Speak your way to the top 10
You clearly are in a leadership position if you have to speak to millions. In January, US presidents step up to the podium. In September, the President of the European Commission follows suit. We believe leaders are not born but trained. These tips will help you get noticed at public events as well as in backdoor meetings.
State of the European Union addresses started in 2010. Since then, the European Parliament got 10 updates from José Manuel Barroso, Jean-Claude Juncker and Ursula von der Leyen. Anna Scortariu tweeted an insightful thread showing how it has evolved.
Hole die Kartoffeln aus dem Feuer
Every State of the European Union (SotEU) lays out how the President tries to steer the Member States away from the EU’s most treacherous quagmires. Barroso tried to restore confidence in the economy; Juncker called for solutions to the refugee crisis; and Von der Leyen proposed initiatives to tackle the current pandemic and climate crisis. Delivering a dull report would only make them look weak.
If you want to stand out, you should prepare for meetings more than descriptive statements - regardless of your official job title. Identify a big challenge and, instead of a gloomy complaint, paint a bright picture by explaining how you could help overcome it. Propose more plans than praising the past to reduce the risk of blowing your own trumpet. A participant says what needs to be said whereas a leader says what needs to be solved.
Ne pousse pas mémé dans les orties
55 minutes. The average SotEU lasts twice as long as most sitcoms but is rarely half as entertaining. The President reads out more than 6,000 words, scrutinised by political advisors and translated into 23 languages. The work of speechwriters in the EU institution can thus remind one more of a tireless Sisyphus than an eloquent Demosthenes.
Linguistic barriers limit the use of rhetorical repertoire. Most rhetorical schemes fall flat because translating a word often means changing letters and the length of words. Poetic devices are almost impossible because what rhymes in English does not necessarily do so in German. You can still sprinkle an international speech with epizeuxis (the repetition of a word), anaphoras (starting sentences in the same way) and metaphors.
A leader does not have to be a poet (although Herman Van Rompuy loves haikus). They need to project confidence and, according to Carol Kinsey Gorman’s book, “Stand Out”. This means dropping qualifiers, fillers, meaningless repetition, tags and minimisers. A quick look at the transcripts of the SotEU confirms her hypothesis. Von der Leyen utters the word “very”, a common qualifier, only twice in her one-hour speech. She, moreover, spends no more than one minute on each priority. Gorman recommends keeping courtesies to a minimum, answering questions directly and owning your proposals with “I” statements.
Be eye-catching
Not all heroes wear masks, and some leaders wear hoodies. Nonetheless, clothes impact your public image. An experiment from the 1950s found that a suited and booted man could persuade 14% of pedestrians to cross the street violating the traffic signal whereas only 4% followed a man whose attire suggested lower status. A 2014 simulation found that suited and booted men gained more in negotiations because they behaved more dominantly. You should, hence, dress for the job you want and not just the one you have if your role requires projecting authority.
Another lesson we can draw from the SotEU is the positioning of the President. They sit in the chamber and use the mic in front of them for ordinary sessions. At special sessions, however, the President walks to the podium so that all eyes are on them. You do not have to take centre stage or grab a seat at the head of the table but pick a power spot that has a good view because you will get noticed without people having to turn their head.
Three tips to speak more like a leader
Present yourself as a problem-solver and paint a bright picture.
Drop meaningless repetition, minimisers and qualifiers.
Choose high-status clothes and a power spot.
- written by Benjamin Wilhelm, benjamin[at]thedandeliongroup.eu
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