Consider, what your client would say that you do. It can be worthwhile to know what your clients are saying about what you do. If it’s reflecting how you want to be perceived and positioned, that’s great. If it’s not, you can make changes (eg. in your marketing, the delivery of your service etc.) so your clients are speaking about you in a way you want to be positioned.

This technique was recently shared in an email I received from referral coach, Bill Cates http://www.referralcoach.com/

In my face to face meetings with my clients, I’ve started painting the above scenario for them and asking them what they would say I do. (responses have included: ‘speech doctor’, ‘advanced communication coaching’ ‘’he helps people present themselves clearly and effectively’).

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In your upcoming sales presentation meetings with your clients make an agenda item to paint the above scenario and ask them ‘what would you say I do’ question. Then, as appropriate, reflect/act on their responses.

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follow us on Twitter:   at speechkelly

To date Wheatley’s definition is the best, most concise one I’ve read of what the best leaders do. Of course, a definition is fine. The hard part would be creating “the conditions for people to be encouraged, challenged and supported”.

As a leader one way to encourage people is to make a great initial connection with everyone you meet. To make this great connection, as Nicholas Boothman suggests, when greeting someone, simultaneously:

- Face the person, hold eye contact and smile.

To help you with this connection note the colour of the person’s eyes upon greeting.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days with everyone you greet, intentionally: face them, smile and note the colour of their eyes.

p.s. I was having a beer with a friend at the Roseville Memorial Club the other day, and it occurred to me that you too could benefit from his service as an independent finance broker.  My friend’s name is Don Greenamyer. Don specialises in Equipment Finance for Healthcare Businesses and Professionals, but he also can help with finance for all in terms of real estate, motor vehicles, or other personal needs.  His contact number is 0419 664 186. His email address is: don.greenamyer@soonersolutions.com.au

So what’s a consistent emphatic tone? One definition of emphatic is ‘forceful and definitive in expression or action’. An emphatic tone is easier to hear than describe in writing. However, these are some of its characteristics:

1. There are no revisions on equivocation in use or choice of words.
2. There are few qualifier words used. (For example: ‘just, maybe, probably’).
3. The voice itself is moderate in loudness, and the voice speed is measured and forthright in delivery.

An emphatic tone would also be well supported with strong body posture and with the ‘owning’ and occupying of space.  Here’s a link to my post on owning space: http://www.kellyspeech.com.au/2010/05/own-and-occupy-space-for-the-perception-of-authority/. There also would be no perception of rushing in body movement or in gestures.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days in any negotiation, choose one of the above characteristics and intentionally practice it, and reflect on the impact of using it.

My sales presentation and speech communication work supports the value of a process versus an event for long term behaviour change. (That’s not to say an event can’t lead to behaviour change. But it’s rare. Events can be great for fresh ideas and for meeting new people). For example, my Effective Spoken Messages process is conducted over six to eight weeks. It involves four, two hour modules and a one on one consultation for each of the eight participants.

Participants report that the iterative nature of the modules helps them achieve long term behaviour change. One of the cornerstones embedded in the process is IDP (Intentional Daily Practice) of one or two specific techniques. (For more information on IDP please see my blog post, IDP – a key element of building any skill. Here’s the link: http://www.kellyspeech.com.au/2010/09/idp-a-key-element-of-building-any-skill/.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: When next you want to develop a new behaviour, enrol in a course or intervention that is a process. If the programme you’re considering doesn’t have a process, think of choosing a different course or build in your own iterative process.

“On answers of which people say they are totally – 100 percent – certain they are right only 85 percent of the time. In other words, 15 percent of the time you think you are absolutely certain you are absolutely wrong.

. . .that 15 percent is the most leveragble part of your business. Find it, and attack it . . .The head of Chiat Day ad agency, Jay Chiat, carries a note in his pocket. The note reminds him that whenever he is in an argument he should remember the note’s three words: Maybe he’s right”.

The how to apply for this post:  Following Beckwith and Chiat’s advice, in the next seven days when you’re in an argument or in a challenging interaction, remember three words: “Maybe he’s right”.

In sharing the below list, I’m not suggesting that you go out and buy new clothes or accessories. What I suggest is that you reflect on a person in a more senior role to you – whose dress and presentation you admire – and over time update your dress and accessories etc. to approximate that model person’s level of presentation.

