Page 132 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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FIGURE 8-1 The Power of Authenticity
Using Voice
Authenticity
Using Body GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
Emulate, don’t copy. Be the speaker you are. Do not try to replicate some
orator from the past. Use your own words. It is okay to quote, but do not
try to copy the manner and gestures of someone else. You will only do
yourself a disservice and raise questions about your believability.
Act the part. Speaking out loud, as discussed earlier, is acting. It is the
art and practice of giving voice to your thoughts and words as a reflec-
tion of your leadership style. Sometimes women feel that they must
raise their voices if they are to be heard, but instead of just being louder,
they may come across as shouting. This situation plays into the stereo-
type of male speakers being more authoritative than female speakers.
The truth is that men and women are equally believable or equally
disingenuous as speakers, depending upon their ability to communicate
the authenticity of their messages. Using a microphone will enable the
speaker, male or female, to speak in a voice that captures his or her nat-
ural cadences and voice colorations. And don’t hide behind the podium;
use a wireless microphone so that you can stride across the stage or
walk among the audience as you speak.
Take the message, not yourself, seriously. Audiences love it when the
speaker shares something of her- or himself. Self-deprecation, or mak-
ing a joke at your own expense, is a great way to connect. You can be
serious about the message without being strident and overly intense in
your presentation style.

Effective leadership communicators need not be polished orators. Win-
ston Churchill was an accomplished master of the art form, but Katherine
Graham had to force herself to become a public speaker. Both, however, radi-
ated conviction in their communications.

THE AUTHENTIC COACH

Not only is authenticity essential in the public forum, but it is equally impor-
tant in private. Being themselves in a one-on-one coaching situation may be