks Candor
As a leader, you must get issues on the table in order to improve performance, so using the right level of candor is crucial. Think of it as a Goldilocks test:Not too hard, not too soft – it’s just right. Goldilocks candor prevents two common missteps: demoralizing and sugarcoating.
5. The Eyes Trump the Ears
Vision – the dominant sense – is a shortcut to clarity. Don’t create confusion with an avalanche of words. Use visuals instead of text whenever possible to help people analyze and understand new information, and integrate it quickly.
6. Talk in Triplets
Three is the world’s most powerful number because our minds crave information in multiples of three. If you want to ensure the clarity of a lengthy or complicated message, tap into the trilogy and use portion control by structuring your message around three key points.
7. Tell Stories
Stories have a longer shelf life than mind-numbing facts because they create mind pictures. Like a good movie, success stories and cautionary tales help others absorb, retain, and repeat your information and ideas.
8. Sound Decisive
Most people are surprised to learn that they don’t sound as decisive as they feel. Weak language and habitual hedging strip you of power. The language of leadership is decisiveness. It’s time to stop wavering and start firming up your communications.
9. Transfer Ownership
Let them own it and they’ll do it. People should feel as if they’re volunteering, not surrendering. A sense of self-discovery is often the difference between gaining commitment or compliance. Shift your ideas and decisions to others so they will embrace them and act.
10. Adjust Your Energy
People constantly monitor you for the signals that you send. Your vocal, facial, and body signals are crucial for a very powerful reason: reciprocity. People give back to you what you give to them. Most of us need an energy boost to balance likability and credibility, which generates commitment and action from others.
_________________________
onPoint Communication founder Connie Dieken transforms leaders into influential communicators. She’s the author of Talk Less, Say More, named a top business book for 2009. A former Emmy Award-winning TV news anchor, Connie is an inductee of the Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame, winner of a Top 10 Women’s Business Owners Award, and an in-demand keynote speaker. You can reach her at Connie@StayOnPoint.com.
How you communicate a message has a direct impact on your ability to influence opinions.
Here’s my quick summary of the brilliance and blind spots of David Letterman’s attempt to influence public opinion with the news of his sexual relationships and extortion plot, based on a sequence of 3 habits: Connect, Convey, Convince® from my new book, Talk Less, Say More:
Habit 1 – Connect Definition: Capture attention – give people what they want and value so they tune in to you.
This is where Letterman excelled because America is clearly engaged by his story. His brilliance at connecting was twofold. 1) He claimed home court advantage by getting out front and defining the story as an extortion case, instead of letting other media define it based primarily on the sexual affairs. 2) He stayed in his comfort zone by delivering the bad news on his own TV show, behind his familiar desk, in front of a devoted (if completely perplexed) audience. Like most performers, the late night comic is more in command, at ease, and less anxious connecting in a studio than anywhere else.
Habit 2 – Convey Definition: Manage information – get your points across with clarity, not confusion.
Letterman’s attempt to positively influence his audience came to a screeching halt at this step for two reasons. 1.) He withheld the salient details, so we’re all left scratching our heads wondering, “Who? When? Where?” His failure to provide pertinent points has a creep factor to it. Some people are asking, “Isn’t that sexual harassment for the boss to have sex with his staff?” “When did this go on?” “Was he married at the time?” “Was it with interns?” He gave the story legs by not addressing these concerns. Chances are, his lawyers admonished him to “Talk Less.” 2.) He confused the audience by mixing in jokes with his admission. The audience couldn’t discern whether it was a joke or whether it was a serious matter, so they laughed inappropriately at times. I do give Letterman credit, however, for specifically acknowledging that he had sex with women who work for him on the show. At least he didn’t pull a Clinton. He admitted to pulling down his World Wide Pants. (Ironic name for his company, isn’t it?)
Habit 3 – Convince Definition: Manage Action – win commitment and move people to act or believe now.
Letterman showed a gaping blind spot in his attempt to convince one audience, but he was powerfully effective at influencing a second audience, which was likely his primary concern. Let’s look at them separately:
Audience #1: The general public. Letterman failed to convince mainstream America that they should stay committed to him as a genial talk show host. He risked losing the trust of many Americans because he could now be seen as “that guy” – the serial cheater. He also comes across as a hypocrite for denouncing other mens’ affairs in his monologues.
Audience #2: the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Letterman scored a home run with this audience. He convinced the D.A. to set up a very quick sting, which lead to the arrest of a fellow CBS employee on charges of attempted grand larceny in the first degree. He got the district attorney’s office to commit to act on the extortion charge and they followed through beautifully.
How will this all play out? It depends upon many factors, including whether Letterman’s sexual partners come forward, what they reveal, whether his wife reacts publicly, and whether the alleged extortionist, “48 Hours” producer Joe Halderman, cops a plea or chooses to go to trial and unearth other facts in the case.
But in the court of early public opinion, winning a mixed judgment on a case as explosive as this is a blessing. Under the circumstances, the approach seems to have worked in Letterman’s favor. At the very least, the talk show host was influential enough to put an alleged blackmailer in the hot seat right next to him.
You’ve been leading a high priority mission for months. You’ve pushed. Prodded. You’ve influenced internally because you believe it’s the most vital issue facing your organization. Your team has invested sweat equity and they’re counting on you to make it happen publicly.
At last, it’s time to present your idea to an audience and influence others to take action. So what happens when you finally stand before your audience and take your swing at bat?
You get hijacked during Q&A.
It happened to the President of the United States on his home turf last week. At the end of his prime time health care news conference, Barack Obama answered a hot button question that was totally off-topic. Instead of asking about health care, a reporter asked the president what he thought of the confrontation between Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police officer James Crowley. The president weighed in with his opinion on race relations, ending with the tantalizing words “acted stupidly.”
Bingo! Home run for the reporter! She’d successfully hijacked a presidential press conference. If this was a game of chess, she’d just pulled a capture: removing the opponent’s piece or pawn from the board by taking it with one’s own. The president’s health care headline was toast. Now, the headlines were commandeered to scream of the 3 P’s: the president, the professor and the police.
This is a living, breathing reminder to all of us to be mindful of Q&A so that our message doesn’t become part of an opportunistic takeover – friendly or hostile.
Here are a few tips to help ensure that you don’t hijack your own influence during Q&A:
Don’t answer too quickly. If the question is off-topic and hot button, don’t allow yourself to be hijacked. Gently but firmly respond that the question is important but it’s off-topic and will be best addressed during a more appropriate occasion. Offer a specific time when you will provide a thoughtful answer. The key is that you shouldn’t appear to be dodging the question. You’re simply deferring it to a more appropriate time and place.
Keep your answer brief. The more you talk, the more likely you are to get caught up in your underwear and say something you’ll regret. Long answers often lead to an unfortunate choice of words (think “acted stupidly”) that can bite you in the backside. Talk less, but say more.
Bridge back to your key points. The purpose of your presentation is to influence your audience and drive them to action. Never forget that. Use the audience’s questions to reinforce your key points, not to steer the boat in a completely different direction.
Don’t let Q&A be the final word. Always have two closings. 1) The one that ends your prepared remarks before Q&A, and 2) the one that wraps everything up after Q&A. End with power and a strength of conviction that your message is high priority and actionable.
Plan for hot topic tie-ins. You shouldn’t be surprised in today’s “anything goes” society. Think current events. What’s on people’s minds? Prepare, prepare, prepare.
As a communication coach, I guide senior executives in their high-profile presentations. As the day of their presentation draws near, I shift our focus from delivery of their key messages to preparation for high stakes Q&A. I ask every relevant question that I believe their audience might ask to ensure that the executive is influential in driving the ball forward, not backwards. Then, I slip on my broadcaster’s cap and link their topic to other hot-button topics. This is an eye-opening exercise for executives who tell me it has saved them from embarrassment, being at a loss for words, saying something they’d later regret, and a loss of leadership influence. It boosts their confidence to handle anything that comes their way.
My inner Girl Scout constantly whispers the motto “Be prepared” in my ear. Never has that been more essential than in today’s loosey-goosey world of Q&A.
You heard about the married politician caught trysting with his girlfriend in Argentina. On the day he was caught returning from his fun in the sun, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford held a hasty, free association press conference at the statehouse to drop the bomb.
Three words for you, Governor Sanford: Less is more.
