Is there a time of year when you get your team together all in one place? That’s the perfect opportunity to get everyone on the same page.
Good leaders seize moments like that to rally the troops and get everyone pulling in the same direction. Patrick Lencioni compares high performing teams to expert oarsmen: “If you could get all the people in the organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”
Are you considering engaging a professional speaker to help but you are not sure where to begin when it comes to choosing one? Here’s what to look for in a Speaker when you really need your team to rise to the next level.
Is the Professional Speaker centred on your success?
A skilled and seasoned Professional Speaker recognizes that you and your team are the real heroes in the room. Your team should leave the event feeling empowered, believed in, and with their heads held a whole lot higher.
Find a Professional Speaker who’s committed to building your company, not one who’s just building their personal portfolio. In the “gig economy’ some professionals will simply treat you as a stepping stone to their next bigger gig. You don’t need that.
Find a speaker who genuinely listens to you, understands your vision, and commits to helping you achieve your goals.The feedback you want to hear from your team afterwards shouldn’t be “Wow, what a fantastic speaker” but instead “Wow, that was so helpful!”
What is the Professional Speaker’s track record?
In his book The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell shares what he believes to be the key to becoming a phenom in any field. He calls it the 10,000-Hour Rule which is this: if you are going to be truly phenomenal at something you must practise it for 10,000 hours.
While the math may not be exact, the principle is true. When someone practices their craft for a long time they’re on the path to Mastery. Bruce Lee says, “Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skillful, swift, and steady.”
Hire an experienced professional. Your team is too important to be experimented on by a novice. Let’s make sure the inexperienced speaker learns the ropes on someone else and not on you and your team.
Does the Professional Speaker understand the process of transformation?
You don’t just want an average speech with mediocre content. You want your team to experience transformation.
You likely need the mindset of some team members to change. If cynicism, disunity, selfishness, and self-doubt are present in your team, make sure your Professional Speaker is a master at winning the room with compelling content.
Highly skilled presenters know public speaking essentials such as reading the room, capturing the audience’s attention, eye contact, humour, and storytelling. But the best presenters also often have a coaching approach to public speaking that includes transformational techniques such as powerful questions and a clear call to action. Imagine your team members walking away from a presentation with a clear and concise individualized action plan. Now that would be a great return on investment!
Whether it’s a conference, a training day or a team building event, make sure to pay attention to finding the best possible Professional Speaker for your team. This investment in your team’s development will pay off greatly — both for you, for them, and for your entire organization.
Let’s get your team all together in one place, but let’s also get your team on the same page.
Steve Osmond
Master Coach
Throughout my career I’ve helped clients produce growth while giving them a feeling of belonging; that they don’t have to do this alone! I help them see the possibilities, set achievable goals, and execute the game plan.
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