Becoming A Confident Speaker - Jeremy Bennett Podcast

Recently I interviewed with Jeremy Bennett for his Insights from Atlantic Canadian Business Leaders podcast. Jeremy asked some excellent questions and the session proceeded very professionally and efficiently.

During the interview, Jeremy requested that I offer some tips for anybody who has an upcoming  presentation. Here are the 3 tips I offered. You can also view the clip at Jeremy’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSGrHfLC3Z8

 

3 Tips Should You Have an Upcoming Speech

1. Your Audience is on Your Side

 

Relax and realize the audience wants you do well. You’ve undoubtedly sat through speeches when the presenter struggled badly.  It’s painful, isn’t it? I’ll bet during that presentation you were quietly rooting for the presenter, silently urging him on, maybe even smiling and encouraging him as best as you could.

 

People in an audience want to learn something, be informed, and ideally be amazed and delighted. 99% of the time the audience is rooting for the speaker to do well.

Take comfort in realizing your audience is on your side.

 

2. Arrive Early, Minimize Surprises & Make Acquaintances

 

In my experience, it’s beneficial to arrive very early for a couple of reasons. First, you should scope out the speaking environment. Is there a stage? Is it elevated? Are there distracting lights? Is there a microphone (If there is, use it. The organizers have more experience with the room than you likely do, and they’ve decided a mic is helpful for attendees).

 

Second, I suggest you mingle and make some acquaintances with attendees. A friendly chat or two should relax you, and later you might make eye contact with your new acquaintances in the audience as you speak from the stage.

 

If you’re usually not comfortable initiating a conversation, simply start with something you have in common. My go-to question is “what brings you to the event tonight?” I previously wrote about starting, and ending, casual conversations here;

 

https://gycz.blogspot.com/2024/06/gycz-professionally-ending-networking.html

 

3. Know Precisely What You’ll Speak About, Not Precisely What You’ll Say

I find that many speakers worry about forgetting something they planned to speak about. Don’t worry about that.  If you do forget a section, your audience won’t know. Only you’ll know, and if you remember your omission later during your presentation, you then have the power to share that content or not. You have the power.

Sometimes speakers try to memorize much of their material.  I don’t recommend this. It’s too easy to forget precise words and sentences.  It’s easier to remember the big concepts and the sequence you plan to speak about.   

Regardless, I like to take some notes on stage. This is usually one sheet of paper with large notes, and sometimes simply a 5 x 7 index card. My notes contain my key speaking points, my outline. I don’t need many reminders about my content, but I find it comforting to know I have it, and as I reach conclusion, I like to scan the structure in case I have forgotten some content and do want to address it. 

Don’t worry about precise words and sentences. Plan your structure and approach, and speak to your audience like you would speak to friends.

 

Conclusion

There are many approaches to speech preparation. I hope you find these three tips helpful. 

The Halifax Explosion and Saint John Toastmasters First President

I’m interested in the balance between humility, and recognizing and celebrating achievement.

Recently I’ve read some articles on an increasing narcissism in society, and our general inability to productively and politely manage disagreements. As I explored this theme, I discovered the article below in which the author asserts that we need more humility in our society.  I do agree. But are we sometimes too humble? Are there times we fail to recognize and celebrate achievement?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/meaning-making/202008/how-to-become-more-humble

 

Learning About Saint John Toastmasters First Club President

A few weeks ago, I learned about Les Harrison, the first president of my Saint John Toastmasters club (#1479), which was founded in 1954.

Lieutenant Harrison, was undeniably an absolute hero, saving hundreds, and maybe thousands, of lives on December 6, 1917 during the Halifax Explosion.  A New York Times headline from December 10, 1917 reads;

 

(https://www.nytimes.com/1917/12/10/archives/prevented-second-halifax-explosion-harrison-boarded-blazing.html)

 

The disaster occurred 30 minutes after two ships had a collision. The subsequent explosion killed 1,800 and injured 7,000 in a city of 60,000 people. The 250-foot-long ship Mont Blanc, full of explosives on route to support WW I allies, was launched 1,000 feet into the air. This was the largest manmade explosion that had ever occurred to that time, before the nuclear bombings in WW II.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion)

 

Lieutenant Les Harrison and his father Captain James Harrison happened to be in Halifax Harbour when the massive explosion occurred. Soon after the explosion, they boarded a second ship full of explosives and extinguished an onboard fire. Their actions saved many lives.

