A New Initiative

Last month I was honored to be part of the Women in Public Service Colloquium sponsored by the Department of State and Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Wellesley College.
 
The first day began with a wonderful kick-off: presentations and conversations with global leaders Hillary Clinton; Christine Lagarde; Atifete Jahjaga, the President of Kosovo (at 37, the world's youngest elected head of state); and Gloria Steinem, among others. And lunch in the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room is always a treat!

The Power of Voice

The next day I worked with 40 global leaders who had been selected to participate in the Emerging Women Leaders in Public Service Forum. The theme was "The Power of Voice." Dr. Rangita de Silva de Alwis, the director of the forum, had asked me to serve as a resource, giving participants guidelines for effective public speaking and critiquing their speeches. I am glad she had the vision to include presentation technique on the agenda. All too often high-level trainings focus almost exclusively on the importance of content. Delivery, which is just as important (if not more so), is generally discussed very briefly, if at all.

This request posed a creative challenge: to offer constructive criticism to speakers using their second (or third) languages, who had just put content together in committee without much chance to practice. But the presenters knew their talking points inside out, so I was able to give them specific pointers on shared vocal production and presentation issues. Despite limited preparation, each speaker communicated the essence of her message with crystal clarity. They were all deeply committed to their cause (achieving UN Millennium Development Goals) and spoke with passion borne of battles against the status quo in their home countries. As Arig Bakhiet from Sudan said: "Even when these women are speaking in a language they are not fluent in, the feeling, the commitment they have for the subject comes through." She was right.

The Need to Commit

Of course, preparation is key. But knowing what you are saying is never enough. You need to be clear on your underlying intentionality: why are you saying what you are saying?

Nothing gets your message across more clearly than your commitment to it. If you are fully invested in your need to communicate, you will find it easier to connect with your audience. Whether you are speaking out of a desire to add to the conversation, jump-start the dialogue, or share best practices, you are turning passive listeners into active (if momentarily silent) conversation partners. You have a much greater chance of being heard when you cast them in that role. If you are trumpeting a triumph, announcing an achievement, or otherwise monologuing, your audience is aware that you don't think you need to fully connect with them. Protocol may dictate that they stay seated and appear to be listening. Mentally, though, they have left the building.