So as I mentioned yesterday, right before I snuck out of the office I was visiting a couple of days ago, the manage of the office asked me to make an “inspirational and motivational speech” to the group. Speaking to the group is one thing. Motivating a group is another thing…

However, he added the phrase “motivate them so that they don’t leave us for 10 years…”

NOW my eyes gouged out a bit - what the hell am I going to say that will motivate a group of people I have never met to stay with us for 10 years!?

At first I fought it and tried to get out of it, but quickly I had one of my famous “AH HA” moments. If you think about it, what is the main job of a leader? To inspire and motivate!

So, I took up the challenge and plunged into the speech.

The group was actually very attentive, everyone quickly turned around (they actually stood up first), as I spoke I could see heads nodding and many really understanding our big picture as I explained it - I quickly felt very welcomed and comfortable and got into a rhythm.

Here is the outline I used:

1. Thanked them for everything they are doing for us.
2. Discussed the “big” picture of the company.
3. Gave details of how what they are doing fits the company’s growth and how important it is.
4. Talked about some of the great feets we have crossed and why 2008 is the biggest year yet.
5. Asked questions (which I think they were still too shy to ask).
6. Mentioned my open door policy and gave everyone my personal contact information.
7. Ended the talk with another great thank you!

The entire talk was less than 5 minutes, which I think was perfect, I meant it to be fast.

In self-review, I feel I did “OK,” I could have done a much better job in each of the 7 points above (I feel my nervousness probably showed a bit). As I finished up, our CTO who was present there gave me some great suggestions.

Here is what he said verbatim:

“You should have talked about how the company started and what the vision/mission behind the company is…”

He is absolutely right. I spend so much time around those who know how we started and who know our vision/mission that I took it for granted! One of the most unique aspects of our company is how we started and how strongly we believe in our vision/mission.

Before I discussed the “big picture” of the company, I should have spent time talking about our vision/mission and how we started. I will definitely fix this the next time…

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A Tip: Use some humor in your “speech” to lighten the mood and make everyone feel more comfortable with you. A smile and a laugh can help others receive your message better but can also give you that much more confidence to deliver your message.

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