Now is a good time to sharpen one of your key leadership skills -- the ability to deliver strong, effective speeches and presentations.
To accomplish your organization's objectives, you need to connect with, motivate, and energize audiences -- including customers, employees, partners, the investor community, and thought leaders.
Whatever your skill level, you can always get better. As they say, even Michael Jordan had a coach.
Here's a tune-up process that I developed. I've used it successfully with a number of senior executives. It works because the effort-to-results ratio is so good.
Step #1: Have your people pull together videotapes of a couple of your recent speeches or presentations. These videotapes can have high production values -- or be just a camcorder on a tripod. Good, clear sound is important.
Step #2: Send the videotaped speeches to three, different top-notch speech coaches.
Step #3: Have each of them evaluate your videotaped speeches in a written report. They should cover three topics: what works, what doesn't, and what areas need improvement. Specifically ask them to give it to you straight -- with no tap dancing. Pay them their usual fee.
Step #4: With all three written reports in hand, sit down and watch the videotaped speeches again. Then read the written, speech coach reports. Caution: this can be a bracing experience. Think "Polar Bear Club’s Annual Dip in Lake Michigan on New Year's Day."
Annual public speaking tune-ups are not for the faint of heart. But seeing yourself as others see you can be enormously useful.
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