Here’s what you can learn from A. Lincoln’s oratory

Much has been said and written about the oratory and leadership skill of Abraham Lincoln. Still, Lincoln’s speaking and approach to leading are worth revisiting. His speaking and his leading approaches are timeless – and are guideposts, as you progress along the path to becoming a better speaker, presenter and leader. Here are Comments about Lincoln from his contemporaries. These comments particularly resonated with me:Continue reading

Month of the Orator, Part Two – learn from the best

For August of this year I chose the blog theme of Month of Orator. I’ve themed this month as Month of the Orator, Part Two. This is due, to November being the month that: -U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address (19 November 1863). -U.S. senator, Robert F Kennedy was born (25 November 1925). Kennedy’s most famous speech occurred on the date Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. –Samuel Clemens (pen name Mark Twain) was born (30 November 1835). Clemens, though not known as a speaker, is often referred to as the father of American literature. Below is the clip and text of Kennedy’s 4:40 minute speech in Indianapolis, Indiana after hearing of King’s assassination.  If ever there was a speech that was the right one, at the right time, by the right person, in the right manner, for the right reason, and with the right feeling tone – a speech that had a direct correlation to preventing violence – this speech has to be on the short list. After King’s assassination, there were riots in all major American cities, but

because of Kennedy’s short speech – there were no riots in Indianapolis. 

As you’ll see described in the clip, Kennedy’s spoke virtually off the cuff with little preparation. In effect, trusting that the right words would come. Below the video clip is a link to the text of the the speech.

LINK to the clip.

Here is the clip Here is the text of the speech.

Own the Conversation

Let me suggest in light of Kennedy’s speech, that at certain times – times when you have deep feeling about a matter – that it may be best to speak without notes, trusting that the words will arise from that feeling.
p.s. Many of my clients are unsure of how to hold and gesture with their hands when speaking. To help you with this check out this post entitled, Spencer Tracy – Using your hands, advice. p.p.s. Recently I had a chat with writer/director Ian Thomson who is leading a project to create awareness about mental health and suicide prevention in rural Australia through narrative fiction. His film should start conversations and drive awareness and engagement.
Here is a link to the film project’s website:
Ian recently screened the film at THE BLACK DOG INSTITUTE in Sydney as part of THE BIG ANXIETY creative arts festival.
You can follow project updates on Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theinvisibleedge.com.au/
Ian is currently looking for opportunities to screen the film as part of information evenings about men’s mental health. If you would like to screen the film, please contact Ian. IAN W THOMSON, Director /  Writer, Creativity for Change M: +61 (0)4298 99944 E: ian@ianwthomson.comI: http://www.ianwthomson.com
#You might want to trial my Confident Personal Communication video learning programme because it will give you practical techniques to ‘Own the Conversation’.

How to introduce yourself

This week I’m pleased to share a guest article from a top performer – my friend, Duff Watkins. I urge you to read the article.   How to Introduce Yourself Anytime, Anywhere, to Anybody in the Right Way. Duff has been mentoring people in their careers for 25+ years– from onboarding to outplacement, from public blue-chip companies to professional sport teams.  His Accelerate Performance program guides new leaders to achieve in 90 days instead of 9 months. Please check out Duff’s work at ExecSearch International.

Own the Conversation

This statement from Duff’s post is worth repeating. ‘It’s your responsibility to introduce yourself effectively. If you can’t be bothered to communicate clearly what you do, why should your listener be bothered to remember you.’  Aim in the next seven days to be more articulate in introducing yourself.
p.s. Check out this post entitled: Networking techniques- ‘how to’. #You might want to trial my Confident Personal Communication video learning programme because it will give you practical techniques to ‘Own the Conversation’.

Video of Russell Crowe – the voice that grips you

Of all the voices of male motion picture actors, Russell Crowe’s earthy, unpretentious voice is the one that grips you, viscerally – and doesn’t let you go until he stops speaking. You’ll experience that grip in a 53:30 minute interview of Crowe by Charlie Rose. Here are other thoughts about, and what resonated with me about, the interview: -I’ve shared this thought before but it’s worth repeating. Like many other great communicators, Crowe is all of one piece. His inner evaluation fits his outer evaluation. That’s why he comes across as genuine. This is no artifice. -Watch the 20:19 > 21:56 segment as Crowe (the director) talks about how he takes a cast through his preparation regimen and platform for creating a film. The regimen is a ten day physical, emotional and intellectual ‘boot camp’. What struck me about the boot camp was its depth and breadth, and how Crowe in the camp created a standard of performance to rise to. Consider your last major pitch for business. How did your preparation with your pitch team compare with Crowe’s boot camp? Did you create a standard for the pitch team to rise to? Now I’m not suggesting that you have your team do gun shooting practice for every pitch. But considering that many pitches are ‘winged’, the extra effort you put in could mean the difference between winning the pitch and placing second. A good mantra to repeat during your pitch preparation is:

‘What else could we do, that our competitors won’t do?’

