20,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Be Prepared to Lead in the Moment: Assess, think, and respond on-the-spot Impromptu shows leaders how to think on their feet and respond eloquently in every situation. Never have there been so many opportunities to inspire and influence in everyday situations -- elevator chats, corridor conversations, networking gatherings, meetings, and ceremonial events. Indeed, today the most iconic leadership moments are spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment events that reveal the inner workings of the leader's mind. When these impromptu opportunities arise, leaders must be able to listen, think, and respond within seconds. They don't read a script from a page, they convey the narrative that is already in their mind. They can tailor a message--in a meeting, in the corridor, or in a tweet--to influence and inspire any audience. Those who shine in that moment are remembered for their leadership. Those who stumble are remembered for their gaffes, mixed messages, or insensitivity. Nobody remembers the leaders who retreat to their office, formulate a strategic plan, and distribute a memo the following week. Guided by her entrepreneurial success as founder of The Humphrey Group and her firm's work with tens of thousands of leaders over the past 30 years, Judith Humphrey makes clear the importance of preparing to be spontaneous -- as counterintuitive as that may sound! Drawing upon the best impromptu moments from the Greeks to the present, the book looks at every aspect of impromptu speaking. You will learn how to: * Think like an impromptu leader * Quickly read an audience of one or a thousand * Collect your thoughts and craft a persuasive message * 'Script' yourself within seconds for any occasion * Avoid 'um's' and 'ah's' and use the right words at the right time * Discover improv techniques that will enable you to shine * Deliver your message with clarity, confidence, and conviction. The ability to speak on the spot is often seen as an innate gift, a talent of 'natural-born' leaders. The truth is, it's a skill that can be learned--a skill that is quickly becoming a must-have for anyone in a leadership position. Impromptu provides clear, actionable guidance to help you reach your full leadership potential. It will enable you to influence and inspire followers on the many 'small stages' that define our daily lives.
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 337
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017
Ähnliche
Table of Contents
COVER
TITLE PAGE
PROLOGUE
INTRODUCTION
What You Will Learn from This Book
History's Great Impromptu Speakers Were Made, Not Born
The Power of This Book
Part I: The New World of Impromptu
1 The Rise of Impromptu Speaking
The Glory Days of the Formal Speech
The Three Reasons for the Rise of Impromptu Speaking
Notes
2 Power of Spontaneity
Abundant Opportunities
Collaborating—Up, Down, and Across the Organization
Faster, Better Decision‐Making
A New Way to Get Close
Being Real, Being Trustworthy
Some of Your Best Lines
Charismatic Leadership
Notes
Part II: The Impromptu Mind‐Set
3 Be Intent on Leading
Pick the Right Time and Place
Collect Your Thoughts
Have Your Audience's Full Attention
Have Something Valuable to Say
Build a Relationship
Be Face‐to‐Face
Be Politically Sensitive
Realize the Mic Is Always On
Notes
4 Be a Listener
Use Your Body—Listen Physically
Use Your Head—Listen Mentally
Use Your Heart—Listen Emotionally
Notes
5 Be Authentic
What Is Authentic Leadership?
Strategies for Showing Authenticity
Notes
6 Be Focused
Information Overload in the Internet Age
Focusing and the Art of Impromptu
Notes
7 Be Respectful
Respect Your Organization
Respect Your Management
Respect Your Colleagues
Respect Yourself
Notes
Part III: The Leader's Script
8 Lay the Groundwork
Great Speakers Prepare for Impromptu
The Starting Point: Know Your Stuff
Keep Leadership Messages in Mind
Notes
9 Read Your Audience
Reading Your Audience—In Advance
Reading Your Audience—As You Speak
Reading Your Audience—Afterward
Note
10 The Scripting Template
The Leader's Script Template
Illustrating the Template
Using the Leader's Script
Scalability of the Leader's Script
Notes
11 Commit to a Message
Why Have a Message?
