When someone makes the difficult look easy, we tend to label it “natural.” President Barack Obama is no exception.
His ability to move people through the dizzying rhetoric and engaging rhythms of his speech is now the stuff of legend. Critics often attribute the president’s high popularity in large part to his speaking skills, not his ideas. It’s the president’s personality and sheer natural magnetism at work that insist, nothing more.
The problem with the plot is that it assumes that good communication skills are the same as good acting skills. It assumes that the intention and belief of the speaker in what is said is irrelevant and that, cynically, people cannot tell the difference. It’s that assumption, that substance takes a backseat to style (and sometimes you don’t even ride in the same car), that prevents many, if not most executives, from communicating effectively in public. .
Any executive looking to improve presentation skills or public speaking confidence must first understand the basics.
In fact, acting and presenting are not the same. In the real world, ideas and words must align with what the audience knows or thinks they know about a topic and a speaker. Contrary to popular notion, assuming the audience’s ignorance or indifference to your own participation is dangerous. In fact, what other reason is there in these times to expect others to step out of their offices and spend valuable time listening to presentations or speeches, if not for the audience to “see for themselves” the relevance of both the speaker and the speaker. what the speaker has to say. If the speaker did not really make any difference in our judgments, then all communication could take place out of the sight of the other or in written formats.
There are still powerful reasons to see someone communicate their ideas directly to us and judge what they have to say for ourselves. The president’s dominance of communication is not a lucky accident. Obama has developed his strengths as a public communicator precisely by understanding the links between his ideas and how those ideas can most powerfully persuade others; ideas any executive can borrow:
1.) Start with what you know. Yes, there will be times when you don’t have or can’t address the whole picture. Minimize the hassle with preparation and practice. Work to build your presentation or speech around the areas in which you are comfortable speaking. If you are frank about what you know, your audience will understand if you don’t have all the answers right away.
2.) Don’t speculate on what you don’t know. Being communicative does not mean trying to address every possible concern or question on the subject, regardless of your experience. Be clear on your purpose in presenting or speaking, and the value you bring on that topic to your audience. Don’t seek to preach. Seek to communicate.
3.) Be clear Never leave an audience wondering what your position is, why they are listening to you, or what you hope they will do with the information you are providing. Of all the things you could say about your topic, choose only the ones that are relevant to your audience and that they need to know.
4.) They are listening, not reading. Write and speak “for the ear,” the way you normally communicate orally. Your audience cannot reread your comments, so seek to be understood the first time. Use a natural communication style, enunciating your words and using vocabulary that you are comfortable with.
5.) Let them judge. Understand that your audience is looking for your perspective, not just data. Welcome their attention and build on it with examples, stories, and experiences, not just facts. Relate those facts and data to some more important points and conclusions. Look for something to give your audience that they couldn’t have gotten from you other than by watching and listening.
Few lucky people have powerful public speaking and presentation skills. They require work and practice. Start with something you want to communicate, combine it with your strengths as a communicator, and leave the acting to the actors.