The points are provided from my experience within the Australian business context.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: When observed, have a trusted confidant readily give you private feedback on the below points:

1.         Poor breath and body odour?

2.         Food on teeth?

3.         Toothpaste on face or lipstick on teeth?

4.         Food on face, in beard or on clothing?

5.         Finger nails in need of attention?

6.         Nasal hair in need of clipping?

7.         For men, 5 o’clock shadow at 11am?

8.         Slumped posture while standing or sitting?

9.         Collar turned up unintentionally?

10.       Collar (men’s) too tight or loose on neck when buttoned?

11.        Collar wrinkled?

12.        Wrinkled shirt, trousers, skirt, jacket?

13.        Marks on clothing?

14.        Shiny or worn, ill-fitting suit, shirt, pants, skirt?

15.        Clothing that is threadbare or with holes?

16.       Clothing that reveals mid-riff?

17.        Shirt not tucked in properly?

18.        Blouse inappropriate?

19.        Belt that is worn or mismatched with clothing?

20.        Accessories hanging off belts?

21.        No belt worn when trousers have belt loops?

22.        Shoes that are not shined, or that need re-heeling, or that call attention to themselves?

23.        Sock and hosiery with holes?

24.        Socks (men’s) that are too short and reveal leg?

25.        Socks and hosiery that don’t match shoes or clothing?

26.        Mismatched tie/shirt/suit, or shirt/jacket/skirt/pants mismatched?

27.        Ill-fitting clothes. Clothes that are too loose/too tight?

28.        Bulging shirt, jacket or trouser/pants pockets?

29.        Dated or inappropriate necktie (eg: Mickey Mouse neckties)?

30.        Necktie extends too long, too short or not centred?

31.        Dated eye glasses?

32.        Dirty, smudged eye glasses?

33.        Dated suit, shirt, skirt, blouse, jacket, shoes?

34.       Haircut needed?

35.       New hairstyle to be considered?

36.       Distracting or inappropriate jewelry?(eg: after-hours jewelry for business)

37.       Accessories of low quality? (eg: cheap biros, low quality wristwatch.)

38.       Tattered, cluttered briefcase, valise, day planner, or customer interaction tools?

This can cause you and others in a meeting to lose focus and listen and interact less effectively. But if you have too many breaks you know you won’t get through the meeting agenda items.

One technique that you can use for more productive meetings is a ‘controlled stretch-break’.

Let me explain the controlled-stretch break technique. It’s best used at approximately 30 minutes intervals especially during longer meetings, and when you are the chairperson of a meeting.

Here’s a description of how it works:

At 30 minutes into a meeting say to the group, “Now to keep your minds fresh, when I count to three I want you to stand and for 50 seconds go and talk to someone you haven’t talked to today/talked that much to today – and take turns asking and answering the following question, ‘What does all this information mean to you?’. . .

Now, please stay in the room to do this – this is not a coffee break  – ready one, two three go.”

Then you would bring back the group at 50 seconds. What you’ll find is that people, and you, will come back from the stretch-break refreshed and with new energy to re-engage in the meeting.

The ‘how to apply‘ for this post: In the next seven days, use or encourage a chairperson to use a controlled stretch-break in your meetings, and reflect on its impact.

Rarely are there ‘Anchors’ when I ask this question. Equally rarely, are there people who would nominate themselves as the ‘Wind’. Most people are located in the ‘Passenger’ category. Perhaps this is not surprising.

My point in sharing this workshop question is this: We can always use more ‘Wind’ (or more people taking the lead) in any group, workshop, meeting, seminar, encounter, interaction. People who are focused on the greater group benefit versus being passive or being an inhibitor.

Examples of being the ‘Wind/taking the lead include:

• In  meetings, helping a struggling chairperson lead the meeting.
• Readily offering an opinion to a question someone poses in a meeting (versus always having to be prompted).
• In a meeting including and encouraging a timid person in a discussion.
• Helping a conference organiser get people back in the meeting room after a break (versus just getting yourself back in the room on time).

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days aim to be the ‘Wind’/take the lead in a meeting and reflect on the impact of doing so.

Let me elaborate. Bligh is a ‘what you see, is what you get, no frills’ politician. This lack of pretension conveyed through her physical dress, and through her face and body language and speech is a strength for her. However this presentation of herself also coveys a flat affect and one that lacks vision.

