Positive leadership

Positive Leadership

Healthy leadership always moves
along a positive path.
Forget about those age-old images of the stern, dour-faced manager, cracking the whip and doling out
punishments and hard work to embittered employees. In today’s world, great leaders are recognized by the
positive effects they have on people. They promote teamwork, encourage excellence, foster growth and even
offer criticism in a productive way.

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Toastmasters provides many opportunities for members to practice positive leadership skills. Many corporations
around the world encourage their current and future managers to join. If you’re looking for a good place to work
on your leadership skills, why not give Toastmasters a try?
Laws of Positive Leadership
How to Find Leaders
Requiem for the Heroic Manager

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Positive Leadership
Laws of Positive Leadership

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Laws of Positive Leadership


How to be a leader others want to follow.
Examples abound of poor leadership. Who hasn’t had a teacher or boss who invoked feelings of disrespect? A
positive leader is someone who inspires, motivates, energizes and unites, while generating loyalty and producing
results. In his article for the Toastmaster magazine, Victor Parachin offers 10 rules on how to be that kind of
leader:

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Give more than you expect others to give.

Combine optimism and perseverance.
See everyone as a diamond in the rough.
Express appreciation; accept responsibility.
Keep your ego in check.
Show respect for the people around you.
Treat team members as family.
Be a source of inspiration.
Stress cooperation, not competition.
Maintain a sense of humor.

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How to Find Leaders

Want to find leaders for your organization?
John Maxwell, Ph.D., is an expert on leadership and author of more than 30 books on that topic. In his monthly enewsletter, Leadership Wired, he answers the question, “How can I be sure to hire the right person?”
To accomplish anything of significance, you must have the right people by your side. Finding a great hire often


goes hand in hand with identifying potential leaders. Maxwell credits his friend Fred Smith with helping him arrive
at these 11 questions to ask when looking for a leader:

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Does the person question existing systems and push for improvements?
Do they offer practical ideas?
When they speak, who listens?
Do others respect them?
Can they create or catch a vision?
Do they show a willingness to take responsibility?
Do they finish the job?
Are they emotionally strong?
Do they possess strong people skills?
Will they lead others with a servant’s heart?
Can they make things happen?

Requiem for the Heroic Manager

Ideas about effective leadership are changing.
In the past, the heroic archetype was the most popular image of corporate leadership. According to this image, a
good manager was a rugged, decisive individual, capable of single-handedly driving a business to success and
glory. But as Dave Zielinski points out in his article "Requiem for the Heroic Manager," the heroic archetype of
leadership is on its deathbed. In its place, leadership research conducted in the past 20 years paints a very
different picture.
According to recent scholarship, good leaders:

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Focus on the success of the organization rather than their own personal success.
Enable success in others and share the glory of success with the group.
Acknowledge personal weaknesses as well as strengths.
Celebrate the accomplishments of employees and make them feel like heroes.

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Speak Like a Leader


Communication and leadership
skills go hand in hand.
There are many good reasons why Toastmasters teaches both communication and leadership skills. People with
good communication skills are more likely to be promoted to leadership positions, and good leaders need
communication skills to be effective.

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In other words, if you want to be a leader, you have to learn to speak like a leader. And Toastmasters is here to
help.
Motivational Speech Techniques
The 10 Commandments of Communication

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Motivational Speech Techniques

Five simple strategies to motivate your listeners.
One of the most important elements of leadership is the ability to motivate people. Without motivation, even the
most skilled team of seasoned professionals is unlikely to achieve great things. A highly motivated group of
talented people, on the other hand, can move mountains.


While it’s true that motivating people involves more than just changing the way you speak, there are some simple
guidelines you can follow to help build team motivation with only your words and your voice:

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Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is contagious! Before you present your ideas, think about the aspects of
the subject that you find most interesting, and don’t be afraid to let that interest come through in your voice.
Use quotes, stories and anecdotes. Along with their obvious entertainment value, quotes and stories
can lend authority to your topic and provide concrete examples that people can relate to.
Speak with confidence. Deliver your message loud and clear. Maintain eye contact with your listeners.
Don’t mumble or slouch.
Say you and we, not I and me. Instead of telling people what you want them to do, present ways for
them to work together to achieve their goals. Involve listeners in the success of the group.
Keep it simple. People aren’t motivated by what you say; they’re motivated by what they understand.
The best way to ensure audience understanding is to break down complex ideas into simple components.