Characteristics of a Message
The Power of a Message: An Example
Notes
12 Make a Compelling Case
The Role of Structure
Patterns of Organization
The Power of Structure: Two Examples
Notes
13 Beginnings and Endings
Open with a Grabber
End with a Call to Action
Part IV: Impromptu Scripts for Every Occasion
14 Meetings
Project Updates
Briefings
Sharing Ideas
Collaborating
Notes
15 Job Interviews, Networking, and Elevator Conversations
Job Interviews
Networking Events
Elevator Conversations
Note
16 “Just the Big Picture”
We're Out of Time—What
Not
to Do
Create Your Micro Presentation on the Spot
Note
17 Toasts and Tributes
Creating Winning Toasts and Tributes
Robert Kennedy's Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr
Notes
18 The Impromptu Speech
One Compelling Idea
A Perfect Example—Lou Gehrig's Farewell to Baseball
Creating a Successful Impromptu Speech
Notes
19 Q&A
Getting Ready
Developing Your Answer
Two Examples
Avoid the Traps
Notes
Part V: The Impromptu Stage
20 Rehearse Your Remarks
Client Pitches
Job Interviews
Networking Events
Q&A Exchanges
Impromptu Speeches
Difficult Conversations
A Marriage Proposal
Notes
21 Choose Your Words
Be Clear
Be Conversational
Be Confident
Be Collaborative
Notes
22 Use Improv Techniques
Why Improv Techniques for Leaders?
Learning to Be “In the Moment”
What Happens When You Are in the Moment?
Cocreation—Improvising in the Moment
Notes
23 Find Your Voice
Begin by Breathing
Ground Your Voice
Strive for the Right Volume
Adopt a Warm, Committed Tone
Pace Yourself
Notes
24 Master Body Language
Stand and Sit Tall
Lead with Gestures
Use the Power of Your Eyes
Put Your Best Face Forward
Notes
CONCLUSION
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
A Little Help from Our Unconscious Mind
Notes
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Pages
C1
iii
iv
v
xi
xii
xiii
xiv
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
65
66
67
68
69
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
79
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
119
120
121
122
123
125
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
219
220
221
222
223
239
240
241
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
E1
IMPROMPTU
Leading in the Moment
Judith Humphrey
Copyright © 2018 by Judith Humphrey. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750–8400, fax (978) 646–8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748–6011, fax (201) 748–6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising here from.
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762–2974, outside the United States at (317) 572–3993 or fax (317) 572–4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e‐books or in print‐on‐demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
The Leader's Script® is a registered trademark of The Humphrey Group Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data:
Names: Humphrey, Judith, 1943– author.
Title: Impromptu : leading in the moment / by Judith Humphrey.
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2017029464 (print) | LCCN 2017040994 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119286769 (pdf) | ISBN 9781119286776 (epub) | ISBN 9781119286752 (cloth)
Subjects: LCSH: Communication in management. | Business communication. | Extemporaneous speaking. | Leadership.
Classification: LCC HD30.3 (ebook) | LCC HD30.3 .H8569 2018 (print) | DDC 658.4/092—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017029464
Custom cover typography by Fang Yu and Ben Egnal
Cover Design: Wiley
To Marc
For all the impromptu moments that have
made our life together so joyous
PROLOGUE
The Soul of This Book
Every book—whether autobiographical, fiction, business, or general interest—comes out of the author's inner being. Some go deeper into that place than others do. Even more than my two previous books, Speaking as a Leader and Taking the Stage, this work comes out of a very personal journey.
It all began when I was asked to give an impromptu speech in seventh grade. Our teacher thought it would be a good idea for the 12‐year‐olds in her class to be able to speak extemporaneously, and I was the first to be called upon. I headed to the front of the class with no small amount of trepidation, and things got worse when the topic she gave me was “boys.” I vividly remember panicking because as a shy young preteen girl I certainly had thoughts about boys, but none I wanted to share publicly. Besides, talking about the opposite sex was taboo for me since I was raised in a household where we weren't even allowed to watch Elvis Presley on TV. In front of the class I somehow was able to blurt out my first line: “I don't know why you've asked me to talk about boys since I come from a family of five girls.” But everything after that is a blur—I don't remember a word of it. I only remember the fear I felt in the spotlight.
