A Philosophy of Speaking
by Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE

More Information About the Author: Click Here for the Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE Home Page

Most speakers know what they speak about and how they do it. How many of us know why? According to Barna Research, only 1 of 4 Americans has a life philosophy. It logi cally follows that no more than that have a vocational philosophy.

Philosophy, by definition, seeks to answer the question, "How should we live?" To arrive at that answer also requires a consideration of the question why? as well. In my opinion, the why is usually more important than either the what or the how. What's more, the why almost always determines the success of the topic and technique.

Probably nothing is more important to serving an audience and long-term success in the speaking profession than a working philosophy of speaking. Whether evolved over time, or determined from the beginning, this philosophy provides a speaker with both purpose and strategy it will pragmatically lead us to understanding how we should communi cate with our audiences.

My own philosophy is based on these premises:

1. The everyday experience of life for an individual or organization is one of pain; that is, pain is normative.

2. Everyday experience offers the opportunity for unlimited joy despite the pain.

3. My opportunity is to help audiences understand the pain, deal with it, experience the joy or, the best option, attempt to do all three .

For me, these principles address the importance of creating and fulfilling audience expec tations. No matter what the audience, there are at least two expectations we can assume to be basic the majority of the time: first, the expectation that the listener will feel good (or better) about themselves and their situation and secondly, that they have some new information or tools which will help them live or do business more successfully. The above philosophy addresses both expectations.

I first heard David Yoho, Sr. speak while I was still a student at The Ohio State University. A powerful speaker, Dave perplexed me when he said "Everybody hurts." I thought that was a dismal view for a motivational speaker to hold. Life experience since has convinced me of that truth.

No matter how successful we are or aren't, life is painful. Personal tragedy is a daily occur rence for many in our audiences, even if not for ourselves. If we aren't experiencing pain presently, we realize that we have and will again.

A quick survey of American business will prove the same is true about organizational pain: foundation-shaking changes, layoffs at every level, diminishing resources and uncertainty are "business as usual." Even those companies that are currently successful realize (or should) that the distance from super-star to dinosaur is a short distance indeed.

I recently watched as the CEO of a large corporation spoke to his distributors about the problems and mistakes the organization had made in the recent past. His optimism for the future thinly veiled his anguish.

Not all people or organizations that hurt admit it. Denial is common and dysfunction is a symptom of unresolved pain. Many, myself included, have tried to deal with the pain by ignoring it or anestheticizing it with activity. Both are costly and ineffective strategies.

For many reasons, we are unwilling to deal with the reality of pain. There seems to be a social stigma that says people/organizations that hurt aren't as good as those who don't. In reality, they are usually the healthiest if they can hurt and move through the pain instead of becoming mired in it. An outsider can help by making it o.k. to admit pain.

Beyond an unwillingness to admit pain, there is a problem understanding why we are in pain. Sometimes we know we hurtwe're even willing to admit itwe just don't know why. An objective and trained outsider can help explain our pain to us (therapist, clergy, speaker or consultant). Understanding becomes our first step in coping.

At the next level, we need to know what is the appropriate response given the context of the pain. We need coping, survival or "thrival" strategies. As speakers, we have not only our own life experience to draw from, but the cumulative experience of many clients and audiences. Drawing on the Maslow metaphor, we can offer clients more "tools for their toolkit."

Finally, we can demonstrate the opportunity for joy despite the pain. If there must be an absence of pain for joy to exist, the condition of the average person and organization is hopeless. When an individual or organization becomes fixated on their pain, all other awareness diminishes. Their capacity to enjoy anything other than the pain is limited. Sometimes all we need to do it increase the scope of their vision. We can also offer encour agement and strategies for experiencing joy. (I hope you recognize the parallel of joy as personal experience to joy as organizational experience: increased market share, profitabil ity and so on).

Even when I work with audiences enjoying high levels of success, there is always the recognition that difficulty could be just around the corner (And if there isn't that recogni tion, I try to create it). Just as the rational organization can hope for joy despite pain, the rational organization should plan for potential downturn or failure in times of victory. It is our responsibility as speakers and consultants to help them utilize this eternal tension of pain/joy to their advantage.

So what skills does my philosophy require? There are many, but here are several of the most important.

My colleague Jim Cathcart has wisely pointed out that, in the practice of speaking just as in the practice of medicine, "Treatment without diagnosis is malpractice." The first skill set is analysis: what are the major change drivers in this industry/school district/community /etc.? Why are these things happening? Where does this organization want to go? What are the people in the audience worried about? (This last question is incredibly helpful.)

Analysis doesn't have to be sterile; one of the favorite aspects of my work is doing what my clients don't have time to dothink about their business and industry. By bringing a broad perspective to the party and having time to investigate and gestate, I am often able to see and point out what the client has missed.

A critical skill is empathy. This skill points to "the ability to be sincere, human and vulner able." Lacking empathy, we can be none of these things.

Maybe you think empathy is an emotion only, but it can be developed as a skill. It is easy to disassociate from an audience if you don't happen to be experiencing the same kind of pain as they are. Empathy doesn't require that you hurt the same way the audience hurts; it requires that you understand and appreciate how they feel. If you can't demonstrate empathy in your presentation, you won't be able to accomplish very much.

Because our audiences are diverse, flexibility in communication is a critical skill. What makes speaking such a science to me is the diversity of communication techniques required. I regularly find myself in a situation that requires nuances and techniques I've never needed to use before. Audiences comes in such unusual ages, beliefs, backgrounds and emotional states. Adaptability is essential. (Whenever you're tempted to say that you didn't have a "good audience", try another perspective: maybe you haven't developed the skill set neces sary for that type of audience.)

Finally, consider the skill of persuasion . Your prescriptions won't be effective without per suasion. You must be able to convince an audience not only to consider your suggestions, but to implement them. This is one reason why empathy is crucialit is a cornerstone of persuasion.

Too often we become pre-occupied with impressing audience members than influencing them. Impressing someone changes what they t hink about you and your message. Influencing someone changes what they do because of you and your message.

Not only does professional speaking give us the opportunity to make money; it gives us a chance to make meaning as well. In an age when doing either is increasingly difficult, being able to do both truly is a privilege. May your philosophy of speaking enable you to serve you audiences and fully enjoy the privilege.

Copywright 1998, Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE. All Rights Reserved

---

Because of his ability to educate and entertain simultaneously, Mark Sanborn is known internationally as the high content speaker who motivates. Mark presents an average of 90 programs yearly on leadership, teambuilding, customer service and mastering change. He is the author of Teambuilt: Making Teamwork Work, Sanborn On Success , sixteen videos and four audio training programs.