The ABC' of Executive Speaking: Clarity

"Clarity affords focus."
Thomas Leonard

In my last post, I followed my discussion of the “A” of the “ABC’s of Executive Speaking” framework– Authenticity with an examination of the “B” of the “ABC’s” – Brevity. In this post I will cover the “C” of  the “ABC’s”– Clarity.

CLARITY

Thomas Leonard, one of the founding leaders of the executive coaching industry said, “Clarity affords focus.” For speaking executives this is doubly true. Clarity brings greater focus to what the speaker will say and a greater understanding by the audience of the content that it hears.

But Clarity is a slippery eel for many speakers. Because many executive speakers are also subject matter experts, it is difficult for them to parse out the “noise” that occasionally interferes with the content they are presenting. Achieving Clarity as a speakers means your content must be:

• Coherent

• Intelligent and

• Transparent.

Let’s take a look at each of these qualities.

COHERENT

Being a Coherent speaker is the number one speaking behavior where most executive speakers first lose their audiences. Being Coherent is the act of uniting or forming as a whole an idea or action. When you speak as an executive, your audience relies heavily on your ability to design and refine your content and then opine it effectively. You must be logical and clear in everything you say. Your thoughts must be connected in a way in which the words you say create an image of what you want the audience to absorb or act upon. You cannot obfuscate, hem, haw or otherwise confuse your audience by meandering from idea to idea without some sort of logical pattern. A coherent speaker is a trusted speaker. Just ask any audience.

INTELLIGENT

Intelligence in the executive speaking world can be defined as having Certainty. Certainty is a quality of knowledge about a fact of which there is no doubt.

In an article from the job board, The Ladderstitled “8 Things that Set Truly Confident People Apart”, number 4 on the list was “They speak with certainty.” Here is an quote from that article:

“Confident people speak assertively because they know that it’s difficult to get people to listen to you if you can’t deliver your ideas with conviction.”

Conviction is a level of belief, faith and trust that you develop, as a speaker, from having done the background work, verified the research, and integrated the knowledge you’ve gained into your speaking essence. While content can be borrowed, its delivery should never be faked. Doing so would violate all the elements of being an Authentic speaker (the “A” of The ABC’s of Executive Speaking). Giving a speech prepared by another person is like taking a ten-mile hike in some else’s shoes; you may get into them, but the fit is awkward and over time will produce painful blisters.

I witnessed this happening when I saw two gentleman attempt to deliver a long form presentation created by another person who asked them to step in at the last minute to cover for him. The longer they went on the less intelligent they sounded and the more restless the audience became waiting for them to reach their painful conclusion.

The lack of a speaker’s intelligence is most quickly revealed when they begin to demonstrate a lack of knowledge of their content material.

TRANSPARENT

A Transparent speaker is a Confident speaker. Transparency is in demand these days from every source, authority, and organization. Speakers are not exempt. In fact, speakers must be the standard bearers of communication transparency. By virtue of the public nature of speaking, all speakers including executive speakers, must be confident enough in their content to allow themselves to be open to the public scrutiny of transparency.

Since, as speakers, we hold ourselves to a higher standard, this should not be an issue of concern. Speakers acceptthe unwritten code that “we will do no harm to our audience”. This means, as an executive speaker, you will not knowingly mislead your audience through the purposeful delivery of a misstatement of facts or events. It means that you hold your audience in a higher esteem than you hold yourself.

There can be no other way for you to establish the trust of your audience. After all, their faith in you as a leader rests upon the trustworthiness of what you say.

THE CASE FOR CLARITY

It should be easy for you to see that, as an executive, whenever you speak Clarity is your greatest ally in both getting your point out and getting it across. Listeners respond most favorably to speakers with clear, logical, easy to process language that supports the purpose of their speech.

The primary role of communication is to allow people to connect. It does no one any good if the connection is unclear, muddied by incoherent, unintelligent, and cloudy speech. To be effective, think about becoming a master of Clarity committed to delivering one great Coherent, Intelligent, and Transparent speech after another.

