Golfing putting practice - and presentations

Yesterday I attended an 1806 Club Breakfast at Haileybury School, Hertfordshire. The excellent speaker was the golf professional, Dave Smith who told me how he combined his enthusiasm for golfing with supporting amateur golfers and participating in tournaments.

At the end of the talk, there was an excellent question asking what advice he would give his 17 year old self. "Putting: practice all the time" was his immediate response.He then qualified his answer by explaining that the top golfers win matches on their ability to putt a ball and will constantly practise this technique, yet most golfers will practice the big hits. They should be practising putting in order to win."

I found this fascinating; how often do we focus on the bigger picture: the PowerPoint slides; the statistics we are going to quote; what we are going to wear - which are, of course all important, when we should concentrate on the summary, or an element that the listener will remember.

When we go into a meeting; present to clients or colleagues; even make a telephone call, we prepare beforehand. Make sure you have prepared a clear summary: something the client will remember, to ensure YOU win the putt!!

Enthusiasm

The power of the voice for impact: Jackie Kennedy's voice

I don't know about you, but I found the sound recordings of Jackie Kennedy speaking, compelling. Reading her thoughts on history, leaders and situations is one thing, but to actually hear her voice, with its nuances made it so powerful to listen to. It brought to live an individual and was a fascinating portrait of the person.
Here is an article about the recordings.

The Language Generation Gap

I found this hilarious Ali G interview on You Tube which rather emphasised the challenge different generations have communicating! There are so many misunderstandings, and in fact, two separate conversations going on.

So what implication does that have for us: well as good communicators we need to engage people of different generations, without being patronising, cold or even incomprehensible. As we get older, we tend to be less tolerant of 'youth speak' (it's a sign of age!) but young people deserve to be listened to, understood and respected in the same way as older people.

I believe it is the role of the speaker to make it as easy as possible to be understood. So if you are using slang or technical jargon, you are alienating some of your audience. Of course the reason why some people use such terms is to single themselves out into a particular group - or generation, but it is worthwhile bearing this in mind when speaking to other generations.

So here are my top tips for addressing different age groups.

• Be aware of the audience you are speaking to; if you are speaking to mainly young people they won't respond to references that aren't relevant to them.
• Don't speak down to your audience.
• Don't adopt a 'Street Speak' just because you are speaking to younger people - remember how awful Tony Blair sounded when he adopted an Estuary accent. There is nothing worse than someone trying to be young, but who isn't!
• Be respectful to your audience. Don't speak down to them, but don't use language that alienates them.
• Engage your audience by Q and As: you will learn as much as they do and this is a good way to engage them on their level.

One extra point that should be considered, is when interviewing people. I have been told, so many times by employers interviewing for junior posts, that young people are 'unemployable'. Perhaps there is an element of forgetting what it is like to be young and inexperienced! However, I have some top tips for employers and interviewees who are facing either side of the interview desk.

For young people:

• Don't fib; it is likely that the more experienced person will see through your lies and it rather discredits you.
• Don't feel you have to exaggerate your experience; employers don't expect you to have done everything.
• Listen to the questions.
• Answer questions clearly and honestly.
• Be enthusiastic and interested! Employers are looking for potential and people wishing to learn.
• Be careful with your language and expressions; you are not talking to your friends but people like teachers, parents and your friends' parents.
• Do some research of the company and the person you are meeting; you will be able to answer questions with the company in mind and also ask questions.
• Remember to ask at least one question at the end of the interview.
• Look at the interviewer when listening to him/her and acquire eye contact.
• Practice beforehand.
• Don't be late; there is nothing wrong with being really early!
• Be smart; clean hair, shoes and nails.

For employers:

• Remember what it was like when you were young and had no experience!
• Don't expect the interviewee to know everything - particularly if they have come straight from school.
• Ask them questions about themselves; hobbies; interests; dreams. You will be able to assess how enthusiastic they are and also whether they have a positive attitude.
• Remember that they possibly have little experience - and certainly not being interviewed, so take this into account.
• An arrogant young person could be hiding a lack of confidence.
• A young person might not have been made aware of appropriate language, like, that, like OMG, is appropriate for the office environment. It is up to you how you assess whether this could be changed.
• Look for potential; prepare a list of criteria you are looking for - such as interest in the company; having prepared for their interview beforehand; punctuality.

Straining or overusing the voice; warnings

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/connie-fisher-no-longer-has-vocal-range-for-sound-of-music_1238831

I read a sad story of a music theatre singer who has over used her voice - using it when she had an infection, resulting in what appears to be some vocal damage. The link is above. I often highlight the plight of teachers who have an occupational hazard of vocal strain. This also is a problem for performers: singers, actors and music theatre specialists. Within their training, they should learn all of the techniques for sustaining a long, career, free of vocal problems. This is why, in particular, opera singers train for as long as Surgeons, to acquire their skills. However, outside factors, such as fumes, pollen and even hormones do have an effect on vocal usage so you need to know when there is a potential problem and have the technique to modify your vocal usage.

In the case of the singer involved, I believe she didn't have the necessary advise given to her, or possibly she didn't listen to advice. She had been given a 'dream' opportunity to star in a West End production. Normally a role as long as this would not be taken by one person, but a 'lead' person and another who would do at least two performances a week. However, she took all of the performances; exhausting for a very experienced performer but for one that was inexperienced, this was a danger. She didn't yet know how to pace herself and change her lifestyle to cope with the physical and mental demands of such a role. When she was ill, she came back from sick leave too early and then developed some damage to the vocal cords - resulting in the reduced vocal range.

My advise to anyone using their voice frequently: whether they be a performer, teacher or telesales worker: make sure you are aware of any vocal strain. If your voice is tired or strained, don't use it and seek medical advice. Don't be fobbed off with "Well it's part of the dangers of being a singer/teacher" but insist on expert advice.

Executive Voice: directness works at times of trouble

Like everyone else, I have been appalled by the riots; the greed of the looters; the callousness of the thugs. I have been disappointed by some people that have half heartedly spoken to the public; Nick Clegg seemed out of his depth when he met with the local community in Clapham today, and some community speakers used the knee jerk reaction of "It's the police" or "It's because of the cuts".
I am not denying that there might be outside influences causing these actions, however, this does not help the situation or calm many angry, frightened residents and people that are watching on TV.
I was therefore reassured by the new temporary Chief Constable of the Met, who said it as it was; "Call your children; tell them to go home; stop standing in the streets; go home; let the police get on with their job". Brave, sensible talk. Not pussy footing around or trying to find excuses, it was practical stuff.
Today, there was another highlight: the MP for Battersea saying that if your child has new trainers, phone or other equipment, "Ask those difficult questions; where have they come from." She also told parents to march their children to the nearest police station if they have been looting.
This is not the time for excuses; that will come later. In the meantime, our leaders and clear voices need to tell people what to do, to avoid this escalating and also to send the message that this behaviour - excuses or not - is illegal.

Executive Voice: the power of podcasts

I read an interesting article on the BBC website about podcasts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9545533.stm

With social media being the buzz word du jour, it appears that podcasts are no longer in vogue. It appears that everyone is tweeting; on facebook, or for work on Linkedin. However, the BBC has discovered that podcasts are being downloaded and listened to more.

As a communication tool, podcasts are very useful in that they have a human contact element to them. We engaged with the human voice in a way that Twitter -which of course has it's own uses, does not. Listening to tips on setting up a business; training for the marathon or even deciding what to cook for supper tonight engage many people that prefer audio communication to the written word. Using podcasts transmits information to more people than written word only.

I currently use audioboo for my podcasts (although I am just about to change). My channel is www.audioboo.fm/executivevoice