His rambling admission of guilt was devastatingly wordy and bizarre. He dithered on about his love of hiking. He blathered about “sparking” with his “dear, dear friend” in Buenos Aires. At last, he meandered into a confession. After finally admitting to philandering, the governor presented his priorities wrong. He tearfully apologized for hurting his girlfriend before he expressed regret that his shameful behavior had damaged his wife and sons, and that he’d done the citizens of South Carolina wrong during his six-day disappearing act.
The governor showed us how not to meet the press.
As a leader, Sanford’s wordy discourse was far too long and misdirected. He needed to talk less and say more.
I hope you’ll never experience a moment of truth quite like this one in your career. However, as a leader you will be called upon to influence the thoughts and actions of others. Here are a few tips to help you influence intentionally:
Don’t confuse talking with influencing. Most leaders think influence means showing up and giving a speech. They want to look good, sound intelligent, and come across as well as possible. However, the real goal of influence is to move people to commit to action. That means touching hearts and minds, not merely talking your way out of (or into) something.
Don’t shoot for a quick fix. It’s not the short game that matters – it’s the long game. The Governor will learn this over the coming months as he’s judged by his constituents, citizens and family. A hastily arranged press conference (or meeting) solves nothing. When attendees are caught off guard, they can’t fully process the information you dump on them, which means that you’ve merely delayed the final outcome.
Move people in the direction you desire. Communicate with purpose. Not just because you believe that a communication of some sorts is called for. The Governor was too quick on the trigger to address the media. His goal should have been to get the story out of the news, not to get tongues wagging and create even more drama.
Cut the distractions. Did you see the young faces behind the governor as he spoke? They were smiling broadly as he choked up. How weird. Be aware of your surroundings during leadership communications – or make sure that someone else is watching out for you.
Keep it brief and simple. The key to communication in the 21st century is brevity. Attention spans are collapsing. Demands on time are increasing. Master the complex business of simplicity. If you blather on, you risk losing people’s attention…and their respect.
Sanford’s Wall Street wife was far more succinct. Her statements to the press have been pithy, if a bit understandably passive-aggressive. So far, she’s winning the oh-so-polite war of words for public support.
Leadership communication is about aligning people to influence their thoughts and actions. I encourage you to be purposeful about communicating with influence. Take time to distill your message instead of being long-winded. In today’s world, saying less is truly more.
It’s Thanksgiving evening. You’re stuffed. Bloated. Lethargic. In a turkey coma.
Does this uncomfortable feeling remind you of anything? How about the last presentation you sat through? Or worse, the last one you delivered?
Most presentations are bloated. They’re stuffed with waaaay too much information which causes attendees to slip into presentation-induced comas. Every fact, figure, and statistic you uncovered made its way into your over-stuffed, text-laden slides, which left your audience feeling sluggish.
Ready to tackle presentation weight gain? Stop informing and start influencing.
Your job as a presenter is to share insights and analysis to help your audience make a decision and move forward. Over-informing is a toxic type of miscommunication. Don’t pass on every fact and figure you uncover as you research your topic. Instead, funnel it down into what matters most.
Why is this critical? Because over-stuffing a presentation leaves your audience confused and stuffed. And confused brains don’t take action. They shut down. Which requires even more meetings and presentations to clear up the mess and finally influence others to move forward.
So fight presentation bloat. Don’t pack on the pounds when you present. Think influence, not information. Your audience will thank you by taking quicker action.
How you communicate a message has a direct impact on your ability to influence opinions.
It happened to the President of the United States on his home turf last week. At the end of his prime time health care news conference, Barack Obama answered a hot button question that was totally off-topic. Instead of asking about health care, a reporter asked the president what he thought of the confrontation between Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police officer James Crowley. The president weighed in with his opinion on race relations, ending with the tantalizing words “acted stupidly.”
You heard about the married politician caught trysting with his girlfriend in Argentina. On the day he was caught returning from his fun in the sun, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford held a hasty, free association press conference at the statehouse to drop the bomb.
Most presentations are bloated. They’re stuffed with waaaay too much information which causes attendees to slip into presentation-induced comas. Every fact, figure, and statistic you uncovered made its way into your over-stuffed, text-laden slides, which left your audience feeling sluggish.