Thanks for your support as a reader of my blog and I eagerly welcome any comments on how you’re thinking about achieving the possibility of your promise. Also, I would appreciate any suggestions you might have for future posts in this blog on a topic near and dear to you in the comments section below. As always, please feel free to share this post with a friend or colleague.

Bringing Positivity to Everything,
The Brain Tamer

The ABC' of Executive Speaking: Authenticity

“Always be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”
Oscar Wilde”

In my last post, I introduced you to the “ABC’s of Executive Speaking” framework. This post will explore the “A” of the ABC’s – Authenticity.

With every passing day, the world of the executive speaker continues to evolve. This evolution presents challenges that many executive speakers have never previously addressed. From the virtual meeting, to the webinar, to the teleseminar, to the promotional video – all of these opportunities test the ability of an executive speaker to create, organize and deliver memorable and effective content that informs, influences and energizes every audience.

Some speakers meet these challenges by choosing to emulate the speaking techniques of other, notable speakers without first analyzing their own style and effectiveness. Executive speaking is hard enough without adding a layer of imitation on your speaking style that is, after all, borrowed at best and seldom done seamlessly.

What you need as an effective executive speaker is Authenticity.

AUTHENTICITY

As Shakespeare wrote, “This above all, to thine ownself be true.” It is an admonishment all executive speakers should take to heart. To be true to oneself implies that you have introspective knowledge of yourself that is honest and unfiltered. This is not always easy to do. Why?

Because it takes time. Introspective reflection requires openness to input from others and, above all, acute self-awareness. Armed with this level of “trueness”, a speaker can rely on their innate qualities, trust their instincts and have confidence that, “I know what I know” is sufficient a platform to take and control the stage wherever that may be.

To be an Authentic executive speaker you must be Genuine, Credible, Valid, Legitimate, and Trustworthy.

GENUINE

A genuine speaker has a quality of self, based on the deeply derived trust one earns from confronting themselves through honest examination. The authentic speaker knows what they know, feels what they feel, and maintains an aura of discernable genuine character capable of supporting and enhancing their influential aspirations. It’s hard to be genuine when you are not being yourself.

CREDIBLE

There is an unwritten rule for all speakers, “I will do no harm to my audience.” Because of this, you have a credibility card you should never play when speaking. Playing your credibility card card asks an audience to forgive your intentionally misstated facts, policies and information. All professional speakers know that the most important character you bring to the stage is that of truthfulness. Truthfulness that holds the highest respect for your audience, while safeguarding them from harm through falsehood. In order to be held as a leader of the highest repute, executive speaking demands credibility of the highest level as well.

VALID

Executives are often charged with the responsibility of increasing an organization’s worth. When you speak as an executive, the value of what you say can increase an organization’s worth as well. Deepening the understanding of complex initiatives, policies, and vision can engage a workforce, unite stakeholders, and increase loyalty among customers.

Simply put, flapping your gums based on the authority of your title just doesn’t qualify as effective executive speaking in today’s business world . You must bring inspiration, intensity and insight into your speaking content in order to create the memorable and repeatable outcome you need and should desire. 

Your audience will value your perspective, concreteness of fact, and the sincerity of your intent. Your content must be timely, accurate and impact them in a meaningful way.

Nothing less will do.

LEGITIMATE

This is where the rubber meets the road in executive speaking. It is the point at which your style and your substance unite, creating an unbreakable bond between you and your audience. Being a legitimate executive speaker presents itself through the actions you take while on stage. 

It is through your speaking legitimacy that you demonstrate the following:

• That you confidently own content that is originally yours

• That you fully credit any content you have borrowed from others

• That you willingly and humbly share what you have learned with your audience.

Now ask yourself, “Am I doing this when I speak?” If you honestly are, then you are being an authentic executive speaker.

TRUSTWORTHY

Steven Covey wrote, “Trust is a must”.

I believe that every executive speaker’s goal is to build a lasting relationship with their audience. In my work with my clients, we spend considerable time on relationship building. First with themselves and secondly with their audiences. At the core of this work is the understanding that all relationships spin on a hub of trust. 

