I look back fondly at my first loved career at IBM. The whole wonderful experience spanning 20+ years was a developmental leadership laboratory to learn skills that invited new opportunities and would later shape my contributions as an entrepreneur and writer.
One valuable lesson was learning to find my own unique style as a speaker and presenter. At the time, women were scarce in leadership roles and a man's approach ... a joke, taking off their coats, loosening their ties and sitting backwards chair to look really cool ... somehow didn't fit me.
At a management conference, I heard James Humes, a presidential speech writer, give a compelling presentation. He did his quite famous impersonation of Winston Churchill, teaching us Churchill's five elements of great oratory ---- how to deliver a message that makes other listen! As I listened and watched, I identified with Winston Churchill so much. He had to overcome his own limitations and obstacles to achieve his own greatness --- I too was struggling to find my own. ...and he went on to become one of the greatest speakers of the 20th Century. His simple principles became the yardstick for not only putting my own signature on presenting ideas, but also later became a tool for helping other leaders find their unique voice and be great in their own right. I hope they will also be a helpful tool for you:
WINSTON CHURCHILL'S FIVE ELEMENTS FOR A PRESENTATION
1. Deliver a strong beginning to ignite interest.
2. Use simple language. No big words. No pretense. Forget all the trendy B-school talk.
3. Maintain one focused theme for your message.
4. Incorporate analogies that bring your key points to life.
5. Close with an appeal to the human emotion. This doesn't mean crying or big
time drama. It means making sure you strike a chord that reaches each
person.
With these five elements present, you will get your point across in your own style of beauty.
What best practices have worked for you? Hope you will share them with us.
Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead
Learn more about my new series, WORKING TOGETHER, a audio learning program designed to help you become a more effective leader.
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