The CEO of a worldwide business asked me to help him
develop a talk he planned to give to several hundred of his top
executives. He said, "I feel as if I’m Daniel going into the
lion's den."
Indeed, it was the business equivalent of a lion's den that
he was entering. Hired from a competing firm, he was a stranger
to the company, a company hobbled by declining market share and
bad morale caused by the arbitrary actions of the previous CEO,
an isolated dictator.
"This is the first time most of them will see and hear
me," he said. "I'll give a presentation on the state of the
business."
"Hold on," I said. "Don't give a presentation. Give a
Leadership Talk instead."
There is a difference, I explained, between a
presentation/speech and a Leadership Talk. A presentation/speech
communicates information, but a Leadership Talk not only
communicates information but makes a deep, emotional, human
connection with the audience.
Most leaders give presentations and speeches most of the
time when they should be giving Leadership Talks.
"You're facing an important leadership situation," I said.
"The old saying, 'You never get a second chance to make a
first impression' applies here in spades. You've got a great
Leadership Talk opportunity. But to have people believe in you
and follow you, they must be emotionally committed to you and
what you say. So understand what their emotional needs are."
I went out into the field and talked to a number of his
managers and found out that they were feeling intimidated by the
demands of increasingly sophisticated customers. I found out
that they feared not being supported in the decisions they made
in the field. I learned that they were angry at having to meet
what they considered unnecessary reporting requirements. I
learned that they didn't trust the top executives.
Intimidation, fear, anger, distrust . . . those emotions
described the state of his audience and, in truth, the state
of the business.
The CEO gave a Leadership Talk that spoke to and answered
the needs of those emotions, a talk based on the single idea
that he was a person that they could trust.
That Leadership Talk marked the beginning of a turnaround
for that company.
The lesson: Analyze and speak to the emotion of a situation,
and you can become a dramatically more effective leader.
Make that analysis happen this way:
* Know the difference between a presentation/speech and
Leadership Talk then view every speaking situation you
encounter as either a presentation/speech situation or
a Leadership Talk situation.
* Know that you rarely give presentation/speeches and that
The Leadership Talk should be your primary leadership
communication tool.
* Analyze the emotions of your audience by asking what
they feel at the time you speak, what they fear, what
angers them, what inspires them.
* Structure your talk around emotional-talking points.
For instance, list three things that angers your
audience. Make those things the main headings of
your talk.
* Speak to them about their emotions. Tell them, for
instance, that you realize they are angry and what they
are angry about. Tell them what you realize they are
feeling.
Speak thus, and you are revealed in powerful motivational
ways. Furthermore, they are revealed to themselves.
These revelations can create strong bonds between speakers
and audiences.
Understand the speaking situation in terms of its emotional
content, and you understand that situation in new ways.
Understand it in new ways and you speak in new ways. And
when you speak in new ways, your audience acts in new ways.
2004 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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