The Voice Of Leadership

Have you ever attended a seminar or a speakingwhat you stand for.
event where the speaker was polished and pulledYou won't find your personal vision of what
out all the stops and really fired up the audience?change is necessary in books or from other
And then, when it was over, you rushed out thepeople. To have an effect on others, the change
door in an excited buzz with the rest of theyou propose must come from your values. These
audience, but realized that what the speaker saidvalues are vital, to you and those you are trying
compelled you to do nothing?to reach, because you have experienced them to
These days, technique and entertainment in publicbe true. That is why your self-knowledge is so
speaking seem to be valued over substance. It isimportant, because if you are original then your
rare that a speaker who truly engages people canpoint of view will also be original.
also compel them to change some aspect of theirHere are three questions that will help you to
lives. Speakers today emphasize entertainmentuncover your values:
and cosmetics over substance. They usually1. What single value is so important that you
present a simplistic view of reality that is often atwould teach it to your children as the most
odds with the complicated lives of their audience.important foundation for a happy life?
True leadership, however, is the ability to move2. What condition in your industry would you
people to change. Based on this criterion, fewchange? How?
public speakers are leaders. Yet powerful speaking3. What is the most important social problem we
skills are essential for leaders, at any level, to gainhave to deal with? How would you make it right?
the enthusiastic commitment from their followersA leadership speech must have a structure. You
for their ideas or new programs.must tell your audience where you've been,
The ability to lead comes from inside a personwhere you are, and where you are going. Each
and great leaders, those with whom peopleelement tells part of your story and is an
connect with on an emotional level and who canopportunity to connect with the audience. It's an
inspire change, emerge only after experiencingopportunity to give people a sense that things are
things as they are in the real world. That is whymoving forward and that they can contribute to
Winston Churchill, Dr. Martin Luther King, Ronaldthe new future that you describe.
Reagan, among others could inspire. It was theirIn the beginning of your speech, you must
core beliefs and personal experiences, togetherestablish your credibility and prepare people to
with a meaningful message, moved people to act.listen with open minds. Here are the beginning
It's the same in business. Those who experienceelements that an effective leadership speech
and articulate reality as it really is, gain theshould have:o Introduction of the speaker.o
commitment of their followers. People don't followAcknowledgment of the audience.o A concise
such authentic leaders because they possess allstatement of the purpose of the speech.o
the right answers, rather, people follow themAcknowledgment of resistance.o A clear
because they see them as having felt the samestatement of the benefit of change and the price
confusion and contradictions they have. Leadersof maintaining the status quo.
address questions that are important to theAfter you've covered each of these elements,
workforce.then you need to tell the story of change. You
With the traditional business structure changing inneed to relate the context and reasons for the
the Information Age, stable or securechange, the steps needed to reach it, and the
employment has disappeared. People are noobstacles to it. To accomplish this you have to
longer asked to "do better," rather, they areappeal to the hearts and minds of your audience.
asked to "do different." Because of this dramaticThe end of your speech is the most important
change in the business world people need leaderspart because you've been successful in offering
that they can trust, now more than ever.compelling evidence and tapping your own
What does it mean to be a true leader? It meansenthusiasm, the audience has become more and
you have to have a vision and you have to livemore interested in what you have to say. At this
that vision with integrity. Your vision must comepoint you are the closest to your audience, so
from the deepest parts of your inner system ofnow is when you have the best opportunity to
beliefs.reinforce supporters and diffuse opponents.
True leaders inspire commitment first by lookingFor your leadership speech to end memorably it
inward, becoming aware of what they want tomust have these elements:o A conclusion.o A call
say, and communicating a personal vision of thefor action.o A question-and-answer session.o A
future. This vision is based on a personalfresh statement of the major point of the
knowledge of the past and realistic and relevantspeech.
experience of the present.Cynicism and distrust are on the rise today and
For a public speaker to be a leader he or shepeople can detect pure showmanship and
must be able to bridge between vision and action.entertainment that are disguised as leadership.
What the speaker says has to be able to moveThis is why true, value-based leadership is needed
people to action and therefore requires themore today than ever before. People who have
speaker to uncover and clarify his or her personalvision and live their vision with integrity will have
values.the respectful commitment of their followers and
If you are trying to lead people in a particularthat's what is needed to meet today's
direction and want them to take action, it is yourcompetitive challenges of the 21st century.
personal values that will support the changes thatCopyright©2006 by Joe Love and JLM
you are trying to lead. Knowing them helps you& Associates, Inc. All rights reserved
weave your convictions into what you are tryingworldwide.
to say that let others know who you are and