Lillian Lincoln Lambert

As professional speakers our audiences depend on us to provide them with a memorable experience. In order to do this, the speaker needs to follow some specific ground rules.  Seasoned speakers may be aware of these but a reminder is always useful. Those thinking about or new to the speaking profession can start on the right path. These are just a few tidbits.

1. Know your audience. A little research can go a long way. If you take time to find information about your audience and the organization and use it in your speech, where appropriate, it enhances your credibility.  No one speech is suitable for all audiences. Modification is crucial, with consideration given to various factors.

2. Be sure you have a clear beginning,  middle and end. Do not leave your audience hanging as you move from point to point. They need to know where you are going and be able to easily follow you. Rewrite until it flows smoothly and conveys your message effectively.

3. Don’t dwell on or be repetitious on any point. Be sure all points are clear and repeat only for emphasis.

4. Look at your audience . Make eye contact from time to time but don’t dwell on any one person.

5. Make your delivery passionate. Let your feeling about the subject be obvious to your audience.  Be aware of your intonation, enunciation and body language. Use emphasis in the right places. Always, always use  proper grammar. Talk at a speed and volume that makes it easy for everyone to comprehend your message.

Practice! practice! practice! I video my presentations to get a good idea of how I am coming across to my audience. This allows me to check my speed, see if I am engaged with the audience, my facial expressions, and use of unnecessary words – the ums, you know, etc. As weak spots are identified, I work on those so they don’t carry over from speech to speech. This also builds my confidence.

Do all you can to make your presentation one that your audience will remember and be anxious tell others.

We  have  all  heard  the  adage,  leaders  are  born;  not  made. In the case of leadership, it does help a bit to be born with particular character or personality traits. But just like it helps to be born with money, you don’t have to be born with money in order to become wealthy. So it is with leadership.

Over the last few weeks I, along with many people, witnessed a lesson in leadership as we excitedly watched the men’s basketball tournament – March Madness. The teams who had made it to the 64 did not include The Rams from the large, urban Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. After they were selected for a slot, sports analysts and others in the media criticized their selection, publicly stating “they did not deserve to be there.”

For many coaches and players, this kind of negative publicity would have been daunting, but not Coach Shaka Smart and his players. They used it as a motivating factor! This takes special leadership. In my opinion there are some leadership skills that are a must in order to be a good leader: visionary, integrity, competency, inspiration and communication.

Drawing upon his life, school and work experiences we saw Coach Smart exemplify these characteristics. His team remained cohesive and focused as they concentrated on using their talents. He “walked the walk” for his players showing them by example. His ability to visualize the team on the national stage, even when many people saw it as an impossible dream, was infectious. He saw the  whole  picture and  did not  allow obstacles or resistance to  impede  the  direction  in which  to take  the  team. He made sure the team was competent both academically and on the court. Very close in age to his players, he related to their interests many of which were similar or the same as his. As a result he was able to connect in ways others may not be able.

He shared his vision with the team which gave them the desire to follow their leader. The team remained motivated because the coach continued to be positive even in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances. He involved them in the process and provided the support the team needed.

In essence, a good leader has the ability to motivate a group toward a common goal. Coach Smart did this well. The Rams made it to the Final Four and although they did not make it to the Finals, the lessons they learned along the way will have positive impacts on these young men for the rest of their lives. They saw how to win and how to lose gracefully. It is not always the winning that has the greatest lesson but how you play the game.

As the Christmas season approaches, we all begin to think about gifts for those we love. Some people give lots of thought to their selections while others merely go through the motions.

What’s on your list for the youngsters in your life – your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, etc.? All of these children probably have all the toys they want and more than they can ever play with. Still many adults want to give something the child can see and touch. Why not consider something that last years into the future? A 529 college fund can help assure that they have money for college, even it is only enough to buy books. A share or few shares of a stock or a mutual fund will be something that can grow over the years and also teach the child something about investing.

We  established 529 college funds for our grandchildren a few years ago and we add to it during the year, particularly on birthdays and at Christmas. For Christmas we do add a small toy or book to give them something to open. However, the larger part of money spent at Christmas goes to the college fund. They may not fully appreciate it now but hopefully they will in the future.

Give it some serious consideration.   This website will give you information about college 529 plans.

http://www.savingforcollege.com/intro_to_529s/what-is-a-529-plan.php

At dinner with another couple a few nights ago, the conversation turned to education. We all agreed that the education system in the United States needs some work. We talked about education today and made some comparisons to the education of our generation.

Three of the four persons at dinner finished high school in the late fifties or early sixties. We all agreed that we had fewer choices than youngsters today and the use of technology is more prevalent. As we compared our education (the other couple is racially mixed – the husband white and the wife a black from one of the Islands and my husband and I African American) we admitted that the quality of education for each of us was different.

Courses that three of us had or were available to us that are not generally taught in school today are the trades. When is the last time you tried to hire a plumber, mechanic or electrician? When you found one what did it cost?  Students today are not encouraged to study the trades; instead everyone is expected to go to college. In some cases other options should be explored.

I am a great proponent of education and a college degree is necessary for most jobs. But what are the options for those students who are not ready for college or those who are really interested in a trade? Should they be made to feel less important? I say no. They may be able to make a better living in a trade that interests them as opposed to a field of study in college in which they have no interest.  We the consumer can benefit as well. With an increase in technicians in the various trades, the cost for those services would be more competitive

This is an article from Healthy Companies International

Heavy-Handed Bosses

1. Intimidating Bosses use fear as the primary means to motivate others. They abuse authority and are usually driven by both the need to feel powerful and the need to protect themselves from feelings of insecurity.

2. Egotistical Bosses crave attention and act to maintain their self-image as the stars of the show. Certain that they deserve special treatment, they are driven primarily by two needs: to be admired and to protect themselves from their sense of inadequacy.

3. Workaholic Bosses believe that work trumps everything else in life, for them and everyone else. They work long hours, expect others to do the same, and typically are driven either by the need to be successful or the need to avoid something in their personal lives—or both.

4. Micromanaging Bosses are constantly and deeply involved in every aspect and detail of their people’s work. They dictate how work gets done and are driven primarily by the need for control.

Lightweight Bosses

5. Disorganized Bosses tend to take on more than they can handle, lose track of things, and accomplish less than they set out to do. They are often driven by fears of commitment, being controlled, or having too much structure—coupled with a general insecurity about their capabilities.

6. Passive Bosses are indecisive, reluctant to stand up for an idea or course of action, and easily derailed by challenges to their plans. They are driven most frequently by the fears of confrontation and failure, along with the seemingly contradictory fear of exerting their own power.

7. Unqualified Bosses are either unprepared or unsuited for their current positions. They may be driven by fears of inadequacy, failure, or embarrassment—or by unfounded confidence.

Unpredictable Bosses

8. Emotional Bosses are continually in the grip of anger, depression, and/or anxiety. Their emotions stem from their need to gain control over one or more fears (e.g., fear of failure, job loss, family disruptions, health problems), combined with their underdeveloped ability to do so objectively and unemotionally.

9. Manipulative Bosses use people for their own gain, with little or no regard for the consequences to others. They are usually driven by the need to be successful, in conjunction with an overriding mistrust of themselves and others.

10. Evasive Bosses do whatever it takes to remain as uninvolved and non-responsible as possible in decisions, plans, and activities. They are driven by an exaggerated fear of failure and discomfort with human relationships.

Do you fit any of these? If you are, you may want to examine your style in order to make your company a place where employees enjoy coming to work.