I believe that episode shaped the trajectory of my career and life. Shortly after that awkward experience, I took up the violin and played on stage as often as I could to overcome my nerves. I went to a top music school, Indiana University, and continued to perform with chamber groups and orchestras. When I went on to graduate school in Rochester, New York, I switched to literature, and then became a university lecturer in Toronto, regularly speaking before groups of several hundred students. Eventually (after several years as a speech writer) I launched The Humphrey Group to help other leaders overcome these fears and be successful communicators.
It was not always easy for me to stand on these stages and play my violin, or in later years to speak with authority and conviction. As an undergraduate I forced myself to speak up at least once in every class. As a university lecturer, I'd often arrive just in the nick of time—prepping up to the last minute. As an entrepreneur, I faced down my fears when I made cold calls to CEOs, spoke to companies about our services, or pitched training at senior levels.
My salvation was that I practiced hard for these roles. And I've found that the same discipline is required for all the impromptu moments in our life. This book and its central argument—that you need to prepare to be spontaneous—comes from all the years I've spent working to be successful on stage and dedicating myself to preparation, whether for a violin performance, a university lecture, a pitch to prospective clients as an entrepreneur, a tribute speech to family and friends, even a marriage proposal. As a result, I've come to feel more relaxed and confident on stage—whatever that stage may be.
Most of the speaking all of us do fits into the category of impromptu communication. It includes all the remarks that have helped us succeed, get our ideas across, negotiate pay raises, and build relationships with friends and colleagues. I know how important these exchanges have been for me. I'm certain this book will support readers in the same way. It will give you the confidence and skills to be a superb impromptu speaker and in so doing move toward your professional and life goals. These key moments are not governed by a “quick fix” or “winging it.” The larger vision of this book is that discipline and preparation are the secret to successful spontaneity—and a successful life.
Judith HumphreyToronto, Canada
Making speeches on the spot is necessary both for those who address the people and for those who go to court and for those who take part in private gatherings…[and] we see those who can speak [extemporaneously] honoured by others as if they had a god-like intellect.
—Alcidamas, 4th century BC
Note
J. V. Muir, ed.,
Alcidamas: The Works and Fragments
(London: Bristol Classical Press, 2001), 7.
INTRODUCTION
At the 2017 Oscars®, movie producer Jordan Horowitz provided viewers with a remarkable impromptu moment. He had just accepted the Best Picture award for La La Land. Suddenly there was commotion on stage, and the PricewaterhouseCoopers folks informed him that Moonlight had actually won. Others might have been speechless—or angry. But instead, Horowitz boldly announced: “There's a mistake. ‘Moonlight,’ you guys won Best Picture. This is not a joke.” Then, holding up his Oscar statuette, he said: “I'm going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight.’”1
These brief remarks were brilliant, and were justly praised by the media. Horowitz showed grace in announcing the real winner and offering up the prize so generously. Later he explained, “It was not about me. It was about making sure that ‘Moonlight’ got the recognition it really deserves.”2
I'd like to think that everyone who reads this book will respond to off‐the‐cuff situations as eloquently as Jordan Horowitz did.
“But,” you may ask, “isn't impromptu speaking something people do without thinking much about it?” The word “impromptu” conjures up the instantaneous remark, the wedding toast done in a flash of friendship, the job interview where you decided to “wing it,” the insightful comment that just came into your head at a meeting. Yes, these are all acts of spontaneity. But as we know, they don't always go well. Who could be more aware of this than Tony Hayward, the BP executive who told a reporter after the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that “I'd like my life back.” The world knew, as he did, that eleven individuals had lost their lives in the fire. His words left a bad taste—so bad that he was vilified in the media and removed from his high‐profile role.3
And it's not just high‐profile leaders who wing it and regret it. How many managers become tongue‐tied when they speak up at a meeting, or go on too long, losing the thread of what they had wanted to say? How many leaders, when asked a question, ramble and conclude with a desperate, “What I'm really saying is . . .?” How many of us on conference calls wish we had been more astute and wonder if the others on the call tuned out? Who has not passed a colleague in the corridor and only afterward thought of something more meaningful to say than “How's it going?” What manager has not been stuck in the elevator with a senior executive and looked down at the floor, afraid to speak, not knowing what to say, regretting afterward the missed opportunity? And who has not spoken up at a meeting only to feel that she “lost it” in the middle of her thought?
