The courage to move ideas forward.

For years, an act of courage seemed something to use in the most extreme or vulnerable times …like our soldiers defending liberty.

That type of moment still sets the bar in my mind on how courage drives perseverance. In more recent years though, collaboration with folks on their speeches has taught a new view. Every person and every speech has revealed how courage moves ideas forward in creative ways.

The delicate route through creativity to voice:
Together we move through inevitably vulnerable times; creativity evokes that relevant but often rocky road which every public speaker heads down. Unearthing voice can be powerful and delicate all at once.

These experiences have shown:
It takes courage to get clear. It takes courage to realize the tricky thing called voice (…and overcome initial distaste with rough drafts and rough starts). The whole creative experience gets vulnerable, if not extremely so.

It’s a useful rough road, and takes everyday courage to move through to more resonant ideas as speakers. Asserting courage in this context gave way to a video project: The Deciding Courage series.

Can we study courage as an accessible habit to build?

This idea brings Gwen McKinney to mind. She founded McKinney & Associates, and as CEO has brought many social justice issues to light in our country.

(3) reasons why courage matters
Strong, convicted, and with wise humor — Gwen talks about courage as a frequent decision to make. Her wisdom from our (3) minute video conversation:

• Courage can be hard to recognize in ourselves as we summon the in-the-moment resolve to use it.
• Mistakes are a distinct part of the human dynamic in which courage plays a unique role.
• Our audiences (any audience!) can respond in an interesting way when we ‘fall on our swords.’

What do you think?

What’s a decision in your life which you thought required courage, or in someone else’s life you’ve observed?

Footnotes:

• I’m enjoying the new anthology Voice Matters by Gwen McKinney and her courageous community. The related ebook series just launched too featuring filmmaker Larry Adelman’s assertion: zip codes predict health outcomes more than any other factor.
• University of Maryland students and the courage to learn persuasive speaking skill.

Here’s a 90 second video … or a story summary follows below too.

It all started with (6) small business owners presenting at a conference’s lightning round.
Each speaker spoke for app. 5 or 10 minutes only. They all demonstrated their own unique qualities as speakers.  And the same time, their approach to content & format had traits in common:   they were informal yet still informative, engaging, and story-centric.

This speaker slate set the audience’s expectation for what the lightning round would be like.

Then something completely different took the stage.
A sales representative from one of the event’s sponsors started a 20 minute sales pitch.  Yikes.

Certainly a sponsor has a right to work with conference planners on how they will engage with attendees.  But this sponsor’s presenter disengaged the audience by coming across as a plastic salesperson wanting to validate product (vs really help listeners in the room).  

It begs the question:  was there a more effective way for the sponsor to promote their product?

Criticism was striking. And it changed my speaker preparation checklist forever.

The negative reaction from the in-person audience and also reactions on Twitter were significant.  Overall the event was a great small business conference (the Grow Smart Biz Conference here in DC) with a diverse, strong speaker slate.

This experience however has added (3) questions to my speaker preparation checklist to always address:  Is my presentation style and tone compatible with what the audience expects? And is that style going to compliment or contradict other speakers at the event? As in, does the audience expect a sales pitch or another type of approach to engagement?

More from Live Your Talk:

• Commanding use of silence by a president;
• 3 ways to prepare for audience Q&A (and some great media history too);
• How women can be more persuasive speakers plus more tips galore.

…rich in examples and relevance with even insight from Dr. Suess(!)

Thus describes what it’s been like reading Karen Friedman‘s new book Shut Up and Say Something (Praeger). For full disclosure, her team invited Women Grow Business to review her book and offered a complimentary copy for this purpose. I provided a review on behalf of the Women Grow Business community.

It continues to be a resourceful read, focusing on diverse business communication strategies like:

• Public speaking “no-no’s” – with a favorite tip as:
  No matter how strong your expertise, avoid winging it before a presentation.
• Trust with stakeholders and the power of perception – with a favorite tip as:
  Communicate problems quickly. Friedman cites Toyota’s dramatic recall of faulty vehicles last year and the media’s perception the company potentially knew of the malfunction for two years before deciding a recall had merit.