The 10 Commandments of Communication

How to speak like a leader.
By Michael Landrum, ATMB

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Listen generously. Emerson said: “First seek to understand, then to be understood.” How do you listen
to an audience? Do your research. Find out who they are, what they need and want, and what they
expect from you. When you step to the lectern, pause and listen. Are they ready to hear you? During
your speech, keep listening. Pay attention to them. Are they leaning forward, backward or on each
other? Be willing to depart from your prepared remarks to recover your rapport with them. Ask
questions. Even something as simple as “Is that clear?” can reestablish contact.
Say what you mean and mean what you say. Aren’t these two phrases the same? No indeed: “Say
what you mean” is about telling the truth, “Mean what you say” is about making a commitment, keeping
your promise, honoring your word. Have something meaningful to say. Step to the lectern with the
intention of making a difference to your audience.
Use the fewest words with the fewest syllables. I run afoul of this one all the time. It’s the main
reason I rewrite so often, looking for big, two-dollar words I can swap for a single 10-cent syllable.
Delete therefore, insert so. That’s real economy in writing. Remember that the basic unit of
communication is not the word but the idea.
Align with your audience. We may consider it our task to speak to the audience, but it is sometimes
more important to speak for them. Express those thoughts and feelings that you share with them. Even
if you think they are wrong and you are the advocate of sweeping change, you must first understand and
articulate their feelings. Great leaders know that leadership begins with the pronoun we.
Be specific. Use stories, anecdotes, parables and examples rather than generalities and abstractions.
This is a tough one for some people. They love to wander through a topic in the abstract, scattering
generalities as they go. The great teachers and speakers pepper their talks with vivid, detailed
examples. “He seemed upset as he left” is general. “He blew his nose, kicked the dog and slammed the
door” is specific.
Suit the action to the word, the word to the action. Don’t say “I’m glad to be here” while looking at
your wristwatch. Be aware of your non-verbal communication. Your gestures, posture, facial
expressions, energy, tone of voice, and a thousand other tiny, unuttered elements actually carry the true
and specific meaning of your communication. We can understand the words “I love you” well enough.
But their true importance, their actual meaning, is all wrapped up in how they are spoken, and by whom.

7.

Structure your speech. One valuable way to make your talk memorable is to speak to a structure and
make your listeners aware of it. Share with them the form of your thoughts as well as the content and
they will be able to follow more complex ideas. It will be easier for you to remember, too. People
appreciate the scenery more with a glance at the road map every now and then.
8. Speak to be understood. Have the courtesy to develop your voice so that all may hear you. You groom
your appearance, so why not cultivate your voice? With a little effort it can be strong, crisp, clear and
various in texture, color and range. It’s sad when speakers expend their energy to create a vivid, wellconstructed talk and then whisper, mutter or mumble.
9. Speak for the benefit of others. Serve your audience well by keeping their interests foremost in your
mind. This is the golden rule of speaking. As an audience member you can easily tell when a speaker is
self-serving. Nothing communicates more clearly than intention.
10. Speak from your highest self. The highest self is where hope resides. To lead effectively requires a
courageous, positive, optimistic view. As any astronaut will tell you, if you get high enough you will be in
perpetual sunshine. There must be a caveat attached to this rule, however: Beware of elevating yourself
with a high horse. Be humble. Having an opinion is a meager accomplishment. On most occasions a
modest demeanor improves communication.
Michael Landrum, ATMB, is a speaker, coach and writer in New York .

Teamwork

Harnessing the power of the group.
Effective leadership has nothing to do with promotions or job titles. It has no relationship to the number of people
who work under you, and it’s not about earning awards, accolades or personal glory. It’s all about the ability to
motivate and inspire people to work together as a team.
In Toastmasters, members take turns filling various meeting roles, giving everyone access to hands-on
leadership and team-building experience.

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Curious? Find a meeting location near you and see for yourself.
Delegating Authority
Turning Team Conflict into Team Harmony

Delegating Authority


The best way to wield power is to share it responsibly.
A leader is only one person and can only do the work of one person. In order to best accomplish the team’s goals
and objectives, he or she must carefully delegate authority to team members.

Why we don’t delegate
Some leaders hesitate to delegate authority for the following reasons:
They think they can do it better themselves.
They fear others will make mistakes.
They think team members won’t like them if they give them a lot of work and responsibility.
They’re afraid the person will perform too well and make them look bad.

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Truth is, the careful delegation of authority is one of the most important aspects of team building. When done
right, it plays to the team’s strengths and gives team members valuable experience. It also gives people the
opportunity to shine while freeing up the leader’s time for more important or appropriate activities.

