Helping Men and Women Become More Effective Leaders

May 2007

Welcome ideas that are NOT your own. Make it okay for others to share their ideas.
from 180 Ways to Walk the Leadership Talk

John’s Podcast of the Month: Don’t Let the Big Dog Bite!
Projecting confidence in the workplace.
http://www.cio.com/podcasts/baldoni/cio_baldoni_bigdog.mp3

Saying Something Important?

Three questions to ask yourself first

By John Baldoni

“People forget what you say, but they remember how you made them feel.” That’s what actor/director Warren Beatty told Frank Luntz at a Hollywood gathering. Luntz, the noted pollster and commentator, believes that “it’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.” The point that Beatty and Luntz are driving is that words take second place to interpretation. This is a theme that Luntz explores in his new book, Words That Work; Luntz argues that the onus of understanding falls on the communicator, not the listener. This concept is vital to leaders because so often they spend time honing their messages but comparatively little time thinking about how those messages will be received, if they are received at all.

Live the Message
Communication, of course, is vital to leadership; that’s certainly no secret. It is vital for a leader to develop a message and stick with it, but it may be equally important, if not more important, to find out how that message is playing. Toward that end, here are three important questions to ask before you give a speech, or make an important announcement.

What have you got to say? Think about what you are going to say and why. Put your message into the context of what is happening in the organization. For example, if your company is facing stiff competition and is losing market share, your message must address what people need to do and why. At the same time, if your organization is facing layoffs, you must put that on the table. You may not know the specifics or the timeline, but you have to mention the subject. Otherwise people will assume that you are being evasive.

What does your audience expect? Find out what people are expecting you to say. For example, if you are talking to a sales team, they likely will expect you to cover the high points of the year and issue the sales goals. On the other hand, if you are addressing the board, they want to know the facts behind your trends and projections. If you decide to talk about something else, you must acknowledge the expectation before moving onto your key message. What’s the best way to find out what people expect? Ask them. Find out who’s going to be in attendance and interview a few people beforehand about what they would like you to say.

How will you reconcile any differences? Sometimes there will be disconnect between your message and the one the audience wants to hear. Here’s where Frank Luntz comes in with some insights. Change your words. Luntz is responsible for turning estate tax into death tax. In doing so he changed the paradigm from rich people passing along their wealth to middle-class people protecting their assets. That’s one approach. Another is to challenge your audience. To return to our example of falling market share, how about the leader asking people in the audience to take action? Turn something abstract into something concrete. That is, to reverse market share, quality folks have to reduce defects, sales people have to call on one more customer per week, and product developers need to listen more closely to customers. People can be told what do to, if you frame it properly.

Paying Attention
One more aspect of communication that is growing in popularity: storytelling. Same applies to leaders. Whenever you can wrap your message in a story so much the better. That’s not beating around the bush; it’s telling a tale that captures the listener’s attention.

A favorite of mine, which demonstrates the power of storytelling from two sides, is that of Winston Churchill speaking to young New Zealand airman who had been awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery. The sergeant had crawled out onto the wing and beat down the flames of his Wellington bomber, saving the plane and its crew. Seeing Churchill, the young man was tongue tied and awestruck. Sensing the moment, Churchill said, “You must feel very humble and awkward in my presence.” When the young man replied affirmatively, Churchill looked at him and said, “Then you can imagine how humble and awkward I feel in yours.” In that instant, Churchill connected with his audience, putting the airman at ease and emphasizing his human touch. Again, as Beatty tells us, “People forget what you say, but they remember how you made them feel.”

[First published on CIO.com on March 23, 2007]

Looking for a keynote speaker?
People who attend John’s keynotes and workshops come away saying that his presentations are "insightful," "helpful," and "motivational." John’s topics include communications, motivation, personal leadership and getting results the right way. John is a frequent speaker on leadership topics to corporate, professional, military, and university audiences. Visit www.johnbaldoni.com to see John’s videos, listen to his coaching podcasts, or read his newest articles. Call 734.995.9992 or email john@johnbaldoni.com

John On-line
John writes the monthly Baldoni on Leadership column for CIO.com. In addition John is an Expert Blogger for FastCompany.com.

About John Baldoni
John Baldoni is a leadership consultant and speaker specializing in communications, coaching and consulting. John is the author of six books on leadership including the Great Leaders trilogy for McGraw‑Hill: How Great Leaders Get Great Results (2006), Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders (2005), and Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders (2003).