In a recent poll, we asked 232 webcast participants the following question:
“To what degree do you think your executives value social media for making business decisions?”
Here are the results:
As you can see, only 28% of the respondants saw evidence that their executives considered social media either extremely valuable or valuable in making business decisions. Even if executives see the how, few see the why of this powerful medium.
No matter where your organization falls, there’s no denying the popularity of social media. Facebook alone has almost 500 million users. In fact, if it were a country, Facebook would be the fourth largest in the world. And YouTube has become the second largest search engine with its 100 million videos.
We’d like to hear from you. How does your organization use social media for making business decisions?
President Obama and General Stanley McChrystal’s meeting of the minds today will affect the security of our nation and the world. During the past two days while the general traveled back for his meeting at the Oval Office, the pundits debated the pros and cons of whether the general should resign or stay put.
But I couldn’t help but focus on one thing: We’re between the proverbial rock and hard place all because of words: McChrystal and his aides failed to consider them carefully.
What did they say? Who did they say it to? Why? And to what end?
McChrystal’s not singing a solo. Should I start with a laundry list of leaders who’ve had a lapse of the lips recently?
There was the Chairman of BP referring to the victims of the oil spill as “the small people.” And Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, publically bemoaned the fact that he “wanted his life back,” having had the crisis intrude on his time.
There was Vice President Biden and his comment to the President on the day he signed the healthcare bill into law. “This is a f—ing big deal,” right into the open microphone.
Then there was former governor Rod Blagojevich blowing off steam with these recorded comments that helped get him impeached for trying to sell the vacated senate seat in Illinois: “I’ve got this thing, and it’s [expletive] golden. And I’m just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing. I’m not going to do it. And I can always use it….”
Earlier, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford took off to Argentina to see his mistress without letting anyone know of his whereabouts for several days. First, there was the lie that he was “hiking in the Ozarks.” Then when he returned, he persisted in the attitude of “no big deal.” Then it was the nonsensical, rambling apology.
Being a communication specialist, when I hear of such gaffes, I always scratch my head and wonder, “WHAT were they thinking?” Most follow up with apologies or “clarifications,” of course, but those efforts rarely minimize the damage.
I routinely work with executives who would never say or do such odd, stupid, or inappropriate things. What happens to the few to trigger such lapses of either judgment or character? As an executive coach, researcher, and author of more than 22 books on communication, I’ll give you my best guesses:
They forget that there’s no such thing as “off the record.”
They let down their guard when they feel comfortable around a trusted insider—or a gang of them.
Maintaining a “public” persona and a private one becomes increasingly difficult. Attitude, feelings, and character eventually burst through.
They find it difficult, if not impossible, to fake body language. When the words and the body language contradict, listeners believe the body language and pounce and probe until they see blood.
So where do we go from here? As important as Afghanistan remains to our security, it’s only the current crisis. Communication gaffes will continue to handicap those leaders who do not understand the import of their every word and action.
Communication makes leadership possible—or impossible, as the case may be.
Maybe I should have come up with a different title, but “grading” seemed to be the appropriate word tonight. The president sounded professorial, as if lecturing to high-schoolers about how the administration knew all along about the misfits who hacked into the school computers, stole the social security numbers, changed all the grades, and defaced the cafeteria walls. He had things totally under control and “they would pay.”
Some of the “students” may be skeptical; others, just angry. Here’s why:
Speech Content
The audience’s primary interest in his speech tonight was, “What are you going to do to stop the oil leak?” The president spent precious little time on that issue. More than two-thirds of the speech focused on his vision for energy policy in the future.
He sounded tough, using metaphors of war: “before this siege is done,” “the Gulf is under siege,” “waging war.” But specific actions—other than personnel changes—were missing.
He talked tough about BP: “I will inform BP tomorrow they will pay.” And “I’ll inform BP to set aside a damages fund run by a third party.” Okay, but aren’t they already paying? What are the specifics? How much goes into the fund? Are you going to force BP into bankrupcy? Then what?
Speech Delivery
The passionate and inspiring speech delivery of his candidancy did not surface tonight. The first third of the speech recounted the facts of the current situation, and he delivered them like a reporter—with very little emotion. Don’t get me wrong: The scriptwriters had inserted passionate phrases; they were just delivered with the passion of an professor talking about obnoxious school boys who needed to be suspended for a few days to learn their lesson.