-Crowe uses a turn of phrase when comparing directing a movie to gazing at the night sky. Namely, ‘The more you look at it, the more you can see.’ -For South Sydney National Rugby League supporters, as well as for vignettes about media tycoon Kerry Packer watch at the 36:48 > 44:00 minute segment. -Crowe tears up when discussing his body of work. Watch the 51:37 > 52:00 minute segment which ends with ‘I do my very best everyday’.

Here is the LINK to the clip.

Own the Conversation

I think we all can agree that there is a degree of pretension in corporate life. Executives who take themselves too seriously. Executives who couch their real thoughts behind a veneer. Who, in effect, watch themselves as they speak to make sure they’re making the ‘right’ impression. Obviously you need to be aware of the politics in your organisation and know what behaviours get rewarded and what behaviours get punished. Still, with Crowe as an exemplar, for the next seven days, aim to lighten-up in one of your interactions. Speak with out pretension. Reflect on the impact of doing that on the other person- and on how it made you feel.
p.s Check out this post Learning from John Wayne’s body language. #You might want to trial my Confident Personal Communication video learning programme because it will give you practical techniques to ‘Own the Conversation’.

Here’s how to worksmith an important message

‘These are the times that try men’s souls’. Thomas Paine This month’s theme is ‘Gandhi month’. Last week I shared a Gandhi’s quotation about choosing his written words, very carefully. Here is the quotation. ‘To be true to my faith therefore, I may not write in anger or malice. I may not write idly. I may not write merely to excite passion. The reader can have no idea of the restraint I have to exercise from week to week in the choice of topics and my vocabulary. It is training for me. It enables me to peep into myself and to make discoveries of my weaknesses. Often my vanity dictates a smart expression or my anger a harsh adjective. It is a terrible ordeal but a fine exercise to remove these weeds.’  (from Mahatma Gandhi – The Great Communicator). Why do I bring this up? I’d suggest that Thomas Paine, in constructing the words and syntax of his above famous quotation, would have also had an ordeal. Perhaps he had to show restraint in his choice of topic and vocabulary. Perhaps he had to avoid a smart expression or remove a harsh adjective. Paine’s quotation could be expressed in many ways. For example: ‘Men’s souls are tried by these times. These are trying times for the souls of men. Times like these try men’s souls. These times try men’s souls. Trying times for men’s souls are these.’ However, none of these variations expresses the thought better than Paine’s version. Why do I bring this up? To encourage you to exercise more restraint in your choice of spoken (and written) words. To take a moment to consider what words, voice tone and body language would have the best influence with a person. One definition of effective communication is saying the right thing, to the right person, at the right time, at the right place, in the right manner, for the right reason. Now it may not be possible to get all those aspects in alignment. But by taking a moment to stop and think . . . . before you speak you’ll improve the odds of achieving the influence and/or outcome that you want.

Own the Conversation

Here’s a recommended task for the next seven days.
  1. Consider a simple message that you need to deliver to a person. Consider the best time, place, manner and words to best convey the message.
  2. Take time to wordsmith the sentence(s) – the words and the syntax.
  3. Practice your delivery to capture the right tone.
  4. Then deliver the message.
  5. Reflect on the impact of the message and the worth of taking some extra time in crafting it.
p.s Check out this post entitled: Be Bold. No one honours the timid.

Gandhi’s example of what it takes to be a great communicator

As Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in the month of October ( 2 October 1869) this month’s theme will be Gandhi month. The focus will be aligned with Gandhi’s tenets of simplicity and congruency of communication. To warm you up for the month, here are quotations and ideas to wash over you. ‘He (Gandhi) recognized that communication is the most effective tool to shape opinion and mobilize popular support.’ (reference)Continue reading

How to walk, so you don’t get mugged

In the book Race: How Blacks And Whites Think and Feel About The American Obsession, by oral historian Studs Terkel, there is a quotation on p. 39 from an Afro-American man named Julian Jefferson. Here is the quotation: ‘I’ve never had any run-ins with the police. I credit that to my mother. I’ve known people that walk down the street and the police throw them against the wall and frisk them. I’ve never had that. Is it the way I live? The way I carry myself? It goes right back to my upbringing. How you carry yourself is what you’ll get’. Consider this. Whatever can be seen or heard, will be seen or heard and will form an impression. You are always sending impressions. What are they conveying? Aligned to conveying impressions and, to how you carry yourself, below is copy from my 2011 post entitled,

How to walk so you don’t get mugged.

“Inmates who were shown video clips of people walking on a city footpath rated who would, and who wouldn’t, be good prospects to mug.”  I came across this quote when recently reviewing information from my body language research library. The only reference I found for the quote was ‘Esquire magazine article, by John Poppy’ – and my notes about the article. Let me explain the quote. In a study where inmates were shown video clips of various people walking, they rated people who walked not too slowly or too quickly, as not being good prospects to mug. (That is, these people were not seen as easy prey). Other attributes that marked these people as not good to mug were their relaxed body movement and gait, and that they appeared to be on route to a destination (ie. versus walking without a purpose). In addition to keeping this ‘not too slow or to quick’ walking method in mind, here are additional ideas on how to walk, so that you signal confidence and certainty to others (and if the situation arises, to not be seen as easy prey for potential muggers).
  1. Focus your body a few centimeters below your naval, midway below your back and stomach.
  2. Keep your weight down low. Be aware of your pelvic girdle rocking back and forth.
  3. Let your legs drop free from your hips. Let them flow.
  4. Allow your body to move. Let your hands and arms swing freely.
  5. Make firm contact with the soles of your feet on the ground.
  6. Walk with this analogy in mind: Like a monorail train car, smoothly running along its track.

