Speak to influence

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Read This First

I recently heard some startling information about first impressions. If you don't make a favorable one within the first
twelve seconds, you must make seven subsequent positive impressions to undo the damage done the first time around.

But there's a myth out there about first impressions. It goes something like this. To succeed in life, all you need is a shiny image and the right technique.

Get good and shiny enough, master all the details and doors that were previously shut will magically open; men and women will kiss your feet and you'll be able to convince anyone to do your bidding.

I would like to dispel this myth right now. When someone gives a memorable talk, we don't remember the speaker because of the particulars of their speech- their hand gestures, vocal inflection or perfect hair. We remember them because of the essence of their talk and because they touched something deep and meaningful within our soul.

Yes, this is practical handbook, a compendium of voice mastery techniques. But these techniques, the particulars of speaking, will fall short of giving you the results you want if you speak without being grounded in positive intention.

I believe that deep within us all is an essence that is good,beautiful and true. Align yourself with this essence and your words ecome powerful indeed. Neglect this important first step and your

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II speak to Influence

presentation will be just another talk. Pretty to listen to maybe, but easily forgotten and sorely lacking in motivational power

So what does it mean to speak with good intention in alignment with your essence? It can be as simple as the desire to P share information, clarify a process, enlighten, inform or entertain r it can be as lofty as a desire to denounce an Injustice or bring ace and freedom to the world

Intention is potent force. It's the X-factor, the charisma,the"special sauce"behind the speech. When you are aligned with a positive intention, your message is memorable and can even have the potential to make history. Think JFK, Winston Churchill and Dr Martin Luther King. And think you at your most inspired

People are incredibly adept at capturing our intention whenever they size us up. Psychologists tell us that first impres-

ions are correct 67% of the time. But even if you manage to fool some of the people some of the time, in the end, your intention will ultimately lift you to the top or plunge you into ruin (Hitler, cult leader Jim Jones)

Ultimately, intentions and technique work hand in hand in everything we do. A lawyer with bad intentions and great tech-nique may help a guilty psychopath walk free. A doctor with good intentions and no technique might have a great bedside manner but kill the patient And a speaker with good intentions but no tech-lque-someone, for example, who is difficult to understand may end up putting the audience to sleep

Get in touch with the essentials of your message and the particulars of delivering it will be that much easier to master. The most powerful essential is love. Touch the heart of the listener ar theyll barely notice if your voice is less than mellifluous or if you hand gestures are a litle too choppy. In fact, many communication

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problems are caused because the speaker is temporarily out of touch with their essence. A monotonous speaker has lost touch with his essential enthusiasm. A dry, humorless speaker has tem-porarily lost touch with his essential joy. A theoretical speaker has lost touch with his humanity.

Several techniques are effective in helping to get grounded in the essentials before speaking. These include reading inspira tional literature, listening to uplifting music and spending time in

nature

Like any great performer, a speaker seeks to attain a state of grace where he is in perfect synch with the audience. These are rare moments where we say the perfect thing at the perfect time and inspiration seems to flow effortlessly from our mouth. Ironi cally, when these moments happen, we often don't know how or why. But what I do know is that moments of magic don't occur when we are flawless. They occur when we are grounded in a positive intention, when we are prepared, and when we have heart.

Vocal charisma, then, is what happens when heart meets

technique.