I learned of their heroism, and humility, because I received an email from Les Harrison’s grandson, Ian Bliss. Ian lives in Ottawa, and is President and CEO of Northern Shield Resources, a company traded on the TSX exchange. He wrote that his family was downsizing, and he possessed a silver tray that had been presented to his grandfather Les to commemorate his term as the first president of the Saint John Toastmasters club on its founding in 1954. The tray is now in the club’s possession.

 

Founding Members

 

Our club houses a list of the charter members, the founding members of the club. The name Les Harrison was not familiar to me. Several other names were familiar to me, such as Philip Oland, who led Moosehead Breweries through a tremendous period of growth and expansion (Oland was born in Halifax in 1910 and his family moved to Saint John after the explosion in 1917).  During his career, Oland received the Order of Canada, and the Canadian Forces Decoration award.

Tom Simms oversaw a similar growth period in the paint brush factory his father started (https://www.simms.ca/)

George Crosby started Crosby Molasses and developed a company that sells product across Canada and the United States (https://www.crosbys.com/)

As I was unaware of Lt. Harrison, I asked Ian about his grandfather’s career. He wrote that Les Harrison and his dad were ship captains, guiding sail and steam ships from Saint John, Halifax, and Portland across the Atlantic.  More details about the ship they boarded, The Picton, and the event are contained here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Picton

 

Ian also wrote that Les, in 1917, was “one of a relatively few number of people that had a working automobile so (they) spent days shuttling injured to hospital.” Of note, on the day after the explosion, Halifax endured a major blizzard, complicating rescue activities.

 

For More Information - The Legion magazine

The publication The Legion Magazine has published articles on Canadian Military history and veteran affairs since 1929. Below is a link to a comprehensive review they published on the Halifax explosion and in which they write of the heroics of the Harrisons in boarding The Picton and extinguishing the onboard fire.  

https://legionmagazine.com/features/halifax-explosion/index.html

 

From The Legion magazine;

 

“Capt. James W. Harrison, Marine Supt. of Furness Withy Co., recognised the danger of the ballast exploding, and made his way to the ship with help from his son, Lt Leslie Harrison. He commandeered the tug Weatherspoon and ordered its captain take him to the Picton.”

 

“Picton’s survivors had been taken to hospital, but marine superintendent Captain James Harrison headed for the ship, knowing 1,300 tonnes of munitions were still in the hold and that fire was consuming the nearby sugar factory. When he arrived aboard, Picton’s bow was metres away from a burning pier and the bridge was on fire. He put out the flames and ordered tugs to pull the ship away from shore.”

 

Conclusion

Undeniably, our society could benefit from more humility and less self-regard.  But I also believe we could benefit from a greater culture of celebration of recognition and achievement.

I was delighted to learn about the heroism of Lieutenant Les Harrison, and his father Captain James Harrison. Such heroism should be recognized and celebrated.

Poor Communication Skills Are a Career Killer?

Recently I spoke with someone who has begun a job search. He is highly qualified and has a record of solid achievement. However, I did observe that his listening skills are not strong, and I thought about how this could affect his interviews and interactions. I will soon ask his permission to offer what I experienced during our interactions. Ideally, a new interaction will provide me with a couple of fresh examples and an opportunity to request permission to offer my observations.

His listening skill gap became obvious to me as we talked and he would interrupt before I completed some sentences. Such habits would not play well in an interview.

At times when I was responding, he appeared to be thinking about what he would say next and I would often have to repeat what I had said.

Cost of Poor Communication Skills

Poor communication skills can be costly during a job interview. Sometimes interviewers can’t pinpoint poor communication skills as their concern, but will simply feel that the candidate isn’t strong.

Our ineffective interaction made me curious about the cost of poor communication skills in general, and particularly poor listening skills.  I found some excellent case studies linked below that pertain to written content and poor communication as it relates to companies, but I’ve not found much about the costs to individuals.

https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/casestudy-costpoorcommunication/

Cost To Business

This article below further discusses costs to businesses

https://www.vantagepartners.com/insights/costs-of-poor-communication-skills

 

A “Career Killer”

A “career killer” is how this writer considers poor personal communication skills.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/silent-career-killer-how-poor-communication-skills-can-sadharajan/

 

How to Improve Personal Communication Skills

Communication is a skill. Skills can be developed. Skills can be taught, learned, and developed if someone is interested to learn the skill. The best athletes in the world practice basic skills such as making free throws, putting, dribbling, and fielding.

To be an effective communicator an individual will need some knowledge of effective skills and techniques, a regular opportunity to exercise the skills, and performance feedback on their effectiveness and opportunities for improvement.