Newman opts for a slick presentation in his dress and a quick style in his movement and speech. During a press conference early in the election campaign Newman made sideways ‘edging away’ movements with his body, as if is was afraid he’d get a question he wouldn’t be able to answer. (This ‘quick to exit’ manner is similar to Kevin Rudd’s breezy movement and ‘gotta run’ type comments in his press conferences).

Newman is more assured in set piece presenting. Overall his body language and speech convey a lack of substance.

With regard to presenting themselves as a potential leader and as the Premier of Queensland, I score Bligh as 7/10 and Newman as 6/10.

On further observation and reflection it seemed like ‘projecting seriousness’ was their default presentation of themselves to the world. Like they had worked out that being serious means people will think you are competent or intelligent. (or maybe hide how scared you are, so people won’t find out that you aren’t that competent or you aren’t up to the task of your current senior role).

Whether you agree with the premise ‘Serious doesn’t mean competent or intelligent’ or not, to me it’s a sad situation for the people who report to these senior executives. (and I’m not suggesting that these executives don’t have significant challenges in their roles). The executives are providing a poor model for their reports who aspire to their role. They’re teaching and modelling, that looking serious is the way to get ahead and keep your senior executive role. So these future executives will start becoming serious themselves to fit the mould.

Effective leadership is about being forward-looking, honest, inspiring and competent – not projecting a false seriousness. In a surveys* covering the last 20+ years, of the top 20 characteristics of admired leaders, across a wide range of countries, ‘being serious’ doesn’t get a mention. (*please see Kouzes & Posner’s book, The Leadership Challenge).

To combat this false seriousness, and for the how to apply for this post: In the next seven days, on purpose aim to take a professional attitude to your job while you lighten up about yourself/your presentation of yourself to the world.

___________________________

p.s. The below list of all the services and products you can buy from me might interest you:

Services
-       Sales presentation consulting (this is for mid to senior level sales professionals).

-       Effective spoken messages (a five module process for I.T professionals, and for members of other professions).
.
-       Senior executive personal communication coaching.

-       Business pitch consulting.

-       Key note speaking (popular topics includes: ‘Projecting C level executive presence’; ‘Listen and speak under pressure; ‘Becoming a leader: Strategies for developing a leadership identity’.

-       Conference speaking coaching (this service helps clients notch-up their audience impact in large group speaking).

-       ‘Hot-house’ laboratory – Effective spoken messages (this intense process is for clients that have under gone first level personal communication development work with me).

-       Winning the first 75 seconds – job interview, coaching (as you may know 70% or more of interviews are won from how a person enters the interview room, handles and seats themselves and ‘owns’ space; and how they answer the first interview question. This service helps candidates nail that 75 second, opening segment).

-    From Doctor Clinician to Doctor Executive (this process helps doctors make the transition from presenting themselves as a clinician – to handling, conducting and presenting themselves as a doctor executive).

Products
-       ‘Choice Voice. Lessons from great speaking voices. Edition One: Bob Carr‘, MP3 download.

-       On-demand skill development modules (these eight minutes modules accessed from the Premium Area of my website include: How to handle a senior executive chance encounter; How to open a pitch in a board room and How to open a one on one meeting with your boss).

Please contact me if you’d like to discuss any of the above Services and Products at:      michael@kellyspeech.com.au or in Australia by phone: (02) 9416 2311.

Thank you.
cheers,
michael k.

One striking aspect of his personal communication is his ‘cut-through’ voice. Whatever your politics, Carr would not have been New South Wales longest serving Premier if he hadn’t developed his voice to such a high standard. Due to his voice power and energy, Carr when he was interviewed during his years as Premier by the high profile radio presenter Alan Jones, was one of the few politicians who could easily hold his own and even ‘push back’ Jones.

One first step in developing your own voice is getting more familiar with it. In particular, increasing your understanding of the voice other people hear when you speak. As you’ll know your voice sounds different on an audio recording than listening to it when you normally speak. The recorded voice is the voice that other people hear.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days record small clips of your speaking – about 5 to 7 seconds or so. Then really focus on listening to the recordings, to the point where you no longer cringe on hearing your recorded voice. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be at a better place to start experimenting and developing your voice potential and influence.