How to delegate
While delegating authority and responsibility is crucial to team success, there are a few guidelines that should be

followed:
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Choose the right person. Select someone who is capable, able and willing to take on the
responsibility.
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Make expectations clear. Describe the project or task to be completed, the results expected and the
timetable.
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Establish how and when you want feedback on progress. Do you prefer daily reports? A weekly email?
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Give appropriate authority. Don’t give a team member a project that he or she does not have the
power to complete! For example, don’t assign someone a task that requires access to a database that they
can’t get into.
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Get the person’s agreement. The team member should commit to and be willing to carry out the work.

Turning Team Conflict into Team Harmony


How to get people to rally together for a common cause.
Whether it’s in school, at the office or on the playing field, being a “team member” is a challenging role. How do
people with diverse backgrounds, aptitudes and belief systems set aside their differences and start “rowing
together as one?” Elusive as good teamwork may be, there are steps organizations can take to ensure their work
teams are high-performing and well-adjusted.
In his article for the Toastmaster magazine, “Turning Team Conflict Into Team Harmony,” Dave Zielinski cites
team-building experts who offer advice on how to be a team leader, leading volunteer-based teams, and what to
do when your team isn’t working. For example, Zielinski says a team’s chances of success depends on the
leader’s ability to:

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Use “people skills.”
Set precise and measurable objectives.
Provide regular and actionable feedback.
Promote peer pressure as a tool for accountability.
Offer meaningful rewards for good performance.

Read the Complete PDF Article

Learning Leadership

The best way to learn how to lead
is to become a leader.
Take a quick look at your local bookstore’s shelves and you will likely find hundreds of volumes about leadership.
Scan the table of contents of a handful of them and you’ll find that there are many different – even contradictory –
theories about what leadership is, and how to be a good leader.
No matter how good some of these books might be, there’s no arguing that it’s difficult to advance your
leadership skills without actually taking on leadership roles yourself.


That’s where Toastmasters comes in. In Toastmasters, members advance in the Leadership track of the
educational program by participating in club leadership activites. The Toastmasters approach is hands-on and
participatory, not dry and academic; it’s a place to try your hand at leadership instead of just reading about it.
So if you’re looking for a place to put some of those leadership ideas you’ve been reading about into practice in a
safe, supportive environment, give Toastmasters a try.

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Leadership Track
Leadership Essentials

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Leadership Essentials

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Leadership Essentials

Leadership is difficult to define. It’s an abstract concept that evokes as many different reactions as there are
different kinds of people. Yet most of us know good leadership when we see it, and we can often tell when good

leadership is missing by the way a team or organization struggles without it.
At Toastmasters, our leadership training program identifies the following areas as essential to quality, effective
leadership:

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Mission. A clear mission helps the leader to focus the team so that they can ignore distractions and pay
attention to what’s most important.
Values. When a leader demonstrates values that are in sync with the company’s mission and the team’s
goals, everyone benefits.
Planning and goal-setting. With clear goals and effective planning, leaders make their expectations
understood and team members know what to do at all times.
Delegating authority. The job of leadership is usually too big to handle alone. By sharing
responsibilities with the team, a leader instills a sense of purpose and empowerment.
Team building. Establishing trust, playing to individual strengths, encouraging people to work together
– all are important aspects of team building.
Giving feedback. Constructive, concise and timely feedback is essential to each team member’s
success, and to the success of the team as a whole.
Coaching team members. A good leader must take on the role of trainer now and then, providing
expert advice, encouragement and suggestions for improvement.
Motivating people. By providing a good example, learning each team member’s needs and giving
rewards and incentives when appropriate, a leader can inspire people to achieve higher levels of
performance.

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Working for the team. Great leaders encourage participation, facilitate communication and provide an
environment where team success is more likely to occur.
Resolving conflict. Conflict between team members is inevitable, and not always a bad thing. A
leader’s job is to resolve the conflict in a just and reasonable way so that productivity and morale do not
suffer.

Speaking of Nightmares

Bad Speaking Situations and Lessons Learned
By John Kinde, DTM

As a speaker and entertainer with more than 30 years experience, I’ve had my share of nightmarish speaking
and performing conditions. The best thing that can come from a bad situation is that we learn something to
prevent it from happening again! Let me share some of my worst memories – and what I learned from them.