His words were sympathetic to the people of the Gulf: ”An entire way of life threatened by the crude oil.” A true statement—but delivered with no connection.
His delivery did get passionate and powerful when he got to the policy issues of energy legislation he wants to get through Congress.
His words were concrete, crisp, and controlled. On that, he scored 100.
To sum up: We’ll have to wait and see how many students sign up for class next semester.
#9 Take his car for a spin–then wash it and fill it with gas while you’re gone in memory of all the times he’s done the same for you.
#8 Buy him tickets to see his favorite team play.
#7 Spend an entire day with him, enjoying HIS favorite hobby.
#6 Show him something that he gave you when you were a child, and tell him why you’ve kept it all these years.
#5 Ask him to tell you again what it was like back when…(whatever old stories that he enjoys retelling to anyone who will listen.) Then listen. Ask questions. Record them “for the grandkids or great grandkids.”
#4 Ask him to teach you how to do something–build a bird house, fish, write html code, play guitar, negotiate a business deal.
#3 Tell him three positive things you learned from him that have made you the person you are today.
#2
Tell him the trait, skill, or attitude you most admire in him.
#1 Hug him, and say “I love you.” Even those fathers who never learned to say it themselves need to hear it.
There’s a FedEx commercial that just might become a classic. The VIP has a trusted staffer on the phone just before their firm is about to deliver a big presentation to a roomful of customers. The executive’s tone seems to be I’m-trusting-you-on-this-one: “Didn’t you tell me Carl was our best presentation guy?”
The staffer responds, “Yeah, I did. The proposal looks good, right?”
The boss leafs through the colorful booklet in front of him.
The voice on the phone continues, “Wait. You didn’t actually bring Carl with you, did you?”
The camera pans to mismatched, robotic Carl, who stands to his feet to deliver the firm’s message, “Good morning. . . . (long pause) But I digress.”
If that last line gets any response at all, the audience is probably laughing at the presenter, not with him or her. And if there’s no response at all, it’s an awkward moment all around.
Why does humor seldom work as an opening? Laughter is a gift from your audience. If they don’t know you yet, they’re not sure they like you well enough to respond. A funny line as an opener may get only a brief smile, whereas the same line used five minutes into the presentation after the audience decides you’re a nice person may elicit a hearty chuckle.
A second reason you don’t want to use humor to begin a presentation is your own confidence. If for some reason the humor doesn’t work, the lackluster audience response can destroy your confidence. It feels like lighting and tossing a firecracker that doesn’t go off.
By no means am I discouraging humor. In fact, there’s an old line that professional speakers use in response to the question, “Should I use humor in my presentations?” Only if you want to get paid.
Humor helps almost any audience digest a message. But both timing and type prove crucial to success. Let’s talk type first:
Types of Humorous Openings
Generally, the humor that works best comes from personal experiences—the oddities, ironies, frustrations, and weird things that happen every week. And as a rule, the more personal the situation or emotion, the more universal its appeal.
A close second is a witty off-the-cuff remark responding to a current situation. A funny comment about a question you get from the audience, the food served at the break, the traffic jam on the elevators on the way to the session, the table that collapses on stage.
The least effective humor is a joke. Jokes typically sound canned and stale. There are very few jokes someone in your audience hasn’t heard before.
Timing of Humorous Openings
Tickling the group’s funny bone in your first sentence or two is tough. Likewise, a cool drink of ice water tastes good—unless it’s forced down your throat. A little sip at first tempts and prepares the audience to take bigger gulps. Let the group get to know and like you before launching into your best story.
Recovery After Failed Humor
And what happens if you use a humorous opening and rather than a chuckle you’re greeted with a blank stare? Act as if you meant the point to be serious. Master your body language to pull this off. Don’t be caught wearing an amused smile that turns to a chagrined deer-in-the-headlights stare that says, “What’s the matter with you people!” Pause. Change spots in the room and continue with the “serious” point of your story.
You did have a point, right? Otherwise, why would you be using that bit of humor?
In case you missed it, here’s the FedEx commercial:
