June 11, 2007
How to give a knock-out speech
By ANN BAKER
Woody Allen said that 80 percent of success is showing up. A three-time Academy Award-winning actor, director and playwright, Woody knows a thing or two about success - and how to effectively deliver a message to an audience.
Are you successfully "showing up" for your speaking engagements? If you're a C-level executive, here's a cautionary tale and some tips on how to keep your next audience glued to their seats.
CEO slumber party
I recently attended a conference where CEOs were pitching their businesses to investment bankers. As a professional presence coach, I thought, "This should be fun."It wasn't. After two hours of watching talking heads give corporate book-reports, glassy-eyed bankers were grabbing their Blackberries and slinking out to return calls. The audience was literally leaving the building.
Then, right before lunch - the agenda equivalent of batting ninth - an energetic man took the podium. He grabbed the mic, came down a few steps and spoke to the people in that room about how passionate he was about his company's prospects. No stats. No PowerPoint. Suddenly, people woke up and the room was alive.
At lunch, investors flocked to sit at his table. The other CEOs ate with their staffs.
Now ask yourself: Who would you rather be?
This guy had the same blue suit, the same resume and the same 77 pages of financials as everyone else. But he did something the other CEOs didn't do: He showed up.
All communication is conversation
Showing up means more than arriving - it's about being your authentic self and being present with your audience. If you've reached the executive suite, it's time to take your game to the next level and become 110 percent engaged in the conversation you're having with the people in the room. Notice I said "conversation," not "presentation." All effective communication is conversation. Remember that the next time you're on the dais.Be yourself
We become so attached to our persona - "CEO," "President," "Founder" - that we forget that what we do isn't the whole story: We are how we do what we do. Being your authentic self, like the speaker at the conference, means communicating your beliefs, values, passion and vision. That's when the real you shows up. So don't hide behind the title: give 'em the whole package.
Know your audience
It's easy to focus on the message - it's why you're there, after all.But what about your audience? Why are they there? As you prepare to speak to a group, ask yourself, "How can I deliver value-added to them?" You'll uncover the key to having a real conversation where all sides benefit.
Professional coaching
Like any other skill, public speaking takes practice. If you want your spoken word to consistently produce the desired result, consider engaging a professional presence coach. They can give you the tools you need to be sure you "show up" for your next talk and keep the audience in the building right through lunch.
Ann Baker is founder of Ann Baker Professional Presence Coaching in Wayland. She can be reached at anbaca1@comcast.net or www.annbakercoaching.com.
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