21 Great Leaders: Learn Their Lessons, Improve Your Influence by Pat Williams Page A

stories, and organization of the speech; you know exactly what you want to say at all times—but every time you give that speech, you compose a new and original version, sentence by sentence, as you speak. You deliver your speech the same way you would have a one-on-one conversation with a friend. You compose it as you go, while looking your audience in the eye.
    And most important of all, you speak confidently, with passion and enthusiasm, in a compelling conversational style. If you want to communicate
your
dream,
your
leadership vision, in a way that persuades and inspires, throw away the script. Speak from your heart.
    3.
Communicate passion, not just ideas and information
. Great communicators don’t just dump information on their listeners—they fire up their listeners with excitement and enthusiasm. If you want to transmit information, send an e-mail. But if you want to motivate and persuade, you have to communicate your passion.
    Dr. King communicated passion and enthusiasm every time he spoke. He used rolling phrases to stir the souls of his listeners. He employed a powerful rhetorical device called
anaphora
—repeating important phrases for emphasis: “Now is the time…”; “One hundred years later…”; “We can never be satisfied…”; “Let freedom ring…”; “Free at last…”; and above all, “I have a dream….”
    Dr. King didn’t sugarcoat the obstacles his people would face on the way to the promised land of equality and brotherhood—but in the midst of the crisis, he communicated hope. As he spoke, he opened the floodgates of his emotions, and his listeners were carried away on that emotional flood.
    Your message should be logically organized and supported by facts (as Dr. King’s message was). You want to
reach
the emotions of your listeners, not manipulate them. But facts and logic alone are not enough. Your leadership vision deserves a powerful presentation. Tell them about your dream—and tell them with passion.
    4.
Speak with authority
. Dr. King did not mince words. He spoke like a general issuing marching orders to his troops: “We shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
    Avoid “weasel words” that suck the power and authority out of your message. People use weasel words to avoid taking responsibility for their thoughts. Qualifiers are weasel words that cloud your meaning. For example, avoid saying “basically”—it weakens your statement. “To be honest” makes people wonder if you were dishonest before. Replace the squishy-sounding phrase “I feel” with a strong declarative statement. Instead of qualifying your position with “in my opinion,” get the facts that enable you to speak with authority. Speak with confidence and you’ll inspire confidence in your listeners.
    No one wants to follow an uncertain leader. As the apostle Paul wrote, “If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” 11
    5.
Don’t soft-pedal bad news
. Dr. King stated the truth with unsparing clarity: “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” He always paired bad news with his optimistic vision of the change that was coming.
    If your organization is struggling, if your game plan is not working, candidly say so. Then, with confidence and enthusiasm, give your listeners an injection of hope and optimism. Motivate them, energize them—then lead them into your vision of the future.
    6.
Communicate a sense of urgency
. Dr. King wanted the nation to know that the African-American community had reached the end of its patience. He said, “We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time…!” Motivate your listeners to action with a sense of urgency.
    7.
Identify with your listeners
. Let them know