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Featured Article: BOLDNESS
Introduction
I have previously discussed, being an expert who speaks professionally is about
--- Freshness,
--- Novelty,
--- Originality, and
--- Boldness
In the last issue three issues I explored "freshness", "novelty" and "originality".
In this issue, I will explore "boldness".
How to Deliver Boldness
As
I wrote before, boldness combines the fresh, the novel and the original
with courage and confidence in the knowledge delivered with purpose and
passion. Boldness is also what separates the "shy expert" from the
"professional speaker".
Eric Chester explained what gave him his boldness: "I don't know anyone else in America who does anything like I do."
And,
Dr. Lisa Williams, an expert in supply chain management, talks about
the "knowing power" that drives her boldness. She said, "Our Knowing
Power not only generates passion and commitment that makes our ideas
invincible, it reveals our true unique purpose and provides the
satisfaction we all seek."
Marcus Buckingham is also bold. He
owns his information and his theory. He knows it is powerful and will
impact his audiences and clients. Because he owns his information and
has the data to back it up, he can be bold.
Talking about his
delivery style, Marcus said, "I have a lot of data, I am going to use
it. I just dive right in. . . . I can just get right into [it], and say
'Guys, around the world, we do not engage people, so wake up!' I think
being an expert allows you to be much more authoritative without being
aggressive or badgering."
My Experience
One
of my strongest experiences of boldness was lobbying for the passage of
the Character Education bill in the state of Texas. To prepare, I
researched 40 bills in other states. Then, I talked to people to find
the 9 primary oppositions to the bill and worked to develop answers to
those oppositions. Because I had done the work, I knew what I was doing
and I knew more than anyone else about that topic. When I spoke with
the legislators, lawyers and judges, my knowing gave me an energy of
boldness.
How It Relates to the Industry
Many
speakers today lack boldness. They are so smart that they can operate
on the fly and get by on the seat of their britches. They lack a
strong, deeply held conviction about their message. They don't own
their message and theory because they haven't done the fundamental
research. They are delivering information that is no longer fresh,
novel and original.
Why This Is Important to You
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
--- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
You
can't fake boldness. Boldness comes from doing the work no one else is
willing to do. The work gives you a spirit, an energy and a courage
that expresses your boldness.
When we think of "expert", we
frequently envision the shy, rumplety, focused expert, isolated in an
office. But experts can also be bold, both in their expression of their
expertise and in their delivery and presentation. Successful experts
who speak professionally embody a "boldness".
Juanell's Simple But Profound Statement
Boldness happens when you own your expertise. You can't fake boldness.