Here's the rub: so many of us think of impromptu speaking as “winging it.” That's why our corridor and watercooler conversations can sound so banal, our comments in meetings can be poorly thought out, and we can be awkward in our attempt to distill a thirty‐minute PowerPoint deck into a few pithy messages when our boss says, “Just give me the big picture.” It's not surprising that we have phone conversations that don't seem to go anywhere. It is not surprising that when we answer a question, we can flounder. It is, in short, not surprising that our daily conversations are often not geared to leadership and our encounters can be less than inspiring.
Impromptu speaking is an art that few have mastered. Yet it's a critical skill for leaders—not just those with fancy titles—but those at all levels who wish to come across as polished and persuasive. Impromptu speaking enables us to influence and inspire in day‐to‐day situations that are becoming more and more common.
What You Will Learn from This Book
The purpose of this book is to enable every reader to become much better at extemporaneous speaking. The secret is preparation! As paradoxical as it may sound, you must prepare to be spontaneous. The two statements on the cover of this book are key. “Leading in the moment” is the goal for anyone who wishes to have day‐to‐day impact on others. And “prepare to be spontaneous” is the means to achieving that goal.
We all have so much to say—all of us are experts in one or more fields, and we can talk endlessly if we are excited about our topic. But to say something meaningful, something motivational, something that conveys leadership on the spot, takes discipline. In some cases, you'll have only moments to collect your thoughts. In other cases, your preparation can begin well in advance of the event.
Here's a range of impromptu situations that demand some degree of preparation and forethought.
Deciding you want to contribute to a meeting and collecting your thoughts in a few seconds.
Sitting at a dinner event and suddenly hearing you are receiving an award (which you knew), but also hearing that you will be giving an acceptance speech (which you didn't know). You jot down a few notes on the back of a napkin.
Attending a networking event, where you know you'll see prospective employers. You wisely polish your “elevator pitch” in advance.
Being told you have only five minutes to give what you had thought was a thirty‐minute presentation. You quickly redraft the talk to give only “the big picture.”
Seizing a moment to coach an employee and collecting your thoughts so you can leave her with a few key messages.
Preparing for a Q&A by thinking of possible questions and developing answers.
Finding yourself in the elevator with your boss's boss. Knowing exactly what to say because you've been thinking about how much you liked his last speech.
Paying tribute to a departing employee with a few notes you've created.
Being interviewed for a job and making a strong case for yourself because you've prepared notes that sell you into the role.
You won't read a script in any of these situations. You'll invent the words on the spot. But you must prepare. In fact, there needs to be just as much discipline in creating your impromptu remarks as there is in preparing for more formal speaking situations.
To lead in impromptu situations requires the right mind‐set, knowledge of your material, key messages, a sound structure, clear language, and an engaging presence. All this takes preparation. In fact the word, “impromptu” derives from the Latin in promptu meaning “in readiness.”4 This book will show you how to be ready for all the extemporaneous situations you face every day.
Mastering the art of impromptu speaking is more important than ever in today's fast‐paced, time‐challenged world. Whereas decades ago you might have had weeks or months to prepare your remarks for an off‐site strategy session, today such planned events are often replaced by conference calls, sometimes scheduled in a matter of minutes. And while in the past scripted speaking was the order of the day for executives and political leaders, today these staged communications are often replaced by Q&A sessions or press conferences. With the advent of social media, impromptu remarks are instantly broadcast to far‐flung audiences.
Times have dramatically changed, and the stakes for these off‐the‐cuff comments have become very high. Those spontaneous remarks can inspire and unite audiences, or they can wreak havoc. They can upset employees or anger voters. More than ever, there is a need to bring leadership to the impromptu stage.
