A thought by John C. Maxwell from his
book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.
(p. 50). HarpersCollins Leadership Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title
to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
Ok, ok, John, what does that mean?
He goes on, “Have you ever had to
communicate someone else’s vision? It’s very difficult to do, isn’t it? It’s
hard to get excited when you’re presenting someone else’s ideas. Yet, if you
work in any kind of organization and you’re not the top leader, that is exactly
what you are expected to do. How can you do that with credibility? By making it
your vision. By that, I mean that you must first discover how the vision
positively impacts you. You must connect with it on a personal level. Once you
have done that, you will be able to do more than simply relay information. You
will be able to convey inspiration. Nothing can happen through you until it
happens to you.
“This kind of ownership is necessary
not only for leaders and speakers but also for authors. For a book to connect
with readers, it must be more than just a book. It must possess a part of the
author. Otherwise, it lacks authenticity and credibility. It can have great
information, but it can still fall flat if the author does not connect with
readers.”
He says, “As important as it is for a
message to be heartfelt and genuine, that, of course, isn’t enough. Your message
must also be more than just a message. It must have value. It must deliver on
the promise it offers to its audience. It must have the potential to change
other people’s lives. That’s my goal every time I write a book or prepare to
speak to an audience.
“Many times each year I am engaged as
a speaker for companies and other organizations. Often I request a call with
someone in the organization prior to the speaking engagement so I can learn the
expectations of my host and the background of my audience. My goal is never to
simply deliver a speech. I want to add value to people. And to have a chance to
do that, what I say and do must be within the context of the bigger picture of
the organization’s purpose, mission, and goals. I always spend time tailoring
what I’m going to say to fit what they need.
“After I’ve finished speaking, I also
take time to evaluate whether I connected with my audience and helped my
sponsor. I do that by going through my Connection Checklist, which includes the
following questions:
v INTEGRITY—Did I do my best?
v EXPECTATION—Did I please my sponsor?
v RELEVANCE—Did I understand and relate to the
audience?
v VALUE—Did I
add value to the people?
v APPLICATION—Did I give people a game plan?
v CHANGE—Did I make a difference?”
John then says, “If I can honestly answer yes to those
questions, I feel certain that my connection with the audience was good and I was
able to reward them for the time they’ve given me.
And that is a very good thing to want, isn’t it?
Comments
Post a Comment