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Authentic Voice communication and presentation skills with Alexander Massey Oxford |
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Defining
the real problem - Case Study 3
Charles, the global Sales Director sees a wider communication problem . In our first piece of work, Charles designed
methods to ensure his competence was properly recognised at Board
level. The second piece of work
revealed how his own lack of conviction in what he had to say was
creating a challenge in whether he could convince anyone else of what
he had to say.
The next time we met, Charles was excited. "You know, I've realised that this belief issue goes beyond just me. I don't think things have been right in the company for a while. I think a number of us at senior level are not completely convinced about some of what we offer. And I was listening to the CEO the other day, giving a presentation, and I don't think he's a total 'believer' about everything we do either." "So where do we go from here?" I asked. "Last time I asked you what would need to change in order for you to become, in your words, a 'true believer'; in particular, what could you personally do to become a true believer." Charles had been thinking about this. "We'd have to get the key people together and start talking about this, but I'm not sure that's ever likely to happen. If they're not prepared to change some aspects of what they do, then the product is going to stay the same, we're going to fall behind the competition, and it's going to get harder to sell what we've got." So it was decision time for Charles. Did he want to see what he could do in the company to turn things around? In our work together, he had managed to have with himself what Susan Scott refers to as 'Fierce Conversations', and achieve some major shifts. Did he think he could do the equivalent with the key people in his organisation? "I think I need to re-inspire myself first. I only care 60 percent for the company, and I've given myself 3 years before I move anyway." "Could you do it in that time?" "Well, I thought I might even leave within the next year." So Charles had developed a clearer picture not only of himself, but also of the company, and where he stood in relation to it. He didn't feel ready to put in the commitment that the company might need to turn things around. He wanted to move to fresh pastures, and the company needed a Sales Director that wanted to take it through the next phase of transformation. The company recognised the great contribution he had made over the years, and through this process, he was able to make the move he wanted to. Charles' belief and commitment were fundamental to whether his voice could sound genuinely inspired and therefore inspiring. Charles' original story was that his voice was not working well enough. Certainly, his voice sounded dull when he talked about his current work. Charles had become aware that his voice did not sound 'right'. But he needed to develop a deeper awareness of why. As Albert Einstein said, "Problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them". As we delved more deeply, we discovered that Charles' voice was working perfectly: it was revealing - at least to us - the true story of his disaffection. Charles became worried that his customers or colleagues might work this out. Either he would have to try and put on a permanent act, change how he felt about his work, or ultimately change his work. The chance was that if he were doing something that truly inspired him, his voice would express that without his even having to think about it. With this new level of consciousness, choices had once more opened up for Charles, and it had taken him to his core values and aspirations. As he said, "It's amazing how much you can learn just from thinking about your voice and how you communicate. It goes right to the heart of who you are and what you want to do with your life doesn't it?" The heart of voicework is about telling the truth about ourselves, to ourselves. Once we begin to do that, everything starts to fall into place. We find our bearings, perhaps for the first time. We begin to function with real integrity. And instead of being a place of anxiety, inner conflict, and over-cautious expression, our voice becomes free, confident and a place for truth. The voice is always personal, but it can profoundly affect our professional lives. The good news is that by being prepared to face the personal challenges, we can learn to communicated more effectively, and improve our vocal effectiveness. |
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Alexander Massey - Communication and Presentation Skills - Oxford Telephone: 01865-716571 -- Mobile: 07771-988207 Email: alexander@AuthenticVoice.co.uk -- Web: www.AuthenticVoice.co.uk www.OxfordCommunicationAndPresentationSkills.co.uk |
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| www.CommunicationAndPresentationSkills.co.uk - www.CommunicationAndPresentationSkills.com - www.OxfordPresentationSkills.co.uk | ||||||||||