This book will equip you to speak “in the moment” in ways that will convey leadership. And it will enable you to speak off the cuff in ways that will look and sound spontaneous—but will be thoughtful, well‐argued, and deeply motivational.
History's Great Impromptu Speakers Were Made, Not Born
History provides many examples of individuals who faced the challenge of impromptu speaking—and discovered how to measure up to that challenge.
The first story recorded in Old English, back in the seventh century, told of a humble cowherd named Caedmon who was called upon to speak spontaneously at a mead hall feast. It was customary to pass around a harp and ask each guest to tell a story. The cowherd saw the harp coming toward him and panicked. He fled the hall in embarrassment. But he had a mystical dream that night, and when he returned to the hall he was able to miraculously compose a song of creation. All agreed it was divinely inspired.5
Abraham Lincoln knew the importance of spur‐of‐the‐moment comments. He told young lawyers that: “Extemporaneous speaking should be practiced and cultivated. It is the lawyer's avenue to the public.”6 Lincoln practiced what he preached, and as a result became an extraordinary impromptu speaker as was evident in the Lincoln‐Douglas debates.7
Winston Churchill, who would become one of the greatest orators of all time, honed his impromptu speaking skills. Early in his career he stood up to speak before the British Parliament and his mind went blank. According to a contemporary, Churchill stood there in silence “until at last he could bear it no longer; back in his seat, he could only bury his head in his hands. After his breakdown in the House of Commons he dreaded getting up to speak more than ever.”8 But Churchill worked hard on his speaking and became an eloquent orator.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was another leader who became a remarkable extemporaneous speaker through lifelong practice. As a preacher he would think through each sermon in advance, but he didn't read from a prepared text or notes. This gave him the opportunity to “rearrange ideas on the fly even being able to pull in sections of a totally different sermon.”9 This ability to create his material in the moment was a powerful force behind his “I Have a Dream” speech. Even though he had prepared a speech the night before, the “I Have a Dream” refrain, which is the heart and soul of that address, was improvised while he was speaking. He moved the crowd in a performance that reflected his extraordinary impromptu powers.10
Some of today's most highly regarded business leaders have wrestled with—and overcome—stage fright, and are now superb impromptu speakers. Virgin Group's Richard Branson has spoken openly about his early traumas with speaking11 and how he used informal phone pitches to develop his impromptu skills.12 Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted that he “used to be horrendous at public speaking,”13 and his comfort level is now with unscripted speaking. Warren Buffett said he was “terrified of public speaking,”14 but today he speaks confidently in impromptu situations, most notably at his shareholder meetings where he is live‐streamed to the entire world and fields questions for hours.15
Today's leaders have abundant opportunities to speak extemporaneously, and it's important to develop these skills whether you're building a business, leading an organization, expressing your political agenda, or inspiring colleagues around you.
The Power of This Book
This book focuses on the new world of communications and the opportunity to influence and inspire every day, every hour, every moment. It's for leaders. And by “leaders” I don't mean just those who hold top positions in their organizations. I mean anyone who wishes to influence others at any level, in any capacity, inside or outside the workplace.
Impromptu: Leading in the Moment presents a single, consistent approach that works in all situations, whether you are making a point at a meeting, answering a question in the corridor, chatting at a networking event, or saying a few words at a luncheon. All these situations are platforms for your leadership. And your ability to direct the conversation toward a solution or the acceptance of an idea will serve you well as a leader. I'd also like to think that this book will inspire those who give formal speeches and PowerPoint presentations to consider impromptu speaking as a smart alternative.
The book is divided into five parts providing leaders with a roadmap for speaking impromptu.
Part I: The New World of Impromptu explores why extemporaneous speaking has come to dominate business life. It discusses the larger changes in organizations and how top‐down structures have given way to flatter organizations in which everyone is potentially a leader and (at other times) a follower. This democratization of leadership and the movement from “big stages” to “small stages” creates enormous opportunity for those who excel at impromptu speaking.
