Persuasive Speaking
1
May 2013 / The New York County Lawyer 7 By Maria Guida Copyright 2013 by Successful Speaker, Inc. All rights reserved. Attorneys have great deal in common with actors. They face negative stereo- types that they must continuously seek to destroy: actors are unreliable, phony air- heads; attorneys are longwinded, arrogant sheisters. How do successful attorneys and actors influence people to believe otherwise? How can you, as an attorney, help defeat these stereotypes and continue to build your business? Persuasive attorneys and convincing actors understand the key finding of a study conducted by the Harvard Business School: while your message is always important, content constitutes only seven percent of your persuasive power. A full 93 percent of the impression you make is based upon how you deliver your mes- sage, to build belief within your listeners. You can become a more masterful per- suader: spend less time preparing your content and invest more time rehearsing delivery behaviors that build listener belief. Convincing actors know how to do this, because they spend years honing a craft that is designed to help the audi- ence believe. To establish belief, actors nurture what Stanislavski (the great Russian stage director and teacher) called the “sense of truth.” In daily life, truth is what actually exists. On stage and camera, however, truth is not what exists, but what is possi- ble. To do their jobs, therefore, actors create truth; they exercise the power of the imagination to satisfy their own sense of truth, so that they themselves can believe. In or out of court, the attorney’s situation is similar to the actor’s. The more sin- cerely you believe and deliver your mes- sage as truth, the more completely your listeners (and jurors) believe it. When actors are preparing a role on stage or camera, they make careful plans about their actions. One of the things they do is to pursue acting objectives that are per- sonally appealing and powerful, so that they will be motivated to speak the lines that the playwright or screenwriter wrote. These carefully worked-out acting objec- tives are important building blocks that actors use, in order to build belief. As an attorney, by pursuing acting objec- tives as you speak, you can help your prospects and existing clients believe that: • you listen to your clients • you put the clients’ interests in front of your own • you are passionate about a case – that it’s not just a cash cow for you • you truly are the client’s business partner • if you can’t handle a case, you will honestly say so, and you will recom- mend someone who can handle it No matter what practice area you are in, pursuing acting objectives when you speak will help you 1. project commit- ment and passion and 2. create these beliefs (and more) for your business listeners. “Pursuing acting objectives” means focusing on what we do with our words – the powerful communication actions that lie underneath the words we speak. In order to make choices about actions, actors divide the script into units, called “beats.” Each beat is a separate topic, smaller than the overall subject of the message. When actors have identified what each beat is about, they identify an acting objective for each beat, choosing objec- tives that have the following qualities. Each objective should be: • directed toward the listener and not be concerned with dramatic effect • personal yet appropriate to the spo- ken message and the listener’s situa- tion • truthful (for our purposes, truthful doesn’t mean actual; it means believ- able) • identified in active verb form and move the communication forward • specific Here is an example from the theater. An actor is about to begin rehearsal for a new Broadway play, and she is explor- ing her script to identify her acting objectives. She decides that, at one par- ticular moment in the script, her charac- ter wishes to be powerful. That is her verb to be powerful. But the verb “to be” is static and does not contain the energy of action necessary for an actable objective. So, the actor rephras- es this: “I wish to obtain power.” The verb “to obtain” is active, but it is not specific. Now, the actor must ask her- self, “What must I do, in order to obtain power?” When she answers that, she knows what specific actions to take toward the listener. She may decide upon one of these verbs as an objective: “I want to (1) impress my listeners (2) instill confidence within my listeners (3) earn my listeners’ affection.” Here are some sample acting objectives that might be useful when you speak directly to clients and prospects: “I want to: • direct my listeners toward behavior that will benefit them or their organi- zations • illustrate to my listeners the benefits of taking action • save my listeners from making deci- sions that will waste time and money, or put them in a compromis- ing position” These are actable objectives. You can act on them. Pursuing acting objectives like these as you rehearse and speak will help you build prospect and client belief. Keep your acting objectives private; never share them with anyone! Secrets hold great power over us; when we let them out, they lose some of their influ- ence on our behavior. Keeping your act- ing objectives a secret will help ensure that they have power over you; power to