For over 35 years, my Toastmaster club (www.toastmasters.org) has been my primary vehicle to develop and practice elements of strong communication.  Other interactions in many business and personal engagements provide me with additional opportunity, however, for me Toastmasters remains a regular occasion to plan, speak, listen, and receive suggestions for further communication and leadership development.

 

Practices of Effective Listeners

 The most common advice to improve listening results is to exercise “active listening.” A key for me in active listening is to paraphrase and repeat, and avoid formulating a response. When you begin formulating a response, you become eager to offer your thoughts, and you disconnect from the work of listening.  

Paraphrasing or simple repetition demonstrates that you are listening, and further invites the speaker elaborate.

Avoiding a response causes the listener to organize what she has heard and to ask further questions of clarification.

For more on effective listening see https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-active-listening-3024343

If Told You’re Not Listening

Here is a point of view on how to manage when you’re informed that you’re not listening

 

https://kellblog.com/2020/02/08/what-to-do-when-someone-says-youre-not-listening/

Conclusion

Poor communication skills can be costly to people and businesses. Communication is a skill, and with intention and practice, skills can be developed.

Wired to Achieve

Do you know people who seem to be “wired” to achieve? Perhaps you are. 

It’s an admirable trait. In his book The Yellow Pad, author Robert Rubin uses the term intensity to describe the trait, a trait he epitomizes. He describes his drive, his personal intensity as “a keen focus on succeeding in whatever (he’s) doing.”

Is there another term that encompasses this trait? Maybe tenacity?  Perseverance?

 

The Yellow Pad – A Very Good Book

I picked up a copy of Rubin’s The Yellow Pad at my local library, and have since bought a copy. The book is featured here (sign-in to Goodreads required):

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/172581178-the-yellow-pad).

 

I liked the book but loved this passage; 

“We become what we become in part because of the way that we’re wired. But within that context, we also become what we become because of our choices, the way we meet challenges, the traits we cultivate, and the qualities we amplify through our lives.”

 

Robert Rubin, The Yellow Pad

 

 

Remember Grade 4?

Rubin writes about his life, and his career, including his time as Treasury Secretary for U.S. President Bill Clinton, and his time as an executive on Wall Street. After he completed a few appearances in national media during his time in Clinton’s cabinet, he received a letter from his former Grade 4 teacher Mrs. Collins that caused him to think and then write about the attributes and traits that made him successful.

His teacher wrote to him and asked “Are you the Robbie Rubin who was in my Grade 4 class in Florida?” And of course he is, but of course he has changed because of traits and qualities he cultivated and amplified. Everyone of us has changed because of our experiences, how we responded to those experiences, and the traits we’ve chosen to cultivate. These days it seems a small, but loud number choose to cultivate traits that create fear and division.

Here are the traits he mentions;

• Intensity – a keen focus on succeeding whatever he’s doing
• Ability to Keep One’s Head, i.e. to remain calm
• An energetic curiosity. He also writes about an eclectic curiosity
• Being true to oneself
• Professional integrity

 

These are wonderful skills, attributes, and traits for anyone to develop. It seems to me that today many people are overcommitted to a volume of engagements, and under committed to succeeding at those that will have the greatest impact. If someone has too many engagements, it is difficult to succeed at each. While people will “try,” it can be difficult to succeed at all commitments.

 

 

What Is Essential?

Often during presentations, I display a quote attributed to Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius.

 

“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’”

 

You’ll have more time and tranquility. And accomplish more that has more meaning.  I question the need to ask yourself “at every moment,” but we can ask ourselves frequently.

 

Developing This Trait

 

Here are some tips and a point of view on developing the trait of achievement orientation from www.indeed.com  

 

In summary,

• Focus on how to structure your team
• Communicate clearly about your goals
• Respect your employees
• Engage in personal interactions
• Take the time to follow up
• Reward good work

 

A link to the full article https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/achievement-oriented-leadership

 

My POV On Keeping a Team Focused on Achievement 

For further ideas, particularly on communicating goals and progress, I wrote an e-book related to this topic https://a.co/d/7DfDnez

 

GYCZ – Progressives Fail To Communicate

I saw this post on Twitter/X earlier this year and loved the opinion expressed. @PeterHRatcliffe stated that ‘Progressives’ believe their ideas make perfect sense and then fail to communicate their ideas well.

Driving Change & Agreement on Issues

It’s a fair comment, however I’ll add that, not only Progressives, but every speaker, every communicator, has a responsibility to communicate their ideas well.  It’s especially important when you wish to encourage, promote, or drive change.