Part II: The Impromptu Mind‐Set explores the mental preparation required to be an effective spontaneous leader. The impromptu mind‐set involves having the intention to lead, being a good listener, being authentic, being focused, and being respectful. These values and attitudes are absolutely necessary if you want to move a room—or reach one individual.
Part III: The Leader's Script shows you how to organize your thinking. You first need a storehouse of information and key messages to draw upon. Next comes the task of reading your audience. Once you've done that you're ready to create your script. This section sets forth the Leader's Script template for creating impromptu remarks. Its key elements are the grabber, message, structure, and call to action.
Part IV: Impromptu Scripts for Every Occasion offers readers templates they can use to script themselves as leaders in a full range of off‐the‐cuff situations. You will find scripts for meetings, job interviews, networking events, elevator conversations, micro‐presentations, tributes, toasts, impromptu speeches, and Q&As.
Part V: The Impromptu Stage shows you how to rehearse and deliver your impromptu remarks. This involves choosing your words carefully, being “in the moment,” and building rapport with your audience through the skills that improvisational actors use. In this section you will also learn how to be vocally strong and physically present in a way that engages your audience.
This book will enable you to speak as a confident leader in all off‐the‐cuff situations, so that you'll lead and inspire others every time you speak.
The impromptu words of tennis great, Roger Federer, offer one excellent example of how eloquent and inspirational your off‐the‐cuff speaking can be. After winning his eighth Wimbledon tournament in 2017, he said, “It's magical. I can't believe it yet. I guess it's just belief that I can achieve such heights.” Then he explained, “I wasn't sure I was ever going to be here again in another finals after last year and I had some tough ones with Novak [Djokovic] in 2014 and 2015. But I always believed that I could maybe come back and do it again. If you believe, you can go really far in your life. I think I did that, and I'm happy that I kept on believing and dreaming and here I am today.”16
Impromptu: Leading in the Moment will enable you to find the self‐expression that takes you to these inspirational heights. You don't have to be a tennis star or a CEO to be so inspiring. You may be a manager, a team leader, or an intern. Whatever your role, every day in every conversation you will be able to motivate, lead, and inspire by taking the journey mapped out in this book.
Notes
1
. Johanna Schneller, “oscars' epic Best Picture fail a Hollywood metaphor,” February 27, 2017,
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2017/02/27/oscars‐epic‐best‐picture‐fail‐a‐hollywood‐metaphor.html
.
2
.
La La Land
producer Jordan Horowitz on Oscars best picture mix‐up, ABC News, February 27, 2917.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/la‐la‐land‐producer‐jordan‐horowitz‐oscars‐best‐45776196
.
3
. Tim Webb, “BP's clumsy response to oil spill threatens to make a bad situation worse,”
The Guardian
, June 1, 2010;
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/jun/01/bp‐response‐oil‐spill‐tony‐hayward
.
4
. Online Etymology Dictionary,
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=impromptu
.
5
. The Story of Caedmon's Hymn is told by Bede in his
Ecclesiastical History of the English People [Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum]
, Book IV, Chapter xxiv, Cambridge, University Library Kk.5.16, fol.128b.
6
. Abraham Lincoln, “Notes for a Law Lecture,” as quoted in David Herbert Donald,
Lincoln
(New York: Touchstone, 1995), 98.
7
. Donald T. Phillips,
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
(New York: Warner Books, 1993), 145.
8
. Lord Moran,
Churchill: Taken from the Diaries of Lord Moran
(Boston, 1966), 132. Passage quoted in Kathleen Hall Jamieson,
Eloquence in an Electronic Age
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), 4.
9
. Pastor Terrell Harris, “The Preaching of Martin Luther King Jr.,” The Opened Box, January 20, 2014,
http://theopenedbox.com/articles/the‐preaching‐of‐martin‐luther‐king‐jr/
.
10
. Clayborne Carson, ed.,
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr
. (New York: Warner Books, 1998), 223.
11
. Richard Branson, “How to overcome public speaking nerves,”
Virgin.com
,
https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/richard‐branson‐how‐overcome‐public‐speaking‐nerves
.
