Page 193 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

Ch11_Baldoni_141496-7 5/22/03 12:47 PM Page 171
MAKING CERTAIN THE MESSAGE STICKS
CHAPTER 11
Communications Planner: Making Certain
that the Message Sticks
You want the audience to remember you and your message. The ways to
ensure that you and your message live on are as varied as your imagina-
tion. Here are some ideas to get you started. 171
1. Look for opportunities to speak to the audience again. Follow
up in a week to see how your presentation was received. If it
was received well, offer to keep in touch.
2. Develop ways to keep in contact with the audience after you
leave.
Develop your collateral materials, e.g., brochures or
mailers.
Keep your web site active.

Email new information to your key clients every 6 weeks
or so.
3. Make a list of leaders that you admire. They could be
historical figures, or they could be people that you have
known—teachers, doctors, or bosses. Consider these
questions:
What makes these people leaders?
How do they lead with their words (e.g., communica-
tions)?
How do they lead by example?
What leadership traits of these leaders would you like to
emulate?
4. Read biographies of leaders. Look for examples of how they
used their communications, including presentations, to get
their message across.
Julius Caesar wrote history and was an accomplished
orator.
Franklin Roosevelt calmed a worried nation with his
fireside chats.
Martin Luther King used rhetoric and stories from the
Bible to inspire.
5. Create your own definition of leadership. How would you
communicate that message to others?