From Informing to Inspiring Your team

by Professional Speaker & Coach Gabriela Mueller Mendoza -- @CoachGabrielaMueller

If you are only going to attempt to inform your team, consider sending an email. If your aim is to inspire them to any action, please read on.

Have you left a presentation or meeting and were glad it was OVER! You probably thought I could’ve got that info on an email attachment and save my time. This is not your fault. Many people attend meetings and presentations only to “told” content, presented tons of slides or worse text and figures.

As a coach, I leaders to inspire others. I am myself a professional speaker and I know the ultimate aim is to inspire hearts, minds into taking some kind of action. When I get on stage I am ready to give it all, to make sure my audience is inspired. My aim is always to WOW! my audience. This is how much I value their time and mine.

Let’s see. Inspiration comes from Late Latin= inspirato, divine influence- such a high ultimate aim. Though in modern terms to inspire means to excite, inflame excitement, to move someone for a position A to a potential position B. It entitles to make them feel so encouraged to take action that they action leave the room in a different state of mind, or with a fresh insight, an a-ha moment or simply a message that made them think/laughter and learn. A takeaway that opened up a new perspective.

Therefore when I ask the executive/leaders who I coach what their aims are in a given speech, meeting or/ talk? if their answer is to “inform my team”, I say that’s a first and easy step. It should not be the main nor the only one. There are 6 possible aims we could all aim at when we speak and present. I list in the level of complexity that many would argue from easy to more challenging:

?           To Inform

?           To Instruct

?           To Activate/Stimulate

?           To Persuade

?           To Entertain

?           To Inspire/Motivate

If you only need to inform your team, please consider sending them an email. If your aim is any higher than that, please consider a combination of the other 5 aims.

You may decide to instruct/train them. Make sure you involve them actively.

When you aim at activating them you may pay attention also to the environment and use the space. Be daring and involve icebreakers or even physical activity (depending on your industry) this can be a game-changer.

If you attempt to persuade people you shouldn’t forget to use "Logos, Ethos and Pathos" (Aristotle’s principles) in order words you will include partly data, your persona and style will evoke emotions as well.

Entertaining as part of the experience is perhaps one of the most challenging and rewarding skills a speaker may have. You don’t have to tell jokes, it’s about making a joyful experience come alive, and using savvy cross-culturally smart humor. I know, it’s not everyone’s gift. It is one of the things that when executed well makes the entire experience memorable.

Finally, to inspire and to motivate is the ultimate super-power. The good news is you can train it. It doesn’t belong to a few lucky speakers. You can train it as skill, and practice, practice, practice.

Next time, you accept a request to speak in a meeting, conference, or to give a presentation, think that you can aim at a combination of 2-3 aims. For example you may attempt to train, inform and activate your audience. Preparation is more than 50% of your success.

For more resources and information on how to do this, let’s talk. I work for leaders who work for global organizations that need and want to inspire, convince, persuade their stakeholders, their employees and customers in a powerful and authentic way.

As an inspirational and humorous professional speaker (Continental European Humorous contest winner in Toastmasters)- I can tell you, you would be in good coaching hands.

I can help you in either face-to-face sessions, engaging webinars and by example. Get invited to my special events during the year.

Gabriela Mueller Mendoza

professional Speaker, coach trainer and Author of "How to be a Smart Woman in STEM" Amazon link here

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