12
. Carmine Gallo, “Branson, Buffett Agree: This Skill Is Your Ticket to Career Success,”
forbes.com
, Feb. 18, 2016,
http://www.carminegallo.com/branson‐buffett‐agree‐this‐skill‐is‐your‐ticket‐to‐career‐success/
.
13
. Elon Musk, in an interview at Silicon Valley's Churchill Club, quoted by Carmine Gallo in “Richard Branson: ‘Communication Is the Most Important Skill Any Leader Can Possess,”
Forbes.com
, July 7, 2015,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2015/07/07/richard‐branson‐communication‐is‐the‐most‐important‐skill‐any‐leader‐can‐possess
….
14
. Carmine Gallo, “Branson, Buffett Agree: This Skill Is Your Ticket to Career Success,” Ibid.
15
. The 2017 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting, Omaha, Nebraska, broadcast by Yahoo!Finance, May 6, 2017.
https://finance.yahoo.com/BRKlivestream/
.
16
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGE1vyW5Y5Y
Part IThe New World of Impromptu
1The Rise of Impromptu Speaking
The way leaders communicate in organizations has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last half century. No longer is leadership delivered primarily by C‐Suite executives standing behind podiums reading words written for them. Today, individuals at every level are leading with impromptu remarks. How and why that transformation has occurred provides the foundation for this book.
The Glory Days of the Formal Speech
Back in the 1980s when I entered the business world, CEOs and top executives in every organization regularly delivered formal speeches and rarely spoke spontaneously—nor was anyone else encouraged to communicate. The law of the land was for managers and junior executives to keep their mouths shut. In fact, when a group of engineers heard that we in the corporate communications department were about to introduce a program that would teach managers how to communicate, one senior engineer wrote an email, “How can we shut this program down?”
My first job as a speech writer was supporting a group of senior executives. It felt like I was joining a secret society. My boss looked me in the eye on that first day of work and said: “I'm going to turn you into a speech writer.” I was a novitiate—and he was the old master passing on the secrets of this sacred craft. He sent me to New York where I took a course with one of the greats: a man who had crafted remarks for Nelson Rockefeller. When preparing a major address, there were elaborate rituals, spread over many weeks or even months. I learned to plan, research, outline, discuss, write, rewrite, and format the script for a thirty‐minute talk. The CEO was involved in most of these activities, and took them very seriously. So elaborate was this process that my boss once told me that we should not agree to write a major speech if the executive did not give us at least three months to make this happen. Three months!
In those days the speech writer worked closely with the senior executive. When a CEO retired, he might pass his writer on to a friend or colleague in the industry. In fact, one retiring CEO I had been writing for called another senior executive in the industry and “offered” me as a speech writer. I didn't take the job but I was honored to have received his endorsement.
I found this work exciting, and through my affiliation with IABC (International Association for Business Communicators), I regularly presented a speech‐writing course in major U.S. and Canadian cities. During these years, which were the heyday of formal speech giving, this one‐day program, “The Art of Speech Writing,” was often oversubscribed.
When, in 1988, I established my own communications company, The Humphrey Group, the demand for speeches was still high. Writing those speeches and coaching executives to deliver them was the bread and butter for my new firm. The demand was so great that I and my husband (an academic who regularly helped out) often worked until the wee hours of the morning to meet deadlines.
And then in the 1990s something odd but unmistakable occurred. The demand for formal speeches declined, while the number of people asking The Humphrey Group for assistance with impromptu remarks soared. I remember a conversation with a chief financial officer at that time. He had just come from speaking to analysts about the company's quarterly results. I said to him, “Where is your speech?” He pointed to his temple. I thought he was a genius to speak simply and confidently from a mental outline, but that is exactly what leaders had begun to do. The focus of leadership communications was evolving from prepared speeches to impromptu remarks.
I remember in the early 1990s coaching a senior executive—the head of engineering for a large utility—who transformed his style dramatically when he scrapped his speech and spoke from notes. In his elaborate scripted text he had highlighted certain words in yellow, in a desperate effort to draw them out. There was so much detail—numbers, information, technical data, jargon—all on the subject of metallurgical engineering. As he spoke I realized the text was dragging him down. His tone did not change from thought to thought. His pace did not change. His face was without expression. He was buried alive in all that verbiage.
