A leader tries to guide and motivate others to take action and implement change. Of course, there are many ways of doing that, but it’s important to note that leadership doesn’t involve forcing people to act in a certain way. For that reason, as a leader you need to:
- Inspire and motivate people
- Guide them to work together
- Take responsibility for progress towards a goal
A lot of the work of leadership is done through speaking, both to individuals one-on-one and to groups.
Here are some guidelines for speaking like a leader.
1. Describe the need
In order to get others to buy into the need to change, you need to describe the need. What’s the problem with the status quo?
Because people are often comfortable with the current state of affairs, you may need to emphasise why change is needed — the consequences of not changing.
2. Share your vision
People need to visualise what things could be like after a change. This inspires them to do the sometimes hard work of learning new procedures and unlearning old habits. When you speak, you need to share your vision of the new way, without sounding preachy or condescending.
3. Show your confidence and knowledge
You must be prepared before you speak. You need to have done your homework and have arrived at a conclusion that you feel confident in.
4. Use plenty of examples–stories and case studies
Back up your research with examples–stories and case studies. Tell a story of how things went wrong last week. Share a case study from another company who made similar changes. Read online customer reviews that are hurting the company. Whatever the problem, examples will help your audience really feel the situation.
5. Listen
As a leader, you should have a plan — a blueprint for the way forward, but you also need to be willing to make adjustments to it. There are always points of view you didn’t think of, so ask for feedback and listen to it carefully.
In order to motivate people to change, you need to consider the needs of the people who are doing the changing. You may need to compromise to move forward and reach the goal.
6. Work collaboratively
Even as a leader, you need to work with people and participate in the change. People don’t want to see you as a taskmaster but as a leading partner. Once you’ve explained the problem, shared your vision, showed your confidence and knowledge, used examples, and listened to feedback, you need to take the first step. Then others will move with you and you can move mountains. Remember, a team is much more powerful and effective than one person working alone!
Source: https://www.presentationmagazine.com/how-to-speak-like-a-leader-26866.htm
