~ By Scott Stover

After hearing a speaker did you ever lean over and whisper to a colleague, “That was way too short?”

I occasionally help Ken Davis with the Dynamic Communicators Workshops (DCW).  The primary way we help students apply what they are learning is through a 5 minute speech that they deliver in the evenings during the 3 day workshop.

We always get the same push-back from attendees, “The 5 minute speech is unrealistic.  You’re not living in the real world.”

Well I recently came across a “real world” example.  There are many – but this one hit me squarely between the eyes.

During my company’s annual business seminar, we have Regional breakout events where we present top of the region awards to our franchisees.  For this year’s Seminar (next week) we have 45 minutes to present awards and deliver a message from our Regional Director.  Once we did the math on how much time the awards would take, we determined that my boss, our Regional Director, would have, you guessed it – 5 minutes!

He pushed back on the handful of people helping him plan the breakout, “That’s not enough time.”

Thus began our exercise to help him trim everything he wanted to say down to 5 minutes of what he needed to say. He had a bunch of important stuff to talk about.  He wanted to continue to place emphasis on our business strategy.  He also wanted to thank the spouses of franchisees for being supportive of what it takes to lead in our businesses.  He wanted to recognize some individual franchisees for great experiences they have created for their customers.  He also wanted the speech to be motivational.  “We want our Region to be the ‘Flagship’ Region in the company.”

Great…but you only have 5 minutes.

Focus is the key to effective communication.  Here are two considerations to help you nail the 5 Minute Speech.

Ask the right question. What do I want my audience to do when they leave here?  Answering this question is the key to your focus.  If you are teaching your audience how to do something then your speech is an instructional (or enabling) speech.  If you want to motivate your audience (to be the “Flagship Region” in this example) then your speech needs to be persuasive.  In my boss’ example, he needs to tell the franchisees why they need to go through the extra effort it will take to become the Flagship Region.

Think like a movie producer. There is a bunch of great footage from filming movies that winds up on the cutting room floor.  In fact, I’ve heard that most of the film is there and only the best 90 to 120 minutes actually makes it into the final movie.  That’s how your talk needs to be.   The Regional Director in this example had 30 minutes worth of important stuff to talk about but he had to decide what was the most important 5 minutes to actually use.  Don’t be afraid to leave film on the floor.  Besides, if the movie is really good, when it comes out on DVD, you can always buy the longer version that is the
director’s cut.

To learn more about Scott, check out our DCW Trainers & Coaches page.

Recently I attended an event called Women of Faith.

I came away amazed at the examples of excellent communication I’d seen. As a professional consultant and trainer, I evaluate communicators. I’m always looking for ways speakers, including myself, can improve.

But, something different happened this week. I forgot to critique! I was totally caught up in the messages, and my life was changed by listening to the stories these women told. THAT is what good communication does … it changes lives.

When I flew home that I asked myself, “What did these women have in common that made them such powerful communicators?” It boiled down to this: They connected with the audience. This Women of Faith presenting team wasn’t giving “five easy steps” to facing life’s problems. Instead, they shared their personal stories of walking the difficult paths of life. These women spoke directly to the needs of women, but in doing so they spoke to the needs of humankind as a whole. They were vulnerable. They laid it all of the table, the good the bad and the ugly. They freely confessed that the in the middle of overwhelming storms, it is the grace and love of God that provides hope.

Some speakers were scared. One woman lost her place. Words were mispronounced. Unexpected emotions surfaced. Yet these gifted women held the audience, including me, in the palm of their hand. They laughed at themselves and, in the process, exposed the lie that perfection is a requirement for great communication or for living their roles.

I’m not sure if this kind of vulnerability can be taught. I tend to believe it is a gift that pours out when men or women finally feel safe enough in Christ to tell the truth. I am convinced that only the strong are capable of being vulnerable. I’ll save that discussion for another blog.

If your image of Women of Faith is a bunch of ” church ladies” soothing each other with, “Well isn’t that special,” you’re dead wrong. I laughed as hard at this conference as I have anywhere else. The organizers and presenters are BOLD women who don’t mince words. They keep pace with any male communicator I know.

If you’re a woman, find a WOF conference near your home and sign up! If you’re a man, pony up the money, and give your wife the Women of Faith experience as a gift.

And, if you’d like to take a giant step in your communication skills, check out our next Dynamic Communicators Workshop in Beaver Creek, Colorado. I want to see you there!