Erik Palmer - Own Any Occasion: Mastering the Art of Speaking and Presenting

2017 ASTD DBA the Association for Talent Development (ATD)

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017948359

ISBN-10: 1-56286-685-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-56286-685-3
e-ISBN: 978-1-56286-771-3

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For Greg and Ross, who became excellent speakers and fine men. Im proud of you.

And for Anne, who listened and encouraged.

Speaking matters.

You know that. And you recognize the great benefits that come with being well spoken. But you also know that oral communication skills can always be improved. Even brilliant, successful people, some with careers that involve daily high-level oral communication, still seek help. They dont feel confident or competent in all speaking situations. Let me share some personal examples of people who were motivated to seek my help.

Michael was the chief justice of the Supreme Court of a western state. Every year, when the new session of the legislature convenes, the assembled houses hear the State of the State from the governor and a State of the Judiciary from the chief justice. Michael wanted help crafting and delivering his speech. He believed the ones hed given in the past were not as impressive as they could have been.

Dan works for one of the worlds largest mining companies. He is a master electrician, and had trained electricians for a local company for years before being hired by his current employer. He was such a good electrician that his new employer tasked him with developing and delivering training materials for company electricians around the globe. He wasnt confident about his communication skills.

Katie was asked to facilitate a meeting of nurses to develop a better pressure-ulcer prevention program at the health facility they worked for. She was not satisfied with the training materials, but didnt have a clear idea of what could be improved.

Scott worked for a firm that helps retail clients find locations in shopping centers. While he was fine handling paperwork, he wanted to be part of the discussions with clients, where the big money was made.

Karla worked for a large CPA firm. Because of a new promotion, she began leading weekly meetings for her staff, but she didnt feel comfortable leading meetings.

Kelly was tasked with creating webinars for an association of nursing-home therapists. Now, therapists everywhere would be able to see and hear her, rather than just read the articles she had been writing for the associations journal.

Tom, a family practice doctor, was chosen to head all the family practice doctors affiliated with a major hospital. The new position required speaking in front of many doctors. Debbie wanted to make effective videos to promote her network marketing company. Betsy was a psychotherapist who wanted to get more business by speaking to clubs and organizations. Patrick needed to give speeches to raise money for the nonprofit TV station he worked for.

Its not just workplace worries that create a desire to improve oral communication skills, however. Sam wanted to be more effective coaching Pee Wee football and leading Bible study at his church. Eva was worried about the toast she was going to give at her daughters wedding. Tanya wanted to speak better because conversations with her in-laws intimidated her. Mary Beth won her states Miss Rodeo contest, but she and 11 other contestants in the Miss Rodeo America pageant wanted help with the pageants oral performance piece.

Do you identify with any of these people? Most of us are called upon to use speaking skills every day. Are you confident in your oral communication skills? Do you believe they are adequate for the demands of your workplace or life? How many significant events will occur in your life in which your ability to speak well will matter?

Although speaking is important, you have probably noticed that few people speak well. Start with the workplace. Maybe you have been bored at a staff meeting. Perhaps youve had difficulty understanding what a co-worker was attempting to explain. Maybe you have suffered through a dreadful webinar. Perhaps a professional facilitator in a training environment left you flat. Maybe you have been stunned by the poor verbal communication skills of a person you were interviewing for a job.

Now think about your social situations. Maybe you watched an awkward after-dinner speech or toast. Perhaps you talked to someone and noticed how inarticulate he was. Maybe the president of your service club or the principal at your childs school didnt speak as well as you expected. No doubt you can think of someone who impressed you, but I am certain that you have many more examples of people who were quite unimpressive.

You may even know people who often speak in front of groups, but still havent mastered the art of speaking well. For example, I attended an awards dinner for many years that was designed to honor excellent employees at my business. Everett organized the annual event and always chose himself to be the emceeyear after year after year. He certainly relished his moment in the spotlight, but he was dreadfully boringmonotonous, humorless, rambling, and dull. Everett somehow managed to take the joy out of the event. Years of hosting it did not make him any better. This is why becoming an effective oral communicator will put you ahead of even experienced speakers.

People who speak well are more successful than people who dont speak well. Not only does this apply to professions in which speaking plays an integral role, such as a trial attorney, motivational speaker, facilitator, professor, or trainer; it also applies to every other profession. No landscaper can get a contract without being able to communicate clearly. A hairdresser who is fun to talk to will have more business. Think of your workplace. Wouldnt everyone benefit from improved oral communication? Of course! Mastering verbal communication skills dramatically increases your chance of business success as well. Research shows that employers rank verbal communication as the number one competency they value in employees.