One of your top executives is scheduled to meet the news media in a series of important interviews. You realize your executive is very knowledgeable about the organization,
possesses uncommon intelligence, dresses stylishly and, perhaps most importantly, wants to do the interviews. So now what?
This would seem to be a slam-dunk: Put the exec through "media training" to instill some knowledge about how journalists operate, how to focus on your organization's messages
(possibly while handling hostile questions), what to wear and how "interviews are not conversations."
But what about that executive's speaking style? How are his or her voice and speech mannerisms? Does the exec's voice express confidence? Does his or her body language
unknowingly give off negative connotations? Often, especially today with media peering at your organization from every angle, an executive's career can depend upon his or her
speaking and persuasive capabilities.
Communicating effectively, whether it's a presentation or an interview with The Wall Street Journal, is an art that can be learned and mastered by anyone who has an
understandable message and a strong desire to succeed.
What affects an audience is well-prepared remarks honed by the understanding of the power of positive speaking.
Practice Makes Perfect
I once asked a client who'd played for the Miami Dolphins: "Would you walk out on the football field without having been to practice?" His response: "No! You'd get killed!" The
same is true of effective communication. Before tackling the opposition, a successful communicator learns the rules and practices them.
Our company teaches clients the concept of PowerSpeaking. Understanding its nuances can not only make you--and your executive--learn to use your voice more effectively and
confidently, but can be a crucial bridge from making successful, powerful presentations to working more effectively with the news media.
PowerSpeaking enables you to handle pronunciation, helps eliminate unwanted voice and diction mannerisms and allows you to listen more effectively--an essential interviewing
skill. We make "stage fright" work for you and we teach clients to recognize and control nonverbal actions.
There are some universal steps anyone can follow to help make him or her a more poised, confident and dynamic speaker. Following these tips can make "media training" a natural
segue.
Purpose: Have a game plan. Know what you want to have achieved when you finish speaking. Ask yourself why you're speaking in the first place. If it's as one client put it, "I
like to hear myself talk," perhaps you need to re-assess your priorities.
Poise: Be relaxed and confident. A good speaking coach, as a good sports coach, can help you handle the racing heart, sweaty palms and voice fluctuations that often accompany
stage fright (those ubiquitous "butterflies").
Being poised also means losing those distracting nonverbal mannerisms, gestures, body movements and facial expressions that make your listener lose your message. Think of how
many times you've watched an important presentation and remembered little about what was said, but carried away indelible images of odd mannerisms.
Prioritize: Present from the listeners' perspective rather than yours. Think about your audience; what do they want to learn from your talk? Focus on one or two key points and
make them the heart of your presentation. As a professor once told me, "Don't try to teach everything you know in one semester." Same goes for a single speech. Or a single
interview. The probability is most listeners won't remember more than two or three salient points anyway. The key: Decide what best supports your presentation goal and eliminate
the chaff. Your audience will appreciate it and you'll have even less to worry about.
Practice: Organize your materials; be prepared mentally and physically. Practice, practice, practice. To keep the football analogies rolling: Before tackling the speech, a
successful communicator learns the ground rules, guards against fumbles and makes the extra points.
Leila Alson is president of Alson PowerSpeaking, a national speech consulting firm, headquartered in South Florida. She conducts one-on-one speaking sessions and offers
workshops and seminars for groups sharing similar needs and goals. Contact her at [email protected] or visit her Web site at
http://www.alsonpowerspeaking.com.
Alson's Six Commandments for Effective Interviews
1. You shall not sit or stand slouched or at an angle. Good sound quality, pitch and volume require good posture. Those who can't be heard easily lose much of their
credibility. Those who slump and slouch give non- verbal signals that say, "I don't have much energy invested in this."
2. You shall not keep your eyes on your navel. Look at the reporter and the audience will listen.
3. You shall remember to keep your listeners happy. Use short stories, verbal paintings or interesting statistics. These points of interest must have relevance to what you are
saying.
4. You shall not let regional dialects or foreign accents distract the listener. When people comment on how you say it rather than what you say, they are being sidetracked.
5. You shall honor your listeners' ears. Don't bombard them with constant sound. We remember information best when we receive it in small chunks. If your sentences are lengthy,
with no pauses, we forget the beginning by the time we hear the ending.
6. You shall enjoy yourself. Have a passion for your subject. Enthusiasm is contagious and reinforces your message and your credibility.