The Nightmare: Booked to perform 30 minutes of comedy at a New Year’s Eve Party, I was introduced at 11
p.m., one hour before the stroke of midnight. To accommodate my portion of the entertainment, the organizers
stopped the dancing. The 300 people at the party were not happy. Then I discovered that the sound system was
horrible. Only the people in the first two rows could hear me well. The people in the middle could hear me a little.
The people in the back could not hear me at all. So the ones in the back of the room started talking to each other!
The chatter from the back of the room resulted in the people seated in the middle not hearing anything I was
saying, so they also started talking. You get the picture: A tsunami of indifference was sweeping toward the front
of the room. Soon only the front row could hear small portions of my program. Disaster! When it was over, I didn’t
hang around to meet the audience. And I almost swore I’d never perform again. Almost.
The Lesson: Sometimes the main factor in an awful situation is bad timing. In this case, interrupting the dancing

just before midnight was not good. A performance at 8 p.m. would have been better. For a speaker, a case of
bad timing could mean giving a speech while people are eating dinner. It’s better to give your talk after the meal
is completed. What if you’re scheduled to speak at breakfast? Giving a talk at 7 a.m. could be bad timing,
especially if you’re doing humor. A humorous talk will normally be better received at lunch than it will be at a
breakfast meeting.
Another factor to consider is whether you would rather speak to a group before or after they get drunk. I prefer
sober audiences. I’ve learned to explore my options. For example, at an event such as a New Year’s Eve Party,
is it possible to perform in a separate room where watching the program is optional? I’ve done this at high school
graduation parties and it works like a charm. Those who want to watch the entertainment are able to enjoy it.

The Nightmare: There was the time I was booked as a middle act in a fund-raiser variety program at a high
school auditorium. The stage was perfect, but the spotlight was fixed. The cord on the microphone was not long
enough to reach the illuminated area of the stage. As a result, I couldn’t be seen and heard at the same time. I
made choices all the way through my program of when it was most important to be heard and when it was most
important to be seen. Funsville, not!
The Lesson: For your speech to be received and enjoyed, your audience must be able to see and hear you.
Although this is a no-brainer, you need to remember to coordinate with your host or meeting planner to ensure
that you are provided with good sound and lighting. Know what is essential for optimal room configuration and
communicate it in advance to the program planner. Sometimes people in charge of meetings have little
experience and no understanding of the dos and don’ts of program staging. They have good intentions and want
to do it right; they just need your help. You and the meeting planner must work together to create an environment
that allows a good audience to actually be a good audience.
Make the commitment to arrive early, at least two hours before your program, to check out the lights, sound


system and other elements of the room setup. At more recent programs I have often brought my own sound
system, lights, microphone cords, projectors and a screen. Usually, I leave them in the car and take them in only
if they’re needed.

The Nightmare: My next performance treat was on a riverboat. My program was staged on the upper deck, on

top of the doors that covered the diesel engine. As if the noise wasn’t enough, the lighting consisted of yellow
“bug lights.” I was performing magic, and the color of the props was important to the effect. As a result of the
yellow riverboat’s lighting, my red props looked like orange. White looked like yellow. Blue looked like green, and
I looked like a cast member from Night of the Living Dead – and felt even worse.
The Lesson: Avoid outdoor programs. At outdoor events, the audience’s energy evaporates right into the sky.
Also, never speak on a moving vehicle. I’ve also been asked to speak on trains, busses and limos. No thank you!
Cruise ships would be the exception.

The Nightmare: I spoke to inmates at a federal prison. Yes, a captive audience. I discovered that it was an
ideal place to experience hecklers. Not just one heckler, but many. If an inmate is thinking something, he or she
is more likely than your typical audience member to say it out loud. I was not expecting this, and it affected the
flow of my program.
The Lesson: If you’re prepared to deal with hecklers, the disruption will be minimized. For the most part, it isn’t
that hecklers don’t like you; they are simply trying to have fun. The best thing is not to confront or challenge them
but to go with the flow. Enjoy the moment. If they are extremely annoying, often the audience will help you deal
with them. Also, be alert for some funny lines that you may be able to add to your next talk. I picked up a line
from the prison talk that I used for many years after.