Let me elaborate on ‘slippery Kevin’. Rudd likes to keep thing moving and un-fixed – even when he’s fronting a press conference – so we don’t have too much time to peer behind the mask to see the lurking phoniness. That’s why, when he feels eyes ‘prising off his mask’, he’s quick to flick the switch to a ‘gotta zip’ type comment to end press conferences.

My thoughts on ‘wooden Julia’ are these. In last Thursday’s press conference in Adelaide, Gillard demonstrated her woodenness. That is, a lack of flexibility: in how to deliver her spoken messages; and in how to handle heckler journalists.

Gillard lost her cool with the heckler journalist at the end of the conference (with her school-marmish tone and hand gesture paired with the ‘end of sentence’ comment to the journalist) because she didn’t have the flexibility to do otherwise. One option would have been to show bemusement at the heckling (for example she could have in a light tone said, ‘I see we’re not making progress here) and then turn to the other side of the media scrum (shutting down the heckler) and asking for another question.

My working hypothesis on Gillard is this: Wooden body movement and wooden speech delivery, point to a wooden mind.

If I were to coach Gillard on her presentation, I’d advise her to ‘lighten up’. Take your job seriously but lighten up on yourself. This could aid her flexibility in speaking and in handling tough situations.

My coaching advice to Rudd would be to be less precious. It’s not about you. Lose the song and dance routine spin, and talk to people simply and plainly, without jargon or slang.

You can mishandle this situation by displaying aggression or passivity through your body movement. Aggression is displayed through moving too close to the interjector. Passivity is displayed by increasing the distance between you and the interjector, or through appearing reticent to move closer to the interjector.

My recommendation for this situation is this: In general, move a step toward the interjector (though when there is significant distance between you and the interjector you might move more than a step) and then stop and ‘plant your feet’. Then address the person. This movement conveys poise and composure.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days, observe the body movement and distance that people maintain in their interactions, meetings and sales presentations. Reflect on what movement/distance creates the perception of confidence, energy and certainty.

Jack’s (not his real name – his manager didn’t want me to reveal it) service was all the more remarkable as I entered the shop with an impression of Apple as an arrogant company, with a very high bar of what excellent customer service should be like and feel like for a customer, and with a long history of mediocre/poor interactions with I.T. people.

Let me elaborate on why Jack was so good.

1.      He immediately connected with me through fully facing me, holding eye contact and smiling. He projected an easy professionalism and a genuine interest in me and my needs.

2.      He listened attentively to my needs from what I needed from a Macbook Pro (I needed to connect the computer to a camera for my video shoots).

3.      He guided me through the steps (at a pace that suited me) of how to use the device (this was my first time ever using a Mac).

4.      He didn’t have any hint of patronisation when I fumbled through the instructions.

5.      He patiently waited while I took notes and he re-explained things I didn’t understand. He was very knowledgeable. He could answer most questions I asked. If he wasn’t sure he said so and said he could find the answer.

6.      He tried to save me money on a firewire purchase (he had one in stock, but suggested I might get a better price at another shop – I did go to a nearby Dick Smith. They no longer stocked the item. However, the surliness, and general unhelpful attitude of the Dick Smith rep was palpable in contrast to Jack).

7.      He took the necessary time needed to finish the demonstration (ie. he didn’t rush me off, so he could get on to something else).

8.      He ended the interaction my facing me, holding eye contact and smiling.

I could go on about Jack – but I won’t at this time.

I gave Jack a rap to his shop manager on the day. The manager said Jack was one of the best people he had.

In summary, Jack was a class act.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days, in your sales presentations or interactions, reflect on and then apply one of the above behaviours that Jack displayed.

I mention this because of a recent email I received from U.S.A. consultant Alan Weiss, entitled, ‘Alan’s Monday Morning Memo’. In the below Memo, Weiss touches on the above ‘Less is more’ and ‘Omit needless words’ theme.

“This week’s focus point: Brevity isn’t merely the soul of wit (Hamlet). We seem obsessed with telling people everything we know rather than what they need to know (hence, all those boring undergraduate lectures). Keep two factors in mind in business: speed and brevity. The more quickly you help others, the more valuable you are. Of course, that entails the suppression of ego and a true focus on helping, and a strong self-esteem that doesn’t require that you continually prove how smart you are. Enough said.” (you can contact Weiss at info@summitconsulting.com http://www.contrarianconsulting.com)

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In an interaction or sales presentation in the next seven days, aim to share a key ‘less is more’ message, right at the start of the interaction/presentation.