We've all experienced it: Feeling overwhelmed. Problems sleeping. Having a hard time relaxing and quieting…
Why Leaders Should Steal from Speakers
By guest blogger and professional speaker
David Mann
When you hire a speaker to fire up your team, youβre buying an hour of sharp content and emotional power. But as a leader you need to motivate your team far more frequently than event schedules and budgets allow. So what do you do next Tuesday when you need to fire up the team to boost sales and increase productivity?
You do what good speakers do: keep it clear and simple.
Hereβs the secret: good speakers are saying relatively little in the hour theyβre at the front of the room. Theyβre presenting two or three key ideas and then telling stories, giving illustrations, and pacing the time for maximum retention.
So next time youβre at the front of the room, remember to treat it like an eventβ¦ even if itβs just the Tuesday meeting. Plan to supply dense data on handouts rather than in the presentation. A meeting is in person (even if itβs virtual), so make it come alive! Here are a few tips:
You know you can do this, and you know your team wants it. So keep it clear, keep it simple, and fire up your team.
David Mann is a messaging and storytelling specialist. He speaks and consults on keeping messaging clear and simple through all channels of company communication, and he works with litigation attorneys to make lasting impact with opening statements in court. His 3-decade career as a professional director, playwright and actor forms the foundation of his unique approach: connecting with an audience is the key to business growth.Β
When you hire a speaker to fire up your team, youβre buying an hour of sharp content and emotional power. But as a leader you need to motivate your team far more frequently than event schedules and budgets allow. So what do you do next Tuesday when you need to fire up the team to boost sales and increase productivity?
You do what good speakers do: keep it clear and simple.
Hereβs the secret: good speakers are saying relatively little in the hour theyβre at the front of the room. Theyβre presenting two or three key ideas and then telling stories, giving illustrations, and pacing the time for maximum retention.
So next time youβre at the front of the room, remember to treat it like an eventβ¦ even if itβs just the Tuesday meeting. Plan to supply dense data on handouts rather than in the presentation. A meeting is in person (even if itβs virtual), so make it come alive! Here are a few tips:
- Break down your content into three categories (Where we were? Where we are? and Where weβre going," for example)
- Only give 2-3 pieces of data in each category, and make sure to include real-life stories and illustrations in each category
- Come up with a simple, repeatable phrase that captures the essence of what youβre trying to tell them, aiming to be specific and not generic (like βZero waste by Q2β or βBetter inter-office communication cuts our lag time in halfβ)
You know you can do this, and you know your team wants it. So keep it clear, keep it simple, and fire up your team.
David Mann is a messaging and storytelling specialist. He speaks and consults on keeping messaging clear and simple through all channels of company communication, and he works with litigation attorneys to make lasting impact with opening statements in court. His 3-decade career as a professional director, playwright and actor forms the foundation of his unique approach: connecting with an audience is the key to business growth.Β