We are finally at the end of a long and grinding presidential campaign. This post is unbiased and is not in support of any candidate, but is an analysis of the winner as it relates to their communication styles.

Most analysts agree that one profound reason that Barack Obama won is because of his brilliant speaking skills. His ability to deliver a line and bring the crowd to a crescendo is awe-inspiring. His message of hope and change were welcomed by the majority of Americans. And let’s be clear, it is not his content alone that moves people; not just the meaning of the words he is saying. It is his delivery, it is his non-verbal skills from his tone and inflection, his well-placed pauses, his body language and facial expressions. Those are key drivers of his message.

Obama’s superior speaking skills is a fact agreed upon by Republicans and Democrats alike. In fact Republicans have stated this as a detraction, usually as repudiation of Obama’s arguable thin record. But since we are not advocating for or against one candidate or the other, let’s recognize what this tells us. Nearly everyone agrees that Obama’s speaking skills, verbal and non-verbal, were a major reason he was elected. That should tell you something about how important communication skills are for you on a daily basis. Talking to co-workers, calling a client, going on an interview, speaking to your kids. Are you the best you could be? Are you Obama in your communication style? Or are you falling flat? Again this has nothing to do with politics, and nothing to do with how Obama will govern and if history judges him as a success or a failure. He had a goal, and a significant strategy in the accomplishment of that goal was message delivery. Of course the content had to be reasonable, if he was talking only about butterflies and rainbows then no one would care about his powerful oratory. But his content wasn’t the driver. In fact some people voted for him with sincere reservations about his policies. They voted for him anyway because he made them feel something. And what he made them feel is that things can be different – which is what his platform is all about – change. He connected on an emotional level with his audience with his core value of change.

If you want something in life – a job, a sale, a good presentation, a good relationship with your wife, you need to first decide what your core value is, and then connect your audience to that message on an emotional level with the drivers of your message being voice quality –tone, inflection and pace, and body language-hand, face and body positioning and gestures.

That is what Barack Obama did, and that is what you can do. Email sales@surespeak.com for more information on how your training program can win too.

The average time to fill an open position ranges from four to fourteen weeks (RHI/CareerBuider.com Report, 2008). Provided most employees still give the standard two-weeks notice, this means before your new hire starts, the position they're expected to effortlessly walk into has been open two weeks to three months already! Getting this employee up and running ASAP is vital to the success, or in this economy, the survival of your company. By implementing these four tips into your training program, you can help your new hires get fully ramped-up in no time at all:

1) Make expectations clear on day one—or even sooner. Much of the time figured into ramp-up time can be attributed to attrition. If you make it clear to your new hires on the first day, or even in the interview, what will be expected of them regarding workload and goals, you’re more likely to begin training an employee who won’t quit just as they get ramped-up. If you feel as if you’re selling a position to an employee—stop. The employee probably isn’t the right fit.

2) After expectations are clear, let the employee test the waters right away. This doesn’t mean setting up your new hires to practice on clients—but instead, arrange for the employee to role-play with a seasoned employee, trainer or on video using SureSpeak. Gauging employees’ starting points, as well as where they excel, can make your job as a trainer a lot easier.

3) Immerse your new hire into different situations. No matter what position you’re hiring for, the employee will most likely need to be able to make judgment calls in different scenarios. Practice as many real-world situations with the new employee in rapid succession, with evaluation after each training session. Give examples of yourself or another employee in similar situations, and then make the new employee practice it themselves. By the way, SureSpeak’s iRole™ is a great way to practice these skills.

4) Create a standard method of delivering consistent feedback. All employees need consistent and constructive feedback. Many trainers wait until the end of a training session to take the time to review trainee’s progress, which adds days or weeks onto the employee’s ramp-up time. Oftentimes, time is stretched in training sessions, and providing individual employees with one-on-one training and feedback seems impossible. Find ways to make best use of your valuable training hours. An effective way is to incorporate SureSpeak.

Want a simple way to decrease your new hire’s ramp-up time using your current training content? Contact SureSpeak about the Rapid Results™ program. Give us 25 new hires, and they will be outperforming peers in one month. Guaranteed. Email sales@surespeak.com 

I just finished an interview online with Coach Judy Nelson. I really enjoyed it and want to thank Judy for having me on. Judy is a well-known coach and former non-profit CEO. She also has co-written a book with Chicken Soup for the Soul author Jack Canfield. She was very engaging and we covered many topics from professional to personal. If you haven't heard the interview yet, please click the link to check it out. Here's a link to the MP3, and a quote from Judy herself:

I personally use SureSpeak with my clients, and it has helped me grow my business."

Wow.

Thanks to Judy for having me on her show, and if you're interested in the private label site I talked about on the show, email sales@surespeak.com. Or you can always email me directly at darren.schwartz@surespeak.com.

Thanks!

Hey SureSpeakers,

From time to time, we get approached by the media looking to interview us or satisfied users. Currently, a very well known publication is looking to interview a few people who have used SureSpeak to practice for job interviews.

Are you interested in taking part of this opportunity? If so, let us know. The people we choose will receive a copy of "The Confident Speaker" (NY Times Best Seller) and an iPod Shuffle.

Thanks!

Darren

I was the best man in a wedding recently where I had to give a speech; actually, I gave 2 if you include the rehearsal dinner. Based on the laughs and the feedback I received, it went very well.  Unfortunately, I cannot relay any of the stories that I told – when you know a guy for 30 years, the best stories are usually ones from your early twenties that can only be told in private, or watered down for a rehearsal dinner. Besides, how was I supposed to know there was a second cop??

Anyway I have given many speeches at many weddings including my own. That speech was a 45 minute tangent that included sharing the advice from my uncle (“don’t get mad at the same time”-whoops, blew that 1,000 times in ten years), my tailor (I cannot even try to water down his words- they were straight out of the Gulag), and the welcoming of our newest friend of eight minutes, my cousin Andrew’s date. Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Caveliers and manager of the Southfield Michigan Twins (Little League Champions 1978-1981) still calls it the best wedding speech he’s ever heard.

My point is not to brag, but to relay several important facts. The first is that I practice all of my speeches and presentations over and over again, so I know them like the back of my hand. Second, even though I do that I am still ALWAYS nervous. The key is that because I have practiced so much, I quickly get into my groove and once I am past the first minute or two, all anxiety is gone and I am in my element. Knowing the speech like it’s the back of my hand allows me to do or say things that are spontaneous, which then makes the whole speech authentic and spontaneous, and usually funny (no one’s perfect!) Bottom line is that my pre-speech process is boring – practice, practice, practice. Hey, anyone know a website where I can practice my speech with a webcam???