Make the Connection: Improve Your Communication at Work and at Home

21. What We Really Want from Our Leaders

the pro-choicers into a room and get them to figure out how we can help women avoid unintended pregnancies and do it in accordance with their conscience.” Donaldson persisted, saying, “But governor, doesn’t the Pope want to excommunicate you?” Cuomo leaned forward and said, “The Pope has never spoken on Mario Cuomo’s position and Lord knows the leader of the whole world’s Catholic Church has more important things to think about than the baggy-eyed governor of New York who’s in trouble with his budget.” Score one for Mario Cuomo. Sam Donaldson had nowhere to go. The key is that Cuomo anticipated hostile questioning on the subject of abortion. His strategy no matter what he was asked on the subject was to briefly respond and bridge back to his message, which in this case was talking about how to help women avoid unintended pregnancies (which no one could be against) and that the Pope was too important to be thinking about Mario Cuomo. Such communication savvy doesn’t happen by accident or overnight . It’s part of a plan that is designed and practiced again and again. Q ⫽ A ⫹ 1. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Chapter 21 WHAT WE REALLY WANT FROM OUR LEADERS January is the time of year when leaders in both the public and private sectors get ready to make important presentations to very important audiences. Governors of state and the President of the United States deliver annual addresses at the beginning of the year. CEOs and other top executives have been working feverishly with their communication teams to talk to shareholders and employees about the “big picture.” No easy feat during these extremely difficult times. The Power of Passion and Connecting with Others 45 But while communicators in charge spend countless hours gathering data, verifying facts, developing PowerPoint slides, and prettying up lots of charts and graphs, one critical question often gets overlooked. What does my audience really want from me? Here are some things that most members of your audience will be listening for: The facts. Most people want you to be honest with them. They are looking for candor about the difficult challenges and problems your organization faces.Of course they’d rather not hear it, but what’s the alternative? Lying, deception? That’s what the executives at Enron did and look at the price that company paid. Reason to hope. While people appreciate your candor and honesty , they also need you to tell them that the glass is half-full, not half-empty. People are looking for the silver lining because if things are so bad and there is no hope, why should they keep plugging away? It’s what the management of the New York Jets did after they got crushed by the Raiders in a critical late-season game. Sure they lost, and on some level “failed,” but the owners and coaches congratulated the players on turning what was a dismal season into something very positive to build upon next year. Passion. Let your audience know what you feel, not simply what you think. This is all about passion. People want to know what is in your heart as well as what is in your head. Disclose a little bit of yourself. Most people appreciate and respect that. If your presentation is all about the facts, why not just send out an email and save time for everyone? Challenge. More than forty years ago, President John F. Kennedy asked Americans to consider not just what their country could do for them,but what they could do for their country.That message still resonates today. People want to be part of the solution and want to give more of themselves. Great leaders find a way to tap into that desire. Direction. Once you’ve connected with people on an emotional and personal level, your responsibility is to give them practical tools and advice. This will provide direction for them to channel their efforts. 46 MAKE THE CONNECTION Clarity. Audiences want to know, “What’s the point?” Your audience wants to be able to follow what you are saying without racking their brains. State your message up front, state it again, and conclude by stating it one more time with feeling. Brevity. Too many of these annual addresses last nearly an hour or more. Way too long! You know you can do it in...