Tag Archives: public speaking training

How to Go From 0 – 60 in No Time Flat by Communicating Skillfully

It’s that time again – candidates announcing they’re running for president. Last time it was the GOP who put up massive numbers of candidates. This time it’s the Democrats. There have been a number of familiar names and a lot of newbies. Seems like someone new announces every day.

But no one – no one – has received the kind of attention Pete Buttigieg has. And here’s why…

He’s a very skillful speaker and communicator. Sure, he’s smart, having checked many of the “right” boxes on his way to running for president. But his political and business experience resumé, things that would help qualify him for this very hard and demanding job, are, let’s be honest, limited to non-existent.

So why has his ascent been so metoric? Because human beings have evolved to follow leaders who inspire them and make them feel safe. It makes sense from an evolutionary POV. When the group is at risk – and early humans always were from predators, weather, and other humans – you have to immediately know whom to follow to save your life. This is what communicating skillfully is all about.

Buttigieg recognized that if he were going to have a chance to compete with much more experienced and known contenders, he’d have to do it the Obama way…

  1. Speak confidently. He seems thoughtful and considered in his reponses. This shows him as, well, thoughtful and considered instead of a loose canon or hemming and hawing.
  2. Prepare. There is nothing seat-of-the-pants about the way Buttigieg communicates. He has prepped. Probably a lot.
  3. Physical presence. He knew that to overcome the tongue-wagging about his youth (he’s only 37, one year older than the age the Constitution allows people to be president) and his small stature, he had to come across as wiser and bigger to influence how voters thought about him.
  4. Vocal presence. Buttigieg has a terrific speaking voice and he knows how to wield it.
  5. Storytelling. He uses examples from his life experiences to illustrate points. He makes us extrapolate that he can get the job done without, so far at least, including any of the messy, boring details.

These are just a very few things around communicating skillfully he does that anyone could do. It has helped him leapfrog over his equally qualified peers and, more stunningly, over his more qualified peers. You don’t think that’s fair? It is totally fair. Moreover, it’s life!

Look, Mayor Pete could be gone tomorrow. But I guarantee you even if he doesn’t ultimately become the candidate, he’s set himself up for all manner of big advances. What we’re seeing now could be just the beginning.

Communicating skillfully on every platform is the greatest marketing and personal branding tool no one wants to use. I always tell this to my clients and audiences. If you still need proof, look no further than Mayor Pete.

(Also, if you are confused about how to pronounce his name, try “Buddha Judge.” Trust me, it works.)

Managing Your Leadership Message In Turbulent Times.

The signs are unmistakable… rising interest rates, trade tensions, market volatility. After an unusually long, post-Great-Recession bull market, things were bound to pull back.

I’m not predicting a recession; that is way above my pay grade. But I’ve been an entrepreneur and global business observer long enough to know a correction of some kind always happens eventually. I also know the extraordinary length of this expansion means many workers have never experienced one. It’s not fun.

But it is manageable.

Continue reading Managing Your Leadership Message In Turbulent Times.

Why Women Don’t Ask Other Women For Business

I read this article by a colleague of mine, Mallun Yen, and it just blew my mind. Everything rang true, not only for me, but for every professional woman I’ve shared it with. It really made me question my thought processes and it has been so powerful, in fact, that I’m developing programs around it and taking them on the road.

Here’s what I mean…

At one of my recent speaking engagements for a group of high-level executive women in the same industry, I started by asking for a show of hands with this question: “How many of you have done business with someone in this room?” A significant number of hands went up, which made sense.

Then, I followed up with, “We’ve been here for 2.5 days. We’ve been eating, drinking, learning, spa-ing, and spending quality time together. How many of you have asked another attendee for something that could move your business forward?”

Only 3 hands went up. This would never happen with men. And it shouldn’t be happening with women.

This is the beginning of an overdue conversation, one we haven’t been having. The truth is women allow friendships to get in the way of business. This is a shame for many reasons but it isn’t atypical and it isn’t women’s fault because it’s how we’ve been socialized. Those facts, however, should not keep us from striving to change this dynamic.

Here is some food for thought:

  • Men prove trust by asking for favors.
  • Women fear they will betray trust by asking for favors.
  • Men fear intimacy personally, crave intimacy professionally.
  • Women fear intimacy professionally, crave intimacy personally.

For instance, when men hear that a colleague needs something, they race to provide the solution because that colleague then owes them. It becomes a type of currency. Women’s networks are (finally) rich with opportunity and it’s up to us to stop shying away and start taking advantage.

Here are some things we can do to activate and energize our networks:

  • Choose appropriate networks. In a room of peers, there is no problem that should go unsolved. Someone should either be able to take action on your behalf or introduce you to someone who can.
  • Have an offer ready, too. It’s not a one-way street.
  • Keep your “ask” short, succinct, and specific. Don’t say you’re looking for referrals in an industry. That’s too general. Do your homework and name companies or people.
  • Keep track of who helps and who doesn’t. If someone makes promises, but doesn’t act, you can still be friends, but move on because that person won’t make a good referral partner.
  • Resist networking organizations with rules that discourage business development. (This is a pet peeve of mine and more prevalent among women’s groups.)The best organizations are those that set aside specific, focused time to make asks and offers.
  • Don’t be afraid to say no or of being said no to. Just because it’s no today, doesn’t mean it’s no tomorrow.
  • Keep practicing. It gets easier.

Don’t be an unwitting “Keeper of the Glass Ceiling.” If we cannot approach our friends, who know us and love us best and who are rooting for our success, who can we approach?