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Since the tragic
death last month of Steve Irwin, television and the internet have
been filled with tributes to the man whose cable program “The
Crocodile Hunter” turned him into a media star and well-known
environmentalist.
With that in mind,
let’s take a
moment to reflect on what was perhaps the real key to his success: his enthusiastic speaking style.
For great example of his speaking style, click here.
Animal shows have
been a television staple for years. Usually, they’re interesting
but a little dull and relegated to non-prime time slots. Why was
Irwin’s program so unusually popular, becoming a daily staple of
cable’s popular Animal Planet?
Because of Irwin
himself.
And certainly one
of the reasons for Irwin’s popularity was because of the
enthusiastic way that he spoke about animals and the environment.
He spoke excitedly about crocodiles. And that excitement rubbed off,
making us excited about crocodiles as well.
Passion Is
Contagious
So what's the
lesson here? If you want to get
your listeners enthusiastic about your ideas, then you need to speak
with enthusiasm.
At Speechworks, we
encourage our clients to speak at work with the same passion that
they speak about their private passions. We worked recently with a
woman who spoke passionately about the books of Jane Austen. When
discussing “Pride and Prejudice”, her face lit up and her voice
became highly animated.
But all of that
went away when she spoke about her work, even though she loved her
work. We urged her to bring that same passion to her workplace
communication style. Her next presentation was much better received.
Next time you give
a presentation at work, speak with excitement. You don’t have to be
as excited as Steve Irwin chasing a poisonous snake. But you’ll be
surprised at how your enthusiasm will rub off.
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. |
