The Speaking Secret of Inspirational Leaders

Have you ever wondered why some leaders are more inspirational than others? Here’s the secret. They speak from the inside out. Where most leaders speak about the WHAT and the HOW, leaders who inspire audiences with their message do one thing differently. They speak about the WHY. An example of this is Steve Jobs of Apple. His mantra was “Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo.” It’s his WHY for his company. That’s why he inspired a strong cult-like following. His customers are more than buyers. They are believers who want to “think different”.

Martin Luther King wasn’t the only leader who believed in civil rights yet he was the one who inspired a national march on Washington. He spoke from his WHY. He didn’t talk about facts. He said, “I believe. I have a dream.” It became a movement that went beyond the African-American community. It was a universal cause that people could believe in.

Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, surprised the media with the overwhelming success of his book. His belief that “God Has a Plan for You,” tapped into a deep, emotional need regardless of religious orientation. It’s a message that is bigger than the individual and people connected emotionally.

We now know the neurological reason these speakers are able to inspire. When a speaker talks about the WHAT and the HOW, the message appeals to the neocortex of the brain. This is the center of rational thought. People are not generally moved to action by facts and figures.

When you talk from your WHY, you speak directly to the limbic brain. The limbic brain appeals to trust, loyalty, and emotion. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

So, what is your WHY? Why do you do what you do? What do you believe? Think about those leaders who inspire others, whether it’s one-on-one or to a large audience. Who are your inspirational role models?

Ex. 3. Choose the best adverbs or adjectives for each sentence.

1. Sales shot up slowly/slightly/dramatically and surpassed all our expectations.

2. The coverage rate decreased significantly/ slightly/steadily by 10% every year.

3. These was a huge/ slight/ significant rise in price from $ 0.75 to $ 0.95.

4. The marketing department has grown considerably/ gradually/ slowly in the last three years and doubled in size.

5. A fast/ gradual/ insignificant rise in a raw material prices has slowly but surely eroded our margin.

6. Up to now we have ignored the slight/steady/rapid growth in the sector but the growth is so fast that we cannot continue to do this.

7. There was a sharp/ gradual/fast and noticeable jump in wastage in very short time.

8. The online marketing are dropping slightly/substantially/ significantly. However, the decline is so small that we shouldn’t include it in the final figures.

UNIT 2

Text 1. Read and translate the text consulting the dictionary if necessary

Are Your Presentation Titles Provocative Enough?

The other night I gave a presentation on the topic of communication for a women’s diversity group. My topic was Creating Confidence: Ten Ways Women Sabotage Communication in the Workplace. Within 20 minutes of sending out the first announcement 60 people signed up. A few hours later there were 100 registrants. And the final number was 300 women. The room capacity was limited to 90 people so they had to close registration. Obviously, this topic hit a nerve. There was company-wide interest.

And then I received a call that there were one or two women who were offended by my title. They thought it was disparaging to women. Two people out of 300 were upset. But it was enough to cause discussion within the committee. After much back and forth, it was decided that they would change the title on the PowerPoint slide to Creating Confidence: Ten Tips to Maximize Your Communication.

The event attracted a large crowd and the energy was positive and upbeat. The informal comments very positive and even the few men who attended liked my presentation. It was determined that there was nothing negative about my speech. There was even positive buzz the next day.

What did I learn from all this? When it comes to public speaking, titles sell. If I had led with Ten Tips to Maximize Your Communication I doubt that we would’ve had that much interest so quickly. Why? Because the word “sabotage” is provocative. It begs the question, How and Why. It creates curiosity. Yet, in a politically correct world it’s becoming easier to offend people. The goal is to attract an audience so that they can hear your message. Here’s what I’ve learned from speaker evaluations - the majority rules. If nine out of ten people loved the speaker, believe the majority. There will always be people who don’t like a speaker or a topic. Artists provoke us with their paintings and music and change the world. And public speakers can provoke an audience with their words to reach higher, to think bigger. Fear of rejection shouldn’t prevent us from taking a risk and telling the truth as we know it.

Ex. 1. Complete this presentation abstract with the correct prepositions

Let’s move on the statistics. In the 1960s we spent about 25% of our household income on food, but this has now actually dropped … 10% … 15%. However, the proportion of the average food budget that we spend in restaurants and on takeaways has risen dramatically … 2% …33% in the same period. More importantly, I would like to point out that annual national expenditure on ready meals fluctuated somewhere …$250 million and $300 million just 10 years ago but this has now jumped … nearly $400 million … almost $700 million. This has resulted from an increase … 100% in the numbers of single households and decline … the time we spend cooking our main meal. This was around 2.5 hours in the 60s but has fallen significantly and today sounds … 15 minutes. What does all this mean for us in the packaging industry?

Text 2. Read the text and be ready for a comprehension checkup.

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