affect your tone of voice, body language, and every aspect of your demeanor. Your secret objective will also have the effect of strengthening your motivation to speak and increasing the level of commitment and passion in your voice and gestures. Actors write their acting objectives in the margin of the script, right next to the dialogue. In rehearsal, as they speak the words of each beat, they focus on the underlying acting objectives and pursue those objectives as if their lives depended on it. Attorneys can easily identify what they consider to be their overall objectives when they speak. Many, however, do not realize the importance of identifying the many different (and highly specific) objectives contained within the various parts of the spoken message. It is these “micro,” beat-by-beat objectives that help build belief when you identify them care- fully and pursue them rigorously. Rehearsing the way actors do will help you speak strategically at each moment and project a conviction that is visible on your body and audible in your voice. Do the following: 1. Divide your notes (or script, if you use one) into beats, each one a dif- ferent subject. 2. Identify an acting objective for each beat. Choose objectives that are attractive for you to pursue and that meet the five criteria. 3. Write your objectives in the margin of the page. 4. Rehearse aloud, rehearse often, and rehearse at “performance-level” energy. 5. Internalize; do not memorize (rehearsal should be the practice of spontaneity). 6. As you speak the words of each beat, focus on your underlying acting objective. Keep it at the forefront of your mind, and pursue it energetical- ly. This process should become part of your preparation for client/prospect meetings, telephone negotiations, networking/CLE events, and conferences—as well as your communication in the courtroom and the boardroom. Apply this technique from the actor’s toolkit to build belief every time you speak. Then, watch your persuasive power and your practice grow! Maria Guida is a speaking strategist/coach at major law firms and law associations, as well as a corporate and television spokesperson. As an actor on Broadway, TV, and film, she has worked with Paul Newman, James Earl Jones, and Kevin Kline. Maria can be reached at 718-884- 2282 or via email at maria@successfuls- peakerinc.com. Build Your Practice By Building Belief: A Lesson From the Theater
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Build Your Practice By Building Belief: A Lesson from the Theater by Maria Guida
Transcript of Persuasive Speaking
May 2013 / The New York County Lawyer 7
By Maria Guida
Copyright 2013 by Successful Speaker, Inc.All rights reserved.
Attorneys have great deal in commonwith actors. They face negative stereo-types that they must continuously seek todestroy: actors are unreliable, phony air-heads; attorneys are longwinded, arrogantsheisters.
How do successful attorneys and actorsinfluence people to believe otherwise?How can you, as an attorney, help defeatthese stereotypes and continue to buildyour business?
Persuasive attorneys and convincingactors understand the key finding of astudy conducted by the Harvard BusinessSchool: while your message is alwaysimportant, content constitutes only sevenpercent of your persuasive power. A full93 percent of the impression you make isbased upon how you deliver your mes-sage, to build belief within your listeners.
You can become a more masterful per-suader: spend less time preparing yourcontent and invest more time rehearsingdelivery behaviors that build listenerbelief. Convincing actors know how todo this, because they spend years honinga craft that is designed to help the audi-ence believe.
To establish belief, actors nurture whatStanislavski (the great Russian stagedirector and teacher) called the “sense oftruth.” In daily life, truth is what actuallyexists. On stage and camera, however,truth is not what exists, but what is possi-ble. To do their jobs, therefore, actorscreate truth; they exercise the power ofthe imagination to satisfy their own senseof truth, so that they themselves canbelieve.
In or out of court, the attorney’s situationis similar to the actor’s. The more sin-cerely you believe and deliver your mes-sage as truth, the more completely yourlisteners (and jurors) believe it.
When actors are preparing a role on stageor camera, they make careful plans abouttheir actions. One of the things they do isto pursue acting objectives that are per-sonally appealing and powerful, so thatthey will be motivated to speak the linesthat the playwright or screenwriter wrote.These carefully worked-out acting objec-tives are important building blocks thatactors use, in order to build belief.
As an attorney, by pursuing acting objec-tives as you speak, you can help yourprospects and existing clients believe that:
• you listen to your clients• you put the clients’ interests in frontof your own• you are passionate about a case –that it’s not just a cash cow for you• you truly are the client’s businesspartner• if you can’t handle a case, you willhonestly say so, and you will recom-mend someone who can handle it
No matter what practice area you are
in, pursuing acting objectives when youspeak will help you 1. project commit-ment and passion and 2. create thesebeliefs (and more) for your businesslisteners.
