Wrap It Up

In my last post I walked you through a process that starts a speech with just key ideas, and helps you memorize those ideas rather than trying to write out and remember a full text.  Now let's round it out with more material and a clear beginning and ending.

You have obviously only memorized about a minute worth of material so far, and you probably need more.  Most of it will come from expanding your points with explanation.  The rest will come in the form of an introduction and conclusion.

We will start with the body of your speech.  You are able to recall each of your points.  Speak each one out loud as you might way it to an audience, and then follow it with some explanation.  For instance, let's imagine that your main point is that the smokers in your audience should give up cigarettes, and the first keyword you memorized was money.  You might say out loud "I want to persuade you to quit smoking, and the first reason I think you should is money.  It costs a lot to keep that habit going.  Think about what you could be buying if you didn't spend money on cigarettes."  Most of this explanation was already on your mind when you wrote out your points in our last step, so it shouldn't be too hard to speak this much without a script.  Go through all your points in order this way several times and you will find you have almost created an entire speech ready in your memory.

Now for the introduction.  Find a way to catch the attention of your audience.  Ask them a question or give them startling information.  You might start by asking "Do you know how much you spend in a year if you smoke a pack of cigarettes every day?"  Once they are listening, tell them who you are and why they should believe you.  Maybe you quit smoking yourself, or you've done research on the topic.  Mention whatever helps your credibility with your audience.  Tell them what they will get for their attention.  "This speech will help you save money and may even save your life!"  When you have covered these bases you are ready to get to your main point.  From there you work your way through your points as you have already practiced.

Finish off by leaving them with one thought that will stick.  Summarize your speech in one sentence, or repeat your best argument, for example.  In this case it might be "What will you do with all that extra spending money?" that makes the impression.

Using this simplified method may take a bit of practice, but once you have the method down you will be able to produce and present speeches in a fraction of the time it would take to create and recall full texts.  Now you can relax and enjoy your audience!

Ethical Leadership Matters

               “Well,” my friend told me, “I told them, you’re adults, work it out for yourselves.”  I was sitting with a former retail manager.  She had started her story by telling me how her sales staff would get in fights on the sales floor to get the commission on a pair of socks.

                I pointed out to her that fighting on the sales floor was their way of working it out.  The problem here was that neither one had the authority or the leverage to settle the situation.  Let’s imagine that one of the sales staff had earned a sale, call her Joan.  While she is distracted by a question her customer walks up to the cash register and pays another associate, Tim, who rings the sale under his own number, intentionally stealing the sale. 

                Tim definitely will not give up his sale, and Joan has no way of getting it back on her own, she can only confront Tim, and perhaps threaten to do the same to him.  The situation is already getting out of hand, but if one of the two does not back down it will also probably get loud and vulgar, forcing my friend the manager to step in.

                Think about how different the situation would be if the manager has stepped in early and made a determination.  It would have been settled and both parties would have to move on.  Yes, someone may come away upset with the decision, but the upset would not be any greater than what occurred on the sales floor anyway.  The intervention would also send a clear message to employees that the boss is willing to fix things.  This assures them that they do not have to resort to fights on the sales floor.

                This type of leadership isn’t easy.  It requires the courage to stand up for principles, the ability to take criticism for your decisions, the judgment to make the right call, and a good ethical foundation to frame these actions.  Consistently ethical leadership may not be popular with all followers, but it will build a foundation of trust with coworkers and subordinates.  It is also the best way to attract and retain employees who are ethical themselves, which is a big payoff in itself.

How to Say Goodbye

Well, it happened to me.  I knew it was coming, but it wasn’t very good timing, as other pressing issues had my attention at the time.

“Today is your last day.”  There it was.  I had prepared for this for a while.  My organization was rebuilding to keep its commitment to financial responsibility, and I wasn’t the only one whose job ended.  I had been treated very well for as long as my job was sustainable, and right through the end, but it was still scary to hear.

I had heard a few crazy stories in the past, like the woman who immediately began yelling at the leaders who had to let her go.  No good came of this, especially since my organization does hire contract workers as needed, and former employees can be eligible for this work.  In other words, there were very real bridges to be burnt by the outburst.

So when my time came, I was ready.  “Do you have any questions?”

Yes.  “Am I eligible for contract work here?”  Message sent.  I sincerely wanted to keep the door open, as I obviously needed work.  Beyond that, though, by implication I had said that I held no hard feelings and would work for this organization again if the opportunity arose.  I did not make any long speeches or tell the boss how she should have saved my job.

 

When it’s over it’s over.  You are not going to change a decision that comes down from the top by making a fuss.  But with the right approach you might just gain some leverage for the future, such as getting a good reference from the ex-employer.

What SHOULD you say?

1.       Thank the employer for the time spent at the organization and the opportunity to learn.  You obviously liked some things about the job or you would have left.

2.       Ask about the possibility of getting a recommendation letter or using the organization as a reference during your job search.

3.       Find out if you are eligible for consideration for future openings with the organization.  If you have made a good impression you may as well capitalize on it if things change.

I have been in a supervisory position in food service, customer service, and higher education.  I know what it takes to stand out as an employee or prospect, and this is the way a winner handles a setback.

