Page 120 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
Everything proceeded well—for about 30 seconds. Then the audience
began to grow restless, and after another minute or so it began a series of cat-
calls: “Come on. Hurry up. We’re getting thirr—sty!” After another minute,
individuals in the audience began to throw things. Bound and determined to
be heard, the executive, like a St. Bernard in a snowstorm, plowed ahead. As
the crowd grew more restless, he began to speak louder. When things hit the
stage, he grew louder still, until after 3 minutes or so, he was shouting into the
microphone.
Chaos ruled.

What went wrong? How could something that started so wonderfully and was
prepared and rehearsed so carefully go so terribly wrong?
Simple. The executive had failed to assess his audience.
Not until later, when the speech was over and he had retreated to the safety
of an anteroom, did the executive learn that he had been the only thing stand-
ing between the audience and the bar. It was the end of a long day, and the
crowd of salespeople and industry representatives was in no mood for more
talk. They wanted to “drown the day” with libations.

DEALING WITH HOSTILITY
What can you do when you face a hostile audience? One answer is to retreat
and live to speak another day. But there is another approach.
After the American Revolution, George Washington returned to his
beloved Mount Vernon to farm. Despite the Americans’ victory over the
British, nationhood was still a thing of the future. The Thirteen Colonies had
devolved into thirteen independent states, all bickering with one another. As a
result of this disunity, the soldiers of the Continental Army had not received
money for their years of service. At one point, a group of disgruntled officers
gathered in Newburgh, New York, to plot a coup against the government in an
attempt to seek restitution. Washington learned of the meeting and asked to
speak to the officers.
When he entered the meeting room, he strode to the podium and looked
out over the group. He knew most if not all of them, and he reminded them of
the hardships they had shared during the long years of the Revolutionary War.
He then drew out a letter from a member of the Continental Congress. He
attempted to read it, then stopped and apologized. He said that not only had he
turned gray while fighting for his country, he had gone nearly blind as well. He
then reached to put on his spectacles. 1