“Pursuing acting objectives” meansfocusing on what we do with our words –the powerful communication actions thatlie underneath the words we speak. Inorder to make choices about actions,actors divide the script into units, called“beats.” Each beat is a separate topic,smaller than the overall subject of themessage.
When actors have identified what eachbeat is about, they identify an actingobjective for each beat, choosing objec-tives that have the following qualities.Each objective should be:
• directed toward the listener and notbe concerned with dramatic effect
• personal yet appropriate to the spo-ken message and the listener’s situa-tion
• truthful (for our purposes, truthfuldoesn’t mean actual; it means believ-able)
• identified in active verb form andmove the communication forward
• specific
Here is an example from the theater. Anactor is about to begin rehearsal for anew Broadway play, and she is explor-ing her script to identify her actingobjectives. She decides that, at one par-ticular moment in the script, her charac-ter wishes to be powerful. That is herverb to be powerful. But the verb “tobe” is static and does not contain theenergy of action necessary for anactable objective. So, the actor rephras-es this: “I wish to obtain power.” Theverb “to obtain” is active, but it is notspecific. Now, the actor must ask her-self, “What must I do, in order to obtainpower?” When she answers that, sheknows what specific actions to taketoward the listener. She may decideupon one of these verbs as an objective:
“I want to (1) impress my listeners (2)instill confidence within my listeners (3)earn my listeners’ affection.”
Here are some sample acting objectivesthat might be useful when you speakdirectly to clients and prospects:
“I want to:
• direct my listeners toward behaviorthat will benefit them or their organi-zations• illustrate to my listeners the benefitsof taking action• save my listeners from making deci-sions that will waste time andmoney, or put them in a compromis-ing position”
These are actable objectives. You can acton them. Pursuing acting objectives likethese as you rehearse and speak will helpyou build prospect and client belief.
Keep your acting objectives private;never share them with anyone! Secretshold great power over us; when we letthem out, they lose some of their influ-ence on our behavior. Keeping your act-ing objectives a secret will help ensurethat they have power over you; power toaffect your tone of voice, body language,and every aspect of your demeanor. Yoursecret objective will also have the effectof strengthening your motivation to speakand increasing the level of commitmentand passion in your voice and gestures.
Actors write their acting objectives inthe margin of the script, right next tothe dialogue. In rehearsal, as they speakthe words of each beat, they focus onthe underlying acting objectives andpursue those objectives as if their livesdepended on it.
Attorneys can easily identify what theyconsider to be their overall objectiveswhen they speak. Many, however, do notrealize the importance of identifying themany different (and highly specific)objectives contained within the various
parts of the spoken message. It is these“micro,” beat-by-beat objectives that helpbuild belief when you identify them care-fully and pursue them rigorously.
Rehearsing the way actors do will helpyou speak strategically at each momentand project a conviction that is visible onyour body and audible in your voice.
Do the following:1. Divide your notes (or script, if youuse one) into beats, each one a dif-ferent subject.
2. Identify an acting objective for eachbeat. Choose objectives that areattractive for you to pursue and thatmeet the five criteria.
3. Write your objectives in the marginof the page.
4. Rehearse aloud, rehearse often, andrehearse at “performance-level”energy.
5. Internalize; do not memorize(rehearsal should be the practice ofspontaneity).
6. As you speak the words of each beat,focus on your underlying actingobjective. Keep it at the forefront ofyour mind, and pursue it energetical-ly.
This process should become part of yourpreparation for client/prospect meetings,telephone negotiations, networking/CLEevents, and conferences—as well as yourcommunication in the courtroom and theboardroom.
Apply this technique from the actor’stoolkit to build belief every time youspeak. Then, watch your persuasivepower and your practice grow!
Maria Guida is a speaking strategist/coachat major law firms and law associations,as well as a corporate and televisionspokesperson. As an actor on Broadway,TV, and film, she has worked with PaulNewman, James Earl Jones, and KevinKline. Maria can be reached at 718-884-2282 or via email at [email protected].
Build Your Practice By Building Belief:A Lesson From the Theater