I turned the videotape off and we both agreed his scripted remarks had been awful. Together we revised the text. We ditched the long, cumbersome sentences and created “memory joggers” that would remind him of his message and key points.
The transformation was remarkable. Now he was looking up, not dropping down into the text. He was talking, not reading. He embellished each point with an illustration. He was free. Free to improvise. This, I thought, was what the informal speech should be.
For good reason formal speechmaking has lost its devotees. As Bart Egnal, my successor and CEO of The Humphrey Group, says: “Over the past fifteen years that I've been with the company one trend that has never changed is the decline of formal speaking and the rise in extemporaneous communication. The speech has died—and is being replaced by the conversation. Audiences are craving authentic conversations; formal, overly scripted performances are rejected. Leaders who take note of this trend and build their skills to capitalize on such everyday moments are winning hearts and minds.”
Today more and more leaders—pressed for time and anxious to be authentic—are scrapping the script. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, hired Dex Torricke‐Barton, Mark Zuckerberg's speech writer, but was quick to point out in a tweet that “Dex will do comms, but my speeches are just a conversation w the audience. No time to rehearse & don't want to read from a prompter.” One fan tweeted back, “That's JUST the way we like you, Elon! Off the cuff & personal.” Another replied, “I agree 100%. Don't change the way you talk.”1
This transformation of leadership communications from scripts to spontaneity, from the big stage to the small stage, reflects a new era of impromptu speaking.
The Three Reasons for the Rise of Impromptu Speaking
The rise in impromptu speaking (and the decline of formal addresses) reflects three closely related developments that have changed our world.
First, the Flattening of Organizations
Businesses large and small, governments at all levels, charities, and even volunteer associations are very different than they were twenty (or even ten) years ago. There's still someone at the “top.” But there are now fewer layers, and fewer barriers between top and bottom. Knowledge and decision-making are decentralized.
The change that emerged in the 1990s was a long time in coming. Deborah Ancona, a professor of management and organizational studies at MIT, chronicles an evolution that began with the “super bureaucracies” of the 1920s. And while there were modifications in the intervening decades, the most significant changes have occurred in recent years. The result has been today's workplace with “what's called variously eco‐leadership, collaborative leadership, or distributed leadership.”2
As Ancona and Henrik Bresman explain in their book, X‐Teams, “The shift from a singular reliance on command‐and‐control leadership to more of a distributed leadership mind‐set requires additional dialogue and alignment up and down the organization.”3 That's because “critical knowledge and information that used to flow vertically from the top is now flowing not only both ways but also laterally across units and organizations.”4 Everyone now is expected to bring forward their ideas and inspire followers. Communications are no longer the sole responsibility of those at the top. Leadership is expected at all levels of the organization. Even a junior analyst must be able to present a clear summary of his thinking to someone who might be a C‐Suite executive or a portfolio manager. Nobody gets off the hook! Leadership does not reside in a title. It exists in this ability to inspire people up, down, and across the organization.
Today's leaders must communicate in a more open, authentic, and informal manner than was previously done at the top. This approach requires listening, consensus‐building, and collaboration in meetings, one‐on‐one encounters, and parking lot or elevator conversations. Leadership is based on everyday encounters where one feels the need to lead in the moment, speak spontaneously, and share an idea or a vision of what's possible. This is leadership in the organizations of the twenty‐first century.
Second, the Power of Technology
Technology has accelerated the shift to distributed leadership. For the longest time knowledge was the exclusive domain of the few individuals at the top. In the nineteenth and the first part of the twentieth century the CEO and his circle (invariably men) received the reports from an army of accountants and bookkeepers. That exclusivity did not end with the advent of mainframes in the 1950s. Still relatively few individuals had access to information.
But all that changed beginning in the 1990s with the rise of the World Wide Web and low‐cost networked computers. Almost overnight every knowledge worker had access to extraordinary amounts of information. In The Cluetrain Manifesto,
