Masterful explanation = Holistic communication. What does it actually mean to be a great speaker?

Tuesday: Return Driven Strategy

FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Have you heard about Return Driven Strategy (RDS)? This framework is discussed in detail in Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo’s book, “Driven,” and has 11 tenets and 3 foundations that help businesses achieve wealth and value creation.   RDS is also applicable to the microlevel—individuals who are looking for ways to boost their careers. Just apply the framework’s tenets and foundations to a person’s work experiences and you have Career Driven Strategy (CDS). Today, we’ll focus on CDS in the context of public speaking and holistic communication. Keep reading to know how you can effectively get your message across and leave a lasting impression on your audience. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Masterful explanation = Holistic communication. What does it actually mean to be a great speaker? Jim Harvey, the Managing Director of The Message Business, once said: “Expertise has no value to an audience that doesn’t understand.” It’s true. No matter how accomplished you are in your career or industry, your expertise is of neutral value unless you know how to effectively communicate what you know to other people. — Tenet 11 of Return Driven Strategy (RDS) and Career Driven Strategy (CDS) talks about communicating holistically. According to authors Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo, this supporting tenet impacts thoughts… and these thoughts will determine whether you’ll succeed or fail in your goals as an industry professional. Let’s apply this concept in the context of public speaking… As a speaker, how can you impact the thoughts of your audience and effectively deliver your message? One way is through explanation. According to Chris Anderson, the curator of TED Talks, explanation is “the act of consciously adding a new element to someone’s mental model or reordering existing elements in a more satisfying way.” This means if your goal is to build a memorable and useful idea in your audience’s minds, explaining your key points clearly and properly is essential. Below are a few guidelines to help you effectively communicate your message: Be familiar with your audience. The first thing you should consider when preparing for your talk is the audience and their familiarity with your topic. Ask yourself: “Who am I speaking to?” What does the audience already know about my topic?” What else do they need to know?” “What are the gaps I need to fill in for them as I present my topic?” Having answers to these questions will help you gather background information about your listeners. Through this, you’ll know how to tailor your presentation based on their interests. Keep your presentations simple. Overloading and overwhelming your audience with lots of information and jargon can be counterproductive. Why? Instead of clarity, it can result in more confusion—or boredom—on their part. Think about this: If you’re part of the audience and you’re listening to such a presentation, would you feel engaged? Highly likely, you’ll feel bored and lose interest because you’ll think that the speaker doesn’t care much about what ticks your interest and curiosity. Let’s go back to you as the speaker… After knowing how your listeners might feel towards an overloaded and jargony presentation, the next thing you should focus on is to deliver just enough information. Stay out of the weeds, especially when you’re presenting complex data. This will compel your audience to lend you their eyes and ears throughout your talk. Take advantage of different figures of speech such as similes and metaphors in your presentation. Using figures of speech adds a rhetorical effect in your presentation. Take a look at this example: “Raising children is like gardening—you have to nurture them and be patient.” The example above compares patterns that are similar to both raising children and gardening. By using a concept that’s familiar to the audience (gardening), you can make abstract ideas (raising children) more concrete. However, avoid making your analogies complicated. The simpler your examples are, the easier it will be for your audience to understand your message. Many of the world’s greatest speakers achieved their greatness through “masterful explanation.” … and how did they master the art of explanation? Through holistic communication! Knowing how to communicate holistically enables speakers to tackle various topics clearly. Through explaining their ideas effectively, listeners understand their message without getting bored. What’s more? They are also able to fill in gaps for their audience—part of RDS’ and CDS’ Tenet Two: Fulfill Otherwise Unmet Customer Needs! By using a new and different approach to an old or existing topic, great speakers make their message laser-focused to listeners’ needs and let them go home with a whole new knowledge. So… take note of the tips above—be familiar with your audience, keep your presentations simple, and take advantage of various figures of speech! By applying these techniques in your next public speaking engagement, you’ll easily explain your message with clarity. Not only will you communicate holistically with your listeners but also leave a positive and lasting impression on them! We hope you find today’s career-driven tip on public speaking insightful! Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s Return Driven Strategy! “Think different.” Learn more about what gives Apple a competitive edge in the market in next week’s article!