Summer

While every summer brings different adventures, one priority that does not change is to squeeze in several books, including a few I've read many times before. At the top of that pile can be found Betty Smith's classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

In a novel of rich language, there's one particular favorite:

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."

Perhaps that's easier in summer -- the first sweet ear of Jersey corn, the first firefly of the evening -- so much is around us that should not be overlooked or taken for granted.

Same can be true of business -- not taking any speaking opportunity for granted but approaching each one with freshness, with creativity, and with careful thought.

Holiday Message

Every December, despite its reflection of an era with a much different definition of “equality,” I watch the 1954 movie “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (music by Irving Berlin). In a nutshell, the boys put on a Christmas show bringing their old Army unit to Vermont to surprise their former commanding officer (now a struggling innkeeper – played by Dean Jagger). The look on Major General Tom Waverly’s face when he sees the men from the 151^st Division gathered to honor him gets me every time.

Maybe it is an idealistic (okay, schmaltzy) ending, but it touches a universal chord: people want to know they matter – that their lives make a difference.

That's not a message we tend to hear—or give—very often. Yet we may feel we do – especially at this time of year with holiday gatherings of employees, offering "thanks - good year - good job" comments. We offer lots of head-talk, not heart-talk. Most employees are longing to be inspired, not just thanked; to hear about the leader's vision and how they are the ones who are going to make it happen. They want to know that their work matters – that what they are doing is valued and makes a difference.


But we stay safe by staying aloof, and don’t often take the time to reflect and consider what people want to hear. We don’t ask ourselves what’s going to get them juiced, what will they remember 10 minutes after the party ends? As a result, we miss invaluable opportunities.


Benjamin Franklin said, "If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect." In other words, connect emotionally.


BusinessWeek columnist Carmine Gallo challenges leaders to articulate an emotional, concise vision in 10 words or less – it must pass the napkin test, meaning when written out, it can fit entirely on the back of a napkin. The key is to make your vision consistent and repeatable. Then do it – repeat it constantly. Let folks know they matter ... that their work is making a difference in achieving that vision. Especially at holiday parties.

Not Getting It

From today's New York Times:

And the day offered a perfect opportunity for the campaign, with a potentially embarrassing mini-scandal: a waitress’s report that Mrs. Clinton had failed to tip after eating at a Maid-Rite diner in central Iowa, an assertion that ricocheted around the Internet on Thursday.

Reached at her home in Iowa, the waitress, Anita Esterday, said that neither she nor a colleague who helped serve Mrs. Clinton recalled seeing any tip.

She said a local staff member of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign was in the restaurant on Thursday to tell them that the campaign had left a tip.

She said that when she and her colleague said they had not seen a tip, the staff member gave each of them $20.

Ms. Esterday said she did not understand what all the commotion was about.

“You people are really nuts,” she told a reporter during a phone interview. “There’s kids dying in the war, the price of oil right now — there’s better things in this world to be thinking about than who served Hillary Clinton at Maid-Rite and who got a tip and who didn’t get a tip.”

This is not a commentary about the Clinton campaign/candidacy or whether or not a tip was actually left or whether a staffer paid up the next day.

This is about how we in communications – and I risk journalists’ ire for lumping them with copy writers and speech writers – miss the boat. We think we know what people want to hear – what will rock their worlds. And we’re often wrong.

Ms. Esterday’s quote should be printed, framed, and sitting on the desks of everyone who writes for others—okay, I’ll limit it to speech writers.

This arrogance of message-control knows no limits – in other words, it’s not just attributable to those inside the Beltway or wrapped up in politics. It can be found in equal measures inside CEO corner offices across America.

We’re so busy crafting message we forget to listen. It takes time – it takes time to call a conference organizer, to speak with key stakeholders, to reach out to people in the community. But the ROI is enormous: a speech that touches people—that motivates them into action because it’s real versus a speech that means little to almost everybody listening and is forgotten by the time they pull out of the parking lot.

That’s the best tip I’ve gotten all year.

Why You Need a Speech Writer

I’ve been on a few interviews this summer – some networking, some for prospective clients. Three especially stand out. While each person I met with was in a very different position (a federal agency Under Secretary, a U.S. Senator, a university dean), none of them currently use a speech writer.

The responses I got as to why varied from liking to write own notes on index cards to having the subject expert create bullet points on slides to being comfortable speaking off the cuff.

A few days later, doing research on IdeaBank, I came across a description William G. McAdoo (1863-1941), American politician and leader of the Democratic opposition, gave about President Warren G. Harding's speeches:

"His speeches left the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea; sometimes these meandering words would actually capture a straggling thought and bear it triumphantly, a prisoner in their midst, until it died of servitude and overwork.”

That, gentlemen, is why you need a speech writer.

A Little More Human

Back in May, the swearing in ceremony of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, was described as “unorthodox” by Washington Post staff writer Allison Klein (May 5, 2007; B04). Lanier spoke of “her difficult past and her road to the top.” It was a good article – it sounded like an even better ceremony. But the most amazing line was towards the end. Let me pull directly from the article:

D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said the speech shocked him because he was expecting Lanier to talk about police policy or something relating to her position as chief.

"I was waiting for her to swing to the PowerPoint," Graham said. "To have the police chief in the nation's capital be so personal, so human, so revealed is startling. We were amazed. I left feeling a little more human myself."

What a great comment! Lanier was human – she revealed herself as vulnerable – and the audience (or at least Mr. Graham) responded. I’m not saying this approach is appropriate all of the time or even many times, but all too often, we don’t look for this kind of opportunity any time. Let's turn off the PowerPoint and get real.

