Ramblings From a Glass Half Full

You have a very important team meeting at 9 AM.

Success or failure is on the line, and your leadership and inspiration is badly needed.

You spent the night before going over and over the speech you wanted to make, making sure the words you were choosing fit the bill.

Now, over your breakfast, the anxiety level really cranks up, and worries and doubt start to creep into your brain.

You arrive at the office 10 minutes before your meeting, and as you drop your keys on your desk, you remember some advice you received from a mentor long ago.

He called it the “5 Minute Leadership Makeover“.

You smile knowingly at this last minute revelation, and head to the nearest mirror. It’s 8:54.

There, you stare straight into your own eyes, and start speaking.

You say those words you so labored to prepare, but in fact, you don’t pay any attention to them, at least not yet.

First, you remember that making eye contact with your audience is critical to an effective presentation.

Then, you make sure your posture is straight and confident.

You check to see if your attire (and face)  is free from your morning’s eggs and toast, and all the buttons and zippers are in properly in place.

You listen to the timbre of your voice. Is it too loud?  Too soft?  Too monotone?  You strive to match the ebbs and flows of your content with the proper inflections.  After another 30 seconds you lock it in.

Now, the pace.   Too fast, and the message gets buried.  Too slow, and you lose the audience.  You think of the metronome you used to use when you were learning how to play the piano, and work on a steady rhythm.  Tick, tock.  Tick, tock….   Check.

You look at your facial expressions as you recite several of the key points you want to bring up.   You make sure you are not sabotaging your message by over-emphasis (check the eyebrows in particular), or by wearing a half-smile or smirk that reeks of condescension.  The face can’t be a blank canvas either, so you modulate to a quiet intensity that clearly shows confidence and passion for the topic.

Next, you watch your arms and hands – where are they?  Are they flailing away with no real purpose?  Hand gestures can certainly bring points home with authority, but they can’t be too broad.  You know you need to keep them compact, and simple.

As your meeting draws closer, it’s now time to focus on your words for a moment.   You make sure you link sentences together crisply, without the use of too many “Ahhs,  Ummms, or “You knows“.   These “pause fillers” can give the impression that you are rambling.

4 minutes have gone by since you started talking into the mirror – you stop, and then close your eyes.   You breathe deeply, and relax.

Your mind flashes to a quote that your mentor told you to always remember.  It was  by Adlai Stevenson, who used it in 1960 to introduce John F. Kennedy.

“Do you remember that in classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, ‘How well he spoke’—but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said, ‘Let us march’?”

You dwell for the last 30 seconds on how words alone cannot make the leader, and the last three words of that quote.

“Let us march”

And at 8:59 you walk away from that mirror and towards the conference room, confident and ready.

It’s showtime!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tweet This Post

Leave a comment