An underdeveloped leadership skill: the particulars of private speaking

First off, happy new year everybody! This is the first post of the new year, and we’re moving on to the last new topic before we finish the whole book.

After this topic is done (in a couple weeks, probably) most of the core of the book will be online. The book has more information, extra topics, and lots more examples. But if you’ve been keeping up with the web site over the past 10 months, or want to troll back through the archives, you can get most of the big picture.

I’m not sure what I’ll do next with this web site. I’ve got a few ideas for some posts beyond the book, but I don’t have a long term content plan. If you have any thoughts for things you’d like to see, send me an email.

Until then, on to our last topic.

The story doesn’t end with public speaking

Lots of the books on communication and leadership I’ve read will stop with writing and giving presentations to large groups of people.

These activities are a big part of the story, but they are only part of the story. When people list the things they think they aren’t good at, or that could benefit from a little tuning, writing and public speaking make the list. But everyday communication, the one-on-one that happens in the privacy of an office or cubicle, many times does not.

In terms of time actually spent, though, by far the lion’s share of your output and interactions as a leader will be spent interacting with an individual or a very small group of individuals.

Private speaking

This isn’t public speaking. It is usually informal, doesn’t involve slides, doesn’t involve large groups of people and often doesn’t involve sweeping plans or broad visions for the future. For lack of a better term, then, this is private speaking. This is the interaction you have with coworkers, managers, and staff that shapes and defines the “how” of how you get things done.

You can find good information on managing and improving your private communications on the Web and in books and seminars, if you know where to look. Look for books on communications in the self-improvement or business sections of your bookstore. Also check out books on management technique, as they often have sections on motivating individuals that offer good tips on effective interpersonal interactions.

A book that I’ve recommended before is Lifescripts by Pollan and Levine, which you can still find at Amazon along with updated editions for lots of very specific situations.

But, you don’t necessarily have to run off and do your own research right now. Stick around, because the next couple weeks are going to be about tuning up your private speaking skills.