-Which leads into one of my favorite sections of the book: handling Q&A from audiences and the press.

Image Open Up by Tin G, Creative Commons

Frankly there have been instances in watching speakers engage audiences during Q&A where my first perception would sometimes be: “C’mon! That’s a nutty question that’s a waste of time.” But dismissing questions, especially as the person fielding them in this type of dynamic, isn’t the name of the game.

What is the name of the game, according to Friedman:
Perceiving all questions during question/answer sessions as relevant. And after reading her stories and anecdote-heavy chapter on the topic, she converted me to the same belief.

These insights below stood out on how to prepare as a public speaker or company representative leading a Q&A session:

#1. View each question as a chance to expand conversation with key audiences.
Consider each question as a viable opportunity to disclose information and create benefit to relevant publics. Even when questions inspire a bit of dread in you or the company spokeperson handling the Q&A, avoid the limited “yes” or “no” responses. Friedman offers dialogue examples throughout this chapter.

#2. Know key messages and how to speak from the heart, especially unexpected questions.
Should an immediate answer not come to mind, use that moment to simply lead into the core message you most wish to impart. But bottom line, at least know – emphatically – what that core message is.

A stellar example from media history:

Friedman underscores the value of being absolutely clear on key messages and being prepared to articulate them in the face of surprise lines of questioning. She cited the famous (…infamous) interview between U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy and CBS correspondent Roger Mudd. In the late 1970s, Mudd posed an unanticipated yet basic question to the senator: “Why do you want to be president?”

The senator – normally a swift, precise communicator – replied with legendary abstraction…and offered an unlyrical ramble. That interview occurred a few days before Senator Kennedy planned to officially announce his bid for the presidency against President Jimmy Carter. To watch the critical interview and wealth of pundit commentary on it, here ’tis:

Clarity is king.

#3. Prepare two lists of questions beforehand and develop answers to shape clarity of mind.
What stood out here are the types of lists she suggested (the book includes hearty examples too): prepare and be able to answer a list of questions the audience will most likely ask — the easy schmeezy ones. Yet expand preparation to include a second list that reflects emotionally-centric questions related to your audience’s interest.

Friedman’s communications experience comes across as well informed and pretty resourceful. She includes steady examples throughout the book especially for the C-suite. I’d be interested in her offering more examples from a small business vantage point yet I’m still progressing through the book; so possibly that craving will be satiated.

What tips would you add to these?
What memorable moments have your Q&A sessions produced?

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and images are everywhere reminding us to care.

In that spirit, have you ever seen a public speaker who came across like they just didn’t care?

I did recently at a conference. And their indifference was like receiving toothpicks for Valentines — it was technically still a gift of function but without making the recipient (or audience) feel special in the process!

At that recent event, the speaker – a business owner in a room full of business owners – said when advancing their slides:

“Oh this set of slides is meant for a different talk. I guess I forgot to change these.” At that point, another conference’s logo (not the logo representing our event) glared on the overhead screen. Without apology, the speaker continued.

This experience was a lost opportunity for audience and speaker alike. Every public speech is a chance to give value, forge trust, and build brand credibility with the audience.

Steps to recover trust that this speaker could’ve taken:

1. Show ownership and a solution quickly
A simple apology gains tons of ground! In this case, the correct slides could’ve been made available later via email or Slideshare. Neither occurred.

2. Offer a gift
Extend a discount on services or sneak peek on upcoming product launches. That’s not to suggest giving ‘away the farm’ just because of a presentation error. But it’s a tangible way to show value for that particular audience.

3. Welcome honest feedback
Convey value for the audience’s opinion and insight even if it means eating humble pie, with this statement as example: “Thanks for your time today and hanging in there when I messed up. I’m committed to improving value so I hope you’ll relay feedback on the event evaluation.”

4. Invite ongoing conversation after the event
The speaker-audience experience is a relational dynamic with all sorts of potential for leads, partnerships, and even community. The speaker could’ve shown their interest by offering to engage post-event through LinkedIn, Twitter, or other networks.

What do you think? Have you been in a similar situation? How else could this presenter have shown they valued the audience after the slide mistake?

Image Healing by Wolf Soul, Creative Commons