Two Types of Speeches - Two Approaches to the Audience

IdeaBank, an online reference tool for quotes, history, and trivia – http://www.idea-bank.com/ib/html/ – sends subscribers a monthly email newsletter each month. The new editor, Tom Daly, is also the longstanding editor of Vital Speeches of the Day. In May’s edition, he made an interesting observation:

“There are only two types of speeches, informative or persuasive; that's it. Your speech will either be one that informs your audience about a topic or tries to persuade them to accept or adopt a particular position.”

I’ve been thinking about that – looking at past speeches I’ve written for clients, considering remarks I read, and evaluating presentations as I listen. I’m beginning to think he’s absolutely right – every speech is one or the other. Those that aren’t easily identifiable, most likely also fail as speeches, with each lacking a unified theme or message, taking the audience all over the place (though in reality the audience won’t “go” with that type of speaker anywhere but will mentally disengage to think about a to do list, what to pick up at the store, the next day’s meeting, the hairstyle of the person three rows down and two over, etc.)

A couple of weeks after reading this, I met Andy Gilman, President and CEO of CommCore Consulting Group – www.commcoreconsulting.com – and read his book, Get to the Point, co-authored with Karen Berg. (Highly recommend it for its great tips on preparing and delivering the type of presentations that occur in most companies – ISBN 0-7872-2232-1.)

First chapter, first critical success factor: know your audience. They write: “There is a distinction between ‘speaker-centered’ and ‘audience-centered’ messages.” Which made me reflect on another two buckets every speech can be put into: either it’s all about the speaker or it connects to the audience. But unlike the informative/persuasive division, this one makes or breaks the event.

To be successful, regardless of the topic or the purpose, a speech needs to answer the number one question of the audience: “How does this affect me?” Gilman and Berg refer to it as “What’s in it for me?” or WIIFM (pronounced “wiffum”). An informative speech becomes a long-winded lecture if that connection to the audience is not made. A persuasive speech will not inspire action, get people to donate money, or change anyone’s mind. This is a critical point that is too often overlooked by the speaker pushing his or her agenda, feeling he or she knows best ... after all, the speaker may say, have they not come to hear me? Am not I the boss/ the celebrity/ the VIP/ the leading candidate in the race?

Opportunity lost. The speaker may not even realize it as. thankfully, good manners still prevail and audiences will applaud and at least one or two will politely say it was a good speech. But I’d bet no one was moved (persuasive) ... no light bulbs went off in someone’s head (informative) ... and an hour later, no one could tell you what the speech was really about.

Identify the purpose: informative or persuasive. Then make sure it’s connected clearly to the audience.

Opening Inanities

Pick up a copy of Vital Speeches of the Day (www.vsotd.com) and just look at the openings – these are from the January issue:

“Thank you all. Good morning.”

“Thank you, ___, for that kind introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to address such a capable and caring group of CEOs.”

“Thank you, Senator, for that wonderful introduction. It is a great honor to be introduced by such a distinguished legislature. And thanks to you, Mr. ___, and all your staff and to the wonderful ____ chapter, for all you have done to make this occasion possible.”

“Thank you all very much. It’s a great pleasure to be here today with our partners from here and around the globe, in industry, academia, and government.”

“Let me thank you for that introduction. Let me thank all of you for being here.”

“Thank you for that kind introduction, and thanks to all of you for turning out this evening. I’m honored you decided to be here for an evening lecture particularly after dinner.”

“Good morning. I am delighted to be here in beautiful Seattle. Thank you for that kind welcome and the invitation to speak to you today.”

“Thank you very much. Thank you so much.”

What’s really going on? Dead air. And no one is going to be listening. Let’s make some assumptions: the speaker appreciates the invitation. Wouldn’t it be better to show his/her appreciation by delivering carefully prepared, thoughtful remarks? We can also pretty much assume that any introduction is going to be flattering, or at least factual, so why comment on it? It comes across as awfully disingenuous (the exception are those very, very rare introductions that are actually personal, that tell a story, but that’s another topic for discussion).

Here’s what’s key: these speakers are wasting precious moments. When you first take the podium, you’re at you’re strongest advantage – people want to know what you look like, what you sound like. Why present yourself with meaningless small talk just like everyone else does – why come across as the same-old, same-old?

In the same January issue, not surprisingly a pro – Richard L. Weaver II, retired professor of speech communication from Bowling Green State University (and author of the textbook Communicating Effectively) – shows how it can be done. His remarks begin as follows:

“Many years ago when I was just beginning my professional career of teaching and needing extra money, I sold encyclopedias door-to-door.”

You’re hooked – a story.

Another example is found in the remarks by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III: “When you reach a certain age, you start to see the world in terms of ‘before’ and ‘after.’”

You’re hooked – curiosity makes you wonder what is the before and after he’s referring to.

Both of these speakers grabbed the audience. Start with a story, pick the curiosity, make a provocative statement, ask a question and ask for a show of hands – there are multiple ways to hook the audience with the very first words out your mouth.

Consider this speaker who started in a typical fashion: “Thank you, Jon, for the wonderful and warm words of welcome. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here today.” But read further down in his introductory paragraph and you’ll see these words: “Treat everything I say with skepticism.” What a great opening line that would have been, grabbing the audience from the get-go!

What if you’re greeted with thunderous applause? Polite nods of the head, mouthing the words “thank you” but not saying them out loud are most effective.

And what about people who really have to be thanked or VIPs that must be acknowledged? It’s going to be much more effective if the audience is actually listening – and no one is in the beginning. Make it more powerful by linking the person directly into the context of the speech – your point is reinforced, and you’ve made that individual or team feel even more appreciated.

It all comes down to not wasting a single moment of your opportunity to show your leadership, share your story, or inspire action – it’s not going to happen if the audience isn’t listening. And remember what Churchill had to say about it: “Opening amenities are often opening inanities.”