 Here’s a link to the tweet https://x.com/PeterHRatcliffe/status/1805900850709004459

 

A Simple Model for Driving Change

Here’s a model for driving change that can be used if you’re delivering a single presentation, or delivering a series of presentations over a longer period for a more complicated issue.

1.   Define the Problem or Issue

The primary purpose of a speech is to inform, persuade, or entertain. When exploring change or introducing a new concept to an audience, it will be difficult to persuade. First, you need to inform about the problem or issue, and to get concurrence that the problem exists and is significant. If the audience doesn’t accept that there is a problem or issue, then they will never be persuaded to think differently or act differently.

With a new concept, your goal must be to get concurrence that there is an issue and have the audience eager to pursue solutions.

Problem definitions should be short, simple and clear. I’m confident that everyone reading this post has heard a speaker explain with passion what he perceives as an issue, but you remain unclear of the exact issue.  The problem ideally should be reduced to one simple sentence.

2.   Develop Alternatives

Once your audience agrees there is an issue, and is willing to invest time, energy, and money, it’s time to describe or develop possible solutions.  Ideas could be developed during a team exercise, or you might present a series of options and invite other ideas from the audience. In my opinion, it’s always advisable to engage the audience and let them voice their ideas.

3.   Select a Solution

There are many methods to assist a team in selecting an alternative once the alternatives have been thoroughly discussed.  People need to be heard, and to feel that they’ve been heard. 

Approaches include SWOT analysis, Nominal Group Technique with ranking, listing of pros and cons, and dot voting Dot Voting

 

Conclusion

The primary purpose of a speech is to inform, persuade, or entertain. If you’re planning to speak with an ultimate goal to enable a group decision, you better be very clear.  If you’re not clear it will be very difficult to get your audience on board, and you’re likely to become frustrated with your lack of progress.

Every speaker, every communicator, has a responsibility to communicate their ideas well.  Public speaking is a skill.  Skills require practice.

 

 

GYCZ – Accountability Partners & Committing To Goals

Every year I talk with people who set ambitious goals and often abandon those goals by mid-point of their term. Too often I see people announce goals without even a rudimentary plan on how to start well, how to make advancements, and how to recognize and celebrate their progress. There is great power in recognizing momentum, and celebrating even small successes that will ultimately lead to goal achievement.

One method to increase the likelihood of goal achievement is enlisting one or more accountability partners. An accountability partner is someone who will remind you of your goals, will celebrate progress you might not see, and will generally support your efforts. Your team can play the role of an accountability partner, and regular check-ins and progress reviews can provide discipline and an accountability check.

An Overview of Accountability Partners

The content at this link provides a comprehensive overview of accountability partners, both paid and unpaid accountability partners.

https://simplish.co/blog/accountability-partner

 

Don’t Try To Do It Alone

Many of us will initially communicate quite little with our team members while laboring towards goal achievement, and then grow frustrated with a lack of meaningful progress. I state that from experience. However, I’ve learned that simple, regular check-ins with my team will provide both an opportunity for celebration of small successes and a check on accountability. I touched upon this topic in this post

 https://gycz.blogspot.com/2023/08/how-to-focus-your-distracted-team.html

 

The Power of Communicating Goals

The simplish.co link provided above offers some great content. I particularly like this quote, as it relates to accountability partners and, in my opinion, it applies very well to team check-ins;

 

“Setting personal commitments and devising action plans in isolation can often lead to a cycle of procrastination, lethargy, and diminished focus when confronted with the initial hurdles. The effectiveness of having an external accountability partner relies on open communication, trust, and - above all - a shared commitment to self-improvement and mutual growth.”

 

American Society of Association Executives on Accountability

It is important to have people around you who support you. However ‘supporters’ are not necessarily people who will hold you accountable.

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) always provides excellent content including this article on accountability.

https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articles/an_plus/2023/8-august/why-communication-and-a-peer-network-help-build-effective-leaders

 

Here’s a great observation from the article;

“Make sure to surround yourself with peers who are willing to hold you accountable. If you surround yourself with people who just say yes, you risk becoming disconnected from your community and your members.”

 

Conclusion

 

Most of us instinctively understand that it’s helpful have a team or accountability partners around us when pursuing significant goals.

Related to this, in enterprises where goals are renewed year after year, development of team members is a key responsibility of leaders, and ultimately more important than in-year results. 

If you’re taking on responsibility for achievement of significant goals, don’t delay in enlisting one or more accountability partners, and establishing check-ins with your team both as an accountability check, and to celebrate progress and individual initiative.

A familiar African proverb states “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”