Today’s business world places greater expectations on those who seek to lead. When recruiting new employees, increasingly companies say they look for people with razor-sharp communication skills more than analytical ability. Boundaries have fallen at the national level, and this has been mirrored by an equivalent effect at the personal level. It is not enough to say what you want people to do – they want to know why. “Knowing why” is as important as “knowing how”.
Capabilities Addressed
Based on extensive practice with video analysis and individual feedback, this program trains you to become an effective public speaker in English by addressing the following capabilities:
- Establishing personal and professional credibility
- Using emotional and rational intelligence to persuade others
- Rhetorical tools for interpersonal communications, presentations and speeches
- Tools to create a common ground, a connection between speaker and audience
- The art of storytelling to communicate your message
- Techniques of influence
- Non-verbal aspects of communication: authority, energy and audience awareness; managing nerves
- Rational-based speeches (e.g., business presentations)
- Emotional speeches (e.g., special occasion or visionary speeches)
Program Content
- Assessments: Each participant will be individually assessed to ascertain his or her personal needs and private concerns. These assessments enable individuals to understand their own emotions and motivations, which is an essential precondition for understanding others’ emotions and motivations – and the key to touching an audience.
- Planning your content: There is a process to preparing an effective speech or presentation. You will not be effective by sitting down and writing notes on a piece of paper five minutes before you go to speak. We will look at how to open and how to close your speeches.
- Speaking Style: Natural speakers exhibit three basic qualities: authority, energy and audience awareness. Authority means “looking and sounding as if you mean what you say”. Energy is “the impression that it matters to you”. Audience awareness is the ability to ensure that your communication is interactive – and each listener feels recognized.
- The Power of Storytelling: Human life is lived in story format. Connecting with an audience requires the talent of telling the story behind your vision, your project, and your brand, not just listing the attributes of a particular product. These stories come from personal experiences that are relevant to you, thereby making your message more relevant and credible for others. This is more than just performing in front of an audience – someone can be entertained but still not remember a thing that was said. Storytelling is about distilling the essence of the message and making it memorable. In other words, “show rather than tell,” because illustrating a point makes a longer lasting impact than proving a point.
- Speech Models: We learn from role models. There will be a set of case studies of four world leaders with four very different leadership and communication styles: the inspirer, the negotiator, the persuader and the winner of arguments. By considering the strengths and weaknesses of each style, participants will be able to discern their own unique style, and make adjustments in order to capitalize on or compensate for the strengths and weaknesses inherent in their style.
- Practical Tasks: Participants will learn about and then be required to make three presentations themselves, which will be critiqued by their peers, and they will be given written feedback:
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- The Rational-based Speech: arranging your thoughts for interviews, informal meetings or business presentations, using a deductive format supported by rhetorical tools such as metaphors, examples, illustrations and analogies
- The Special Occasion Speech: creating the right emotional atmosphere as a means of persuading or inspiring others during a time of crisis, such as major corporate change or business restructuring
- The Visionary Speech: making people feel secure and winning credibility, in order to gain commitment for your project, idea or your dream
(Program content may be adapted, in line with the program objectives.)
Methodology
The program is a combination of lectures, case studies and in-class practical exercises, including the delivery of speeches. Participants are divided into small groups. These groups are designed to establish a high level of trust between participants and faculty, thereby creating a powerful learning environment.