I Lost. YAY!!!

I had my nicest camera strapped around my neck.  I had gone to a nearby park to gather photos of the landscape for a project I wanted in my portfolio.  As I got past a group of young men I heard some shouting, and finally realized it was directed at me.  I turned to see two of the young men rapidly approaching me from the opposite side of a railed walkway.  They stopped as they got near my side and one raised his voice again.

“I wanna know why you’re taking my picture.”

That hadn’t happened.  Legally, if you’re in a public place you’re fair game for a photographer, but that’s not my style.  It didn’t seem like there was time to explain all that to this guy, however.

I picked a tone of voice that sounded like I thought sneaking his picture would be a terrible thing to do to him.  I faced him squarely and gave him my full attention, as if he was the most important person in the world.  “I didn’t take your picture.”

“Yes, you did, I saw you point your camera right at me.”  That also hadn’t happened.  At this point he was moving back around to the far side of the railing.  I am pretty sure that drugs or alcohol were part of the equation here, so this was a good development.  He was backing away.  My camera and I were not likely to sustain any damage.

“You were taking my picture.  Don’t let it happen again.”  He turned as stalked back to his group of friends.  I guess he told me.

If you are keeping score, a confused, possibly violent young man and his sidekick came at me in a confrontational manner.  The situation diffused without any physical contact, and the incident was closed.

I let this guy have his say.  I didn’t cower, but I didn’t complicate the discussion or try to have the last word.  He walked away feeling he had enforced his will on me and vented his anger harmlessly.  I strategically lost an argument.  It was worth it.

I Broke Cement. Hire Me.

Update on this one: This was written during a job search and I have not only found in employment but have advanced my career since then. I am reposting this as an example of a tie-in, and an example of how to relate your life to your employer's needs.

I was a little winded. I had just finished fighting three guys less than half my age while my wife stood by helpless. There were others watching as well, who could have stopped it. But then I wouldn’t have earned my belt rank. It was a martial arts test, and I was up for the last belt I would earn before my black belt test.

At this point I was relieved. Sparring multiple opponents would be the last part of my test. I sat back and watched the lower ranks, mostly younger than 15 years old, break boards with various chops and kicks. Breaks only occur every second test, and it wasn’t my turn. That was the rule, until the Grandmaster called my name, and asked the assistants to bring out cement. Three slabs, all for me. But this was something I knew a little about. At this point the audience and my classmates were nervous for me, but I understand how these breaks work. I got some coaching from the Grandmaster and away I went. My only regret is that I didn’t save a piece of a slab as a souvenir. 

My secret? Beside being a martial artist in training, I am also a professional magician, and there is a lot of information about breaks like this in magic books. I had also watched black belts break cement for their tests, looking for the technique. It was the bits of extra knowledge I had tucked away that made me a success. It always is.

My last job was created specifically for me to perform duties that only I could fulfill, with my unique blend of skills, skills that I didn’t even need before the promotion. I just don’t believe that it is a good idea to limit myself.

As I have always told my students: In life you don’t get to decide what you don’t need to know. Can you be sure you will NEVER need to know how to change a tire? Of course not. So it is with job skills. I won’t stop adding to mine, because you never know what you might need. And I want to be the guy you hire to get it done.

It's not Impor ant

It's important.  T is not a hard letter to pronounce.  You just said it's, so you must be up to the task.  Yet I hear this more and more.  Skipping this letter in the middle of a word is a type of slang, but it doesn't make you look good in a speech or presentation.  It certainly won't make people believe that you pay attention to details or give little things your best effort.

These days we have seen that the most well-known people in Washington, New York, Hollywood, and the pulpit are quite capable of low behavior, thank you very much.  Forget trying to sound "street", or casual, as if you're indifferent to societal norms and decorum.  Apparently everyone is.

If you really want to stand out, set yourself some high standards.  Skip the shocking language, the minimal effort level, and give it everything you've got.  You will be surprised at how others' perception of you improves.  For most of my speaking and teaching work I am required to gather feedback on surveys.  Although the crowd I sit with at lunch will sometimes tease me for avoiding the off-color humor that is easy to come by, my students have never once complained that I don't swear enough or tell enough crude jokes.  This is over 12 years of teaching in many different settings. 

What I am suggesting is that you take the high road as often as possible.  Using slang or profanity doesn't necessarily make you "authentic".  In fact, you might sound casual or insincere.  You may also sound like you don't take your responsibility as a speaker seriously.  Your listeners may wonder whether you have paid enough attention to details as you did your research, or reasoned through your arguments.

Of course you would like to sound interesting and relateable.  But you can do this with strong examples from your own life story, or even giving out some deeper information that your audience might not get in other places.

To sum up, always do your best to elevate yourself and your audience.

And Your Point is...?

Him:  Do you think we could have a whole conversation that is only questions?

Her:  Why do you want to know?

Him:  Aren’t you the least bit curious?

Her:  Do you have time to try it?

Him:  What else have we got to do?

Her:  Where should we start?

Him:  Isn’t it a little late to ask that?

Her:  Is that the time?

Him:  Are you going?

Her:  What do you think?

Him:  See you tomorrow?