Own the Conversation

In the next seven days, observe how other people walk and carry themselves, and rate them in relation to the above ideas and points. For example, do they signal confidence and certainty? Begin adding one of above six points into your ‘walk’.
p.s. Check out the post entitled, Persuasion by depth of conviction.

Being ‘playful’ – video of one of the best, George Clooney

What can one say about George Clooney?

Leaving aside his job as an actor, in the following 22:31 minute interview with Charlie Rose, the affect that Clooney leaves with me – is of someone who is comfortable in his own skin, self-assured and playful.

Here is the LINK to the interview clip.

I posit that by watching good actors, whether in films or in interviews like this, you can always come away with some insight, or a model that you might adapt to your own speaking and presenting.

Own the Conversation

For me, what I’ll take away from the clip is a reminder to be playful at work. To take my work seriously (but not too seriously) while being light about myself.

What will you take away?

p.s. Check out his post with insight from legendary US basketball coach – The Wizard of Westwood – John Wooden.

Keep attention – with an ‘unpredictable wind’ voice

Consider this . . . Even a small increase, in your knowledge and appreciation of your voice, is a worthy investment. Following my suggestion last week to listen to your audio-recorded voice – consider how your knowledge and appreciation of your voice has increased over the last seven days? Even a small increase in knowledge or appreciation is worthwhile. The focus this week is on practical techniques to upgrade the operation of your voice. In the same way you can learn to better drive a motor vehicle, you can learn to better drive your voice.

‘See’ your voice as an unpredictable wind.

What does this metaphor mean? Think of your speaking voice as the wind – and your audience, as sailors on the open seas. If your voice (the wind) is predictable, the sailors (your audience) will set their sails, take a break and perhaps nod-off. (you’ll lose the audience’s attention). If your voice is unpredictable, your ‘sailor audience’ will need to keep alert to that ‘wind voice’. You can be unpredictable with the speed and cadence, the loudness, the pitch and the emotion of your voice. When we begin speaking to an audience, we usually have their attention. Over time, their attention will wane. Imagine ‘entertaining’ the ears of your audience to keep their mind engaged. Monotone speakers first lose the ear of the audience, and soon after the mind of the audience.

Acceleration/Deceleration

One way to be unpredictable with your voice, is to vary its cadence via juxtaposing acceleration and deceleration of speaking speed. Here is practice technique for acceleration/deceleration.
  1. Go to a quiet room with your smart phone and open the stop watch application of the phone.
  2. Read over the below steps and with the aid of the stopwatch, carry out the steps with the allotted time durations.
  • Take no more than 3 seconds to speak the following sentence, ‘You never get a second chance to listen to someone the first time’.
  • Have a 2 second PAUSE GAP
  • Taking a full 4 seconds to speak the following phrase: ‘Because if you’re daydreaming’
  • Have a 1 second PAUSE GAP
  • Take no more than 2 seconds to speak the following phrase: ‘that might be the precise moment’
  • Take a full 4 seconds to speak the following phrase: they’re sharing the key bit of information’.
For the above steps, there should be a total time of 15 to 17 seconds. With regular practice of this acceleration/deceleration exercise, you’ll embed a ‘speed variation audio file’ in your brain, to weave into your speaking.

Enlarge/constrain your body posture to increase/decrease voice loudness

There is a correlation between the physical space you occupy with your body posture and gesturing, and the loudness of your voice. Still your body and keep your gestures close to your torso, to decrease the loudness of your voice. Enlarge your gestures away from your torso, to increase the loudness of your voice. Practice speaking the following sentence, varying your body posture and gesture.
  • First with arms close to you body with no movement.
  • Second, with arms extending outward in front of your torso. Note the effect on your voice.
‘What if, in any interaction, you were perceived as very articulate, extremely confident and genuinely interested in the other person?’

Picture in your mind what you’re speaking about to make your voice more interesting

Some topics are difficult to visualise. However, my anecdotal field research reveals that when a person visualises a scene, and the people and objects in the scene, their voice sounds more interesting and alive. To practice this technique – in a few sentences, visualise a a special holiday scene while describing it.

A metre beyond

A recent productive technique to help my clients project their voice, so it is easily heard by their audiences, is the concept of ‘a metre beyond’. This means when you’re talking with one person, or ten people, or 100 people, imagine your voice as an arrow extending a metre beyond the last person in the audience. This technique – especially relevant for people with ‘quieter’ voices – will help you be easily heard and understood on the first occasion. Trial this imagery technique and note its impact.

Own the Conversation

Over the next seven days, choose one of the above techniques and every day practice the technique in safe interactions.
Check out this post on how to ‘seat’ yourself with confidence