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.  

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson’s recent books are, THE 
LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO 
GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS.  He is founder and president of The 
Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and has worked with thousands of 
leaders worldwide during the past 20 years helping them achieve 
sizable increases in hard, measured results.  Sign up for his 
free leadership ezine and get a free guide, “49 Ways To Turn 
Action Into Results,” at http://www.actionleadership.com