The Nightmare: The next surprise was a program for an audience of 400. I had performed for this group in
previous years; a good audience. But this time, the decorating committee had unwittingly sabotaged the program.
The room’s primary decoration consisted of three helium balloons tied to the back of each chair with three-foot
ribbons. On arrival, I went to the back of the room to check the view of the stage. Or should I say, lack of view of
the stage. The effect of the decorations amounted to the equivalent of 400 people standing in the middle of the
room.
When you were seated, unless you were in the front three rows, you absolutely could not see the stage. The
larger problem was that since people in the back rows could not see anything, they started talking among
themselves. Flashback to the New Year’s Eve party. And now, in addition to not seeing the stage, nobody could
even hear the program because of the conversational tidal wave. I needed my crying towel!
Lesson Learned: The room decorations can have a major impact on your program. It’s not just balloons on
chairs; streamers hanging from the ceiling or tall centerpieces on the banquet tables also can obscure the view of

the platform. Once again, talking to the event planner in advance is a smart thing.

The Nightmare: At yet another event, I arrived early to find that the banquet tables for 500 people were set up
with the first row of tables 70 feet from the stage. It’s a challenge to deliver an intimate presentation with your
closest audience members 70 feet away. In addition, this means that the back row was 70 feet further away than
it had to be. Not good.
The Lessons: Sometimes you need to take charge. In this case, I did something I had never done before. I knew
that the fix was simple and quick. It wasn’t a matter of moving all 63 banquet tables closer to the stage; it was
simply a matter of moving the back two rows of tables (only 10 of them) to the front of the large room. I asked if
that could be done and the response was, “Yes, but there isn’t enough time to do it.” I made a decision, based on
two factors. First, I had a relationship with the staff from previous engagements. And second, I checked with the
program chair to ensure that the 70 feet of dead space was not something that was intentionally designed to
allow room for something else in the program. And then I said, “OK, I’ll move the tables myself.” I asked one
person to assist me and we started to move the first table.
Within 30 seconds we had 10 staff members helping us. And in less than five minutes the entire table
arrangement had been fixed. Because of some slightly assertive behavior, the program was much better than if
we had left the room as it was. This tactic needs to be used with caution and good judgment. In some cases
(based on my relationship, or lack of relationship, with the venue staff and the meeting planners) I would choose
to live with the dead space and make the best of it.

The Nightmare: Then there was the time we presented an improv show for a senior citizen residential home.
The room was set for 100 chairs. Twelve residents turned out for the show. They sat in the back of the room,
leaving the front seats empty. We performed our opening, high-energy game that normally was received with
loads of audience response, laughter, applause. But this night... nothing. Dead silence. Then we started asking
for audience suggestions for the next scene. Blank stares. We ended up providing our own laughter and troupe
members shouted out suggestions for the rest of the evening.
I was hoping that our audience was finding the room a quiet place to rest.
Lesson Learned: Always assume that the audience is enjoying the program (unless they’re throwing things at
you). Avoid second-guessing your audience. Never assume that lack of laughter means they don’t find your
humor funny. Some of the people in this tiny senior-residence audience came up after the show to say how much

they enjoyed the program. If only they hadn’t kept it a secret during the show! As a speaker, you can always


choose to believe that an audience’s silence means that they are quietly enjoying your program. If they don’t
applaud, assume they’re sitting on their hands because their fingers are cold. Don’t let your negative
assumptions and interpretations zap the energy out of your program.

Final Thoughts
You’re probably wondering, “Hey John, are all your programs disasters?” The good news is that these
performances constitute a small number of hundreds of programs and most of them took place more than 20
years ago. In recent years I’ve experienced few such unpleasant situations. The improvement in my track record
is due to better judgment. The old saying is that good judgment comes from experience, which is the result of bad
judgment. I learned from the difficult programs.
I wish you happy performing and happy speaking. But when you do get into a bad situation, deal with it. Do your
best program possible even if only one person is enjoying it (even if you are that one person). And when it’s over,
quickly pack your things. Smile while you are leaving. And know that your future programs will be better because
of the experience and the lessons you learn.
John Kinde, DTM, Accredited Speaker, is a humor specialist and keynote speaker from Las Vegas. For more
information, visit www.HumorPower.com.

From the Toastmaster magazine, January, 2006

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When was the last time you had to persuade someone? Regardless of
your industry or profession, chances are you regularly have to persuade
others to adopt your ideas. Whether you’re persuading a client to buy your
product, your boss to give you a raise, your co-worker to give you a piece
of that key project, or even your kids to clean their room, you often need
others to see things your way.
And while research shows that most people believe they can’t be sold, the fact is that those same people can
indeed be persuaded if they don’t recognize that a “sales” technique is being used. That’s why smart
professionals today are using the art of persuasion, rather than sales, to get others to see things their way.
Realize that persuasion does not involve tricks, gimmicks, lying or anything unethical. When you use persuasion
techniques, you are merely taking advantage of modern psychological research to make your message more

credible and believable. For persuasion to truly work, whatever message you’re conveying must be based in truth
and delivered with the right intentions. After all, you’re persuading someone to your point of view, not conning
someone to do or think something questionable.
With that said, following are the persuasion principles that will give you an edge in getting others to adopt your
ideas with ease:

1. Aim at a narrow target. When attempting to coax someone to adopt their ideas, many people do a data
dump on their listener. They give every possible fact, figure and feature in hopes that some of the information will
stick and persuade the other party. However, if you want to be effective at persuasion, then you need to keep
your focus during the conversation as narrow as possible. So rather than talk about everything possible that
might persuade the other person, find out what’s important to your listener and then persuade on those points
only. The best way to uncover what’s important to the other person is to ask. That’s right…simply ask, “What’s
important to you about… [insert whatever topic you’re addressing].” Then listen to what your listener says and
speak only to those points.
If asking such a direct question doesn’t seem appropriate for your situation, you can couch your question within a
statement, such as, “I was talking with someone the other day about [insert your topic], and they told me that
_______ was the most important thing to them about [insert your topic]. That wouldn’t be important to you too,
would it?” The result is that your statement could sound like: “I was talking with someone the other day about
buying a car, and they told me that gas mileage was the most important thing they considered when purchasing a
vehicle. That wouldn’t be important to you too, would it?” Allow the person to answer and give you the information
you need. Then you can gauge how to direct your conversation based on their response.


2. Use stories to convey your message. Stories are an extremely effective way to persuade. However, many
people are too obvious with their stories, and as a result it sounds like they’re giving a sales pitch. The best way
to use stories as a persuasion tool is to simply tell your listener about something that is similar to your concept.
For example, suppose you want to convey the idea that your product will give the person peace of mind. First,
determine what that idea is like…what is similar to having peace of mind? You may decide that “relaxation” is
similar to the concept of peace of mind. If so, what conjures up images of relaxation to you? To this you might
reply that a day at the beach equates to relaxation. If so, then tell a story about a day at the beach. The person’s

unconscious mind will draw the necessary connections and do your persuasion for you.

“So rather than talk about everything possible that might persuade the
other person,
find out what’s important to your listener and then persuade on those
points only.”
Let’s say you’re trying to motivate your staff to try something new and you want to convey the idea of being open
to discovering new ideas. What is that idea like? What is similar to discovering new ideas? For many, it’s similar
to being surprised. So then, what else elicits a surprise? How about opening a gift? Tell a story about that. The
point is to pinpoint what you want to convey, decide what that idea is like, determine what else is like that main
idea, and then tell a story about the similar concept, idea or thing. This indirect approach works wonders and
keeps people from feeling like they are being sold.

3. Use a quote. Sometimes you may have to tell people bad news in order to get them to see things your way. If
you don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, you could use a quote to tell the news for you. For example, you
could tell a client, “I was talking with Joe Smith the other day and he said that ABC Company has trouble making
deliveries on time.”
Another example would be to say, “My father always used to tell me ___________,” and then tell them what you
want to tell them. Who could argue with your father? The only caveat is that you cannot use this technique to say
something that is not true. The goal is to deliver truthful news or make a point in a way that doesn’t reflect poorly
on you or make you appear insincere.

4. Use pacing and leading to prove your point. Pacing and leading is a technique based on the proven idea
that if the brain can verify two things as true, it will accept the third fact as being true also. So if you tell someone,
“My name is Mary Jones and I’m with Acme Corporation,” the listener’s mind can quickly verify those two facts as
true. Then whatever you say next, such as, “We have the lowest prices on your office supply needs,” rings true to
the listener as well. Again, you cannot use this technique to say something false. Whatever your third piece of
information is, it must be a reasonable fact.

A Slight Edge Yields Huge Rewards

None of these persuasion techniques are magic or “smoke and mirrors.” They are designed merely to give you a
slight edge in your dealings with others, but a slight edge can make all of the difference in the world.
After all, in the Olympics, the difference between those who win the gold and those who win the silver is often just
a few hundredths of a second or a fraction of a point. A slight edge goes a long way. So arm yourself with these
persuasion tools and make them a part of your everyday conversations with others. When you do, you’ll find that
others are more apt to adopt your ideas, resulting in more winning solutions for everyone involved.
Paul Endress is an entrepreneur, communication expert and president of the consulting firm Maximum

Advantage in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Reach him at www.paulendress.com. A former Toastmaster, he will
present a session on this topic at the International Convention in Calgary on August 14.