A good leader is, among other things, a good communicator. As a professional speaker, I attend a lot of corporate and association conferences. I’ve seen hundreds of CEOs, presidents, and other leaders address their people. And I’ve found that, all other things being equal, the most effective communicators are those who can say what they need to say in the least amount of time (while keeping it engaging). The ineffective ones are those who drone on and on, generally eating into my time. And trust me—a long-winded CEO is not the world’s best warm-up act. So perhaps I’m biased. But leaders, remember: you’re not being paid by the word. And a lot can be said in very few words. Let’s look at some examples.
Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a complete story in only six words. He wrote:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
He’s said to have called it his best work.
I once saw a classified ad in the Seattle Times that read:
For sale: 1-carat engagement ring. Best offer, or will trade for handgun.
You don’t need a lot of words to know that this relationship didn’t end well, do you?
On a somewhat longer note, let’s take a look at the lyrics to the Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby.
Aah, look at all the lonely people
Aah, look at all the lonely peopleEleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working. Darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?Aah, look at all the lonely people
Aah, look at all the lonely peopleEleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was savedAll the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Sure, it’s a bit poetic; it is a song lyric, after all! But, in its poetic way, it tells a complete story. The first verse introduces Eleanor Rigby, the second verse introduces Father McKenzie, and their lives become sadly entwined in verse three. And the Beatles accomplish all this (plus three iterations of the chorus), in just two minutes and eight seconds.
A good leader is, among other things, a good communicator. Learn how to tell your stories concisely, and you’ll be vastly better at both.
ShareJUL
2009
About the Author:
29-time Emmy Award winner and Hall of Fame keynote speaker Bill Stainton, CSP is an expert on Innovation, Creativity, and Breakthrough Thinking. He helps leaders and their teams come up with innovative solutions — on demand — to their most challenging problems.