Speaking As a Leader: How to Lead Every Time You Speak...

From
Board Rooms to Meeting Rooms, From Town Halls to Phone Calls
by Judith Humphrey
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SpeakingAsaLeader:HowtoLeadEveryTimeYouSpeak...FromBoardRoomstoMeetingRooms,FromTownHallstoPhoneCalls

Chapter 8: What Is a Leader's Script?

The time has come,the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoesand shipsand sealing wax
Of cabbagesand kings
And why the sea is boiling hot

And whether pigs have wings.1

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

The Walrus rambled on and on, skipping from topic to topic. That approach was fine for him and his friend the Carpenter: they didn't expect
their audience, the oysters, to live to hear the end of their remarks. But your expectations must be different. You want to keep your audience
and win them over. You want to convince them that your message is important. You want them to act upon your recommendations. To achieve
these goals you must be focused and well organized. You must have what this work calls The Leader's Script.
The Leader's Script lies at the heart of this section of the book and is described in the next five chapters. Follow this approach, and you'll
shape your raw materialyour information, ideas, and datainto a powerful talk that inspires others.

The Power of The Leader's Script

The Leader's Script is a template for designing your remarkswhether you are speaking for 30 minutes or 30 seconds. It has extraordinary
versatility and strength. This single model works when giving a formal speech or a presentation, responding to questions, speaking on the
phone, or having a brief conversation with a colleague. You need only this one design for your scripts. You need to master only one
methodology for all situations. By using this template you will always be on messageand will influence and inspire others.
The Leader's Script has been created, thoroughly tested, and refined by The Humphrey Group in our work with thousands of clients. It reflects
the practices of the very best speakers, and it works around the globe. We have coached countless leaders whose approach to
communicating has been transformed by this template.

Most significantly, The Leader's Script is more than a model for clear speaking. It is a strategy for sound thinking and reasoning. It will make
you more persuasive in every situation. It will enable you to lead every time you speak.

The Elements of The Leader's Script

Let's look at the three parts of this scripting template. They are the Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.

The Introduction
A good Introduction draws the audience in and aligns them with your thinking. It transforms listeners from people sitting in a room, to a group
that's interested in what you are about to say. In short, it sets you up for success.
The Introduction has four components: the grabber, the subject, the message, and a structural statement. For a formal speech or presentation,
you will want all four components, but for a comment at a meeting, you won't need to state your subject, because it will be obvious from the
discussion. In this case, you'll have only three elements in your opening: grabber, message, and structural statement. And in a telephone call,
you might only have two of these four parts: a brief grabber and a message, moving on to the body of your remarks. But think of all four
elements as important for most scripts.
Here's an overview of the four components of the Introduction.(Chapters 9, 10 and 11 look at these elements in greater detail.)

n The grabber is your opening: it captures the audience's attention. In a formal speech, the opening can be an anecdote or story. In informal
remarks, the grabber might simply be a warm greeting to the audience or a segue from what another person has said.

n The subject, which follows the grabber, presents the topic. It tells the audience what you'll be talking about. It begins with expressions like
I'd like to look at or The presentation will review or I called you to discuss

n Next comes the message, which sets forth your argument. The message represents the essence of your thinking and is the most important
statement in your talk. As a leader you must believe in your message, and your goal must be to get the audience to believe in it, too.
Always express it in a single sentence.

n The Introduction often ends with a structural statement. It follows the message, and tells your audience how you'll be making your case.
You might state, I say that for three reasons,or I'll first discuss the challenge, then I'll outline our response.Think of it as a roadmap for
the body of your talk.

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SpeakingAsaLeader:HowtoLeadEveryTimeYouSpeak...FromBoardRoomstoMeetingRooms,FromTownHallstoPhoneCalls

The Body
The Body of your script contains the arguments that develop your main message and should be organized in a clear structure. For example, in
a phone call you might discuss the three reasons why your product will benefit a client's company. Or if you're talking to your boss in that one-
minute elevator ride, you might say, Here's the challenge we're facing.And then a few moments later, This is the solution we've come up
with.However long your script, organize the Body around a logical pattern. (This will be described in chapter 12.)

The Conclusion
Your script ends with a Conclusion, which contains two elements: the restated message and the call to action.

n The restated message brings your audience back to your central idea. In restating it, make them feel that they now own the message. For
example, you might say, So you can see why I say that we are on course to deliver a great performance.

n The call to action is the final element. It outlines the steps to be taken in response to your message. (Chapter 13 discusses the call to
action more fully.)

The Leader's Script is a template that ensures you will lead whenever you speak. The next page presents a diagram of this model. Using this
model, you will have a clear message, develop it persuasively, and ask the audience to act upon it. Will you always deliver the script
uninterrupted? No. In an off-the-cuff meeting, the flow of dialogue may mean you get to your message, but not immediately to the supporting
arguments. But if you keep your script in mind, you will eventually move through all your proof points and to the conclusion. Every time you use
The Leader's Script you will come across as an influential individual. This template will help transform your audience into followers, and your
speaking into an act of leadership. So, burn it in your mind. Use it for thinking and for speaking. Put The Leader's Script at the core of
everything you communicate.

The Leader's Script

Grabber:
Subject:
Message:
Structural Statement:
The following points prove the message. They are organized around one of five patterns: Reasons,Ways,Situation and Response,
Present Results and Future Prospects,and Chronological.
Point One:
A:
B:
C:
Point Two:
A:
B:
C:
Point Three:
A:
B:
C:
Restated Message:
Call to Action:

Notes
1. Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, chapter 4, p. 161.

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