BE SPOT-ON WHEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Not everyone gets to go on stage to accept an Academy Award…
But there are times in the business world and in life when you can expect to be in the spotlight for a big moment of some sort – and when you are expected to have something significant, uplifting and/or maybe even something amusing to say while you’re there.
The higher you fly in business the more often this is likely to happen.
So for business leaders, it’s particularly important to be ready for it.
What you say in those spotlight moments and how you perform has a disproportionately large effect on how you are viewed and what further success you achieve.
This is because everyone is watching – and, for better or worse, everyone is judging.
Often that moment in the spotlight is quite fleeting.
The winners of this week’s BAFTAs – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards – were on stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall on for only a couple of minutes each while they collected their trophies.
But how the actors, directors and other film-making specialists perform while in that spotlight is critical.
With the actors in particular there’s a vital audience in the building – some of those who are going to be making decisions about the next movie roles they get…or don’t get.
And for the BAFTAs there’s an audience of over four-million watching on TV beyond.
AVOIDING WHAT CAN GO WRONG AT THE BIG MOMENT
The excitement of the occasion can get a bit much for some – even for actors used to big audiences.
Take the BAFTA winner of this year’s best supporting actress trophy.
The charming, beautiful and talented Viola Davis lost it a bit at the start of her acceptance speech… something that’s easily done amidst the excitement, the lights and the roar of the crowd.
Viola started her acceptance speech by graciously paying tribute to her colleagues who had also been nominated.
But this came unstuck when she had trouble remembering all their names.
It’s something, given the momentous nature of the occasion, where the audience is prepared to be forgiving.
Ideally she would have had the names written somewhere as a safety net… something she’ll hopefully do next time.
But if not, it’s better to word you’re way around a challenge like this rather than make a big deal of your memory lapse over a few particular words and dig a deeper hole for yourself.
Those awkward moments were all the more excruciating for Viola as she seemed to be fearing that her revealing dress might suddenly reveal too much… what her fellow Americans would call a “wardrobe malfunction”.
Ladies and gentlemen who wear frocks please note: where possible it’s advisable to dress to avoid fears about this, so you can feel more comfortable in those big moments.
But after losing her way verbally, while keeping herself sufficiently covered, Viola heroically bounced back to continue her speech… and that’s the most crucial thing at such times.
In getting back on track she told two highly emotional little stories which both worked supremely well – one about her father’s death and one about her daughter’s bedtime.
Viola’s moment on stage ended with her saying the line she had seemed to be planning. She delivered it well and left the spotlight on a high.
You can check it out here:
GETTING YOUR CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND DELIVERY RIGHT IN THOSE BIG MOMENTS
So when you’re next in the limelight, the audience may not be quite as grand or as huge and the lights not quite so dazzling.
It may be for an elevator pitch at a networking event, a business introduction to a company board, or a pep talk for your colleagues about reaching the targets for the week ahead.
But getting your content right, structure right, and your delivery style right is critical.
This is especially so for any punchlines you need to hit – as U.S. movie-making legend Mel Brooks showed when he hilariously apologised to British royalty in the hall for the American Revolution.
The revolution of course dates back to 1765 – possibly even a time before Mel Brooks was born.
“We were young!” was his excuse.
And the predominantly British crowd, studded with some Americans and others, adored it.
The crowd equally loved it when comedy actor Hugh Grant sought to justify why he was the one handing out the best supporting actress trophy. He explained it was because, while at an all-boys school, he was regularly cast in what he called the “female parts”… before adjusting this to “female roles”.
Your next audience may well be smaller than the crowd watching the action at the Albert Hall … but no less important to you and your future.
And, learning from the BAFTA speeches that really connected, the ones that made the biggest impact clearly involved planning, preparation and – something actors are used to – practice.
That was certainly the case with the speech by director Ken Loach where he eloquently ripped into the British government for being “brutally callous” towards those on social welfare and towards child refugees.
Whether or not you agree with his content, what he had to say had certainly been thought through in advance and well-rehearsed.
And it was delivered with what I like to call “planned spontaneity”.
GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS UNDER PRESSURE IS A LEARNABLE SKILL
The good news for you is that, however atrocious you may feel you are at those speaking moments in the spotlight, or however great you may be, it is a learnable skill and an improvable skill.
And once you’ve ensured you have the right content and the right structure for the occasion – it is a “rehearsable” skill.
When you get it right for short talks – even one-minute talks – it paves the way for you doing it so much better with longer challenges.
“Get Your Message Across In 60 Seconds” are master class sessions that I run with business leaders groups, teams within companies and for clients one-to-one – for those preparing to speak in the spotlight.
When the sessions are conducted in groups it has the benefit of allowing the team working together to decide the best possible messages and to back them up with the best possible examples or stories.
It can help you decide what should effectively be on your organisation’s verbal business card.
The sessions enable all in the group to critique each other as everyone gets themselves ready for those big moments in the spotlight.
Practicing, with the help of a video operator and playbacks, enables you to see yourself back as others see you and adjust accordingly.
And this helps you cut the neural pathways in your brain to enable you to keep cool when the heat’s on and stick to saying what you planned to say – while showing grace under pressure!
There’s more about “Get your Message Across In 60 Seconds” here:
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/get-your-message-across-in-60-seconds/
Email michael@michaeldoddcommunications.com or call 44 (0) 7944 952835 for bookings and more details about how the sessions can be customised to achieve the right outcomes for your challenges in the spotlight.
Even if you’re not expecting to win an Academy Award, it’s a great skill to have for so many other occasions.
Mind you, I have to confess a little known fact: that I have won an Academy Award.
It was the “New Speaker Of The Year Award” generously bestowed by the Academy For Chief Executives… so as it is from an Academy and as it was an Award, technically it must qualify!
And maybe, if life takes some unusual twists and turns, I will one day get an award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts!.
And maybe you will too!!!
So here’s to your ability to do a great future acceptance speech – and/or to your constantly enhancing ability to get across an important business message in 60 seconds!!!