Therefore, as an authentic executive speaker, your principle responsibility is to leave your audience feeling comfortable and trusting in the content you have shared. Helping your audience trust you by showing them you trust yourself through both words and actions will increase their trust in you and thereby your effectiveness. This sense of being trustworthy is the cement that sets the bond between speaker and audience.

THE AURA OF AUTHENTICITY

In the end, Authenticity is not something you can walk into Executives R’US and buy off the rack, take to work, hang it on a hook in your corner office, and slip into whenever the occasion calls. Authenticity is an integral character of self and a practiced behavior as a speaker. You can strive for it, achieve it and own it when you practice being Genuine, Credible, Valid, Legitimate, and Trustworthy every time you get the opportunity to speak in your executive capacity. It may start out as a challenge, but eventually you will find that it fits you to a tee. And, your audiences will appreciate and thank you for being authentic when you speak.

Thanks for your support as a reader of my blog and I eagerly welcome any comments on how you’re thinking about achieving the possibility of your promise. Also, I would appreciate any suggestions you might have for future posts in this blog on a topic near and dear to you in the comments section below. As always, please feel free to share this post with a friend or colleague.

Bringing Positivity to Everything,
The Brain Tamer

TheBrain Tamer introduces “The ABC's of Executive Speaking”

“Be sincere; be brief; be seated.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

In my practice, The Speech Wiz, I coach executives on how they can become high level speakers and leaders. Many of my clients get to speak in a variety of settings from boardrooms to conferences, webinars to meetings, and more. Over the years, I have learned from my clients that the type of speaking they do is highly driven, temporal, and critical to the success of their businesses, organizations and careers. I have also learned that what they do is not classic public speaking but a leadership style that relies heavily on their ability to convey authenticity, practice brevity and demonstrate the highest level of clarity regarding the content and purpose of their speaking.

This knowledge led me to formulate a framework for executive speakers I call “The ABC’s of Executive Speaking”.

WHAT IS EXECUTIVE SPEAKING

Executive Speaking is a category of business communication with high impact, extreme focus, and immediacy. It is most effective when practiced with intention, awareness and skill. Executive speaking is high on content, more relaxed on formality and pivotal to advancing the goals of leadership, policy and engagement. Executive speaking happens whenever and wherever leaders engage their workforce, stakeholders, shareholders, prospects, and customers.

SO SIMPLE, ANYONE CAN DO IT

If you are an executive or aspire to become one, the sooner you embrace “The ABC’s of Executive Speaking” the sooner you will reap its benefits. It is no secret that, in the workplace, the fastest and easiest way to distinguish yourself from others is to demonstrate command and use of advanced communication skills.  Employees with advanced communication are regularly promoted from the ranks of workforces around the globe to take on leadership roles, lead initiatives, and foster change and growth.

The leader who engages “The ABC’s of Executive Speaking” framework will lead better meetings, experience the thrill of truly connecting to their audience, and establish increasingly higher levels of trustworthiness and credibility. They will inspire, motivate, and transform those they lead by demonstrating the strength one gets from being genuine, respectful of other’s time, and model the ability to convey important information simply and effectively.

Anyone can command the skills within the “The ABC’s of Executive Speaking” framework. Mastering “The ABC’s of Executive Speaking” does not require an advanced degree, years of experience, or an impressive title. All you need to succeed is awareness of the elements, a desire to elevate your speaking skillset, and the ability to embrace every speaking opportunity that comes your way.

AN OPEN INVITATION

Over the next three blog posts I will be examining each of the elements of “the ABC’s of Executive Speaking” framework. They are Authenticity, Brevity and Clarity. You’re invited to follow these blogs and gain insight into this simple and highly effective framework for becoming a truly effective and impactful executive speaker. If you lead an organization, I encourage you to invite those you lead to follow these blogs as well.

Thanks for your support as a reader of my blog and I eagerly welcome any comments on how you’re thinking about achieving the possibility of your promise.  Also, I would appreciate any suggestions you might have for future posts in this blog on a topic near and dear to you in the comments section below. As always, please feel free to share this post with a friend or colleague.

Bringing Positivity to Everything,
The Brain Tamer