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With the Winter
Olympics coming next month, let us remember Herb Brooks, who coached
the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. hockey team that won gold in Lake
Placid, N.Y. Before defeating the Soviets that year, Brooks gave a
great pre-game motivational speech.
“The moment is yours,” Brooks, who died in 2003, reportedly told his
players before taking the ice for one of the biggest upsets in
sports history.
You can watch the
speech, as portrayed by actor Kurt Russell, in the inspiring Disney
film “Miracle.”
A neat website with famous movie speeches features the speech.
Russell’s silver
screen take on Brooks’s speech is a nice example of how to lead and
motivate. He did three things that the best leaders do when they
want to inspire:
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He kept his
message simple. No one can follow you if they don’t understand
you.
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He had a clear
call to action. If you want to move a group, you need to tell
them what exactly you want them to do. In this case it was “Let’s
win.”
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He spoke with
passion. Great leaders show their audiences how they feel about
their message.
So as you settle in
front of your television to watch the Olympics next month, remember
Herb Brooks, who motivated us all with the force of his words and
personality. You can learn to do the same thing.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |