Message Toolkit - The 7 Voices of Leadership

There is more than one voice of leadership. The voice that we are most familiar with is strong, authoritative and confident. This voice is perfect for presentations to the board, journalists, analysts, and to your team members. However, these are not the only presentations a leader will be asked to make.

In this article, you will learn about the 7 voices of leadership. Each voice plays a specific role and answers a specific leadership question. Learn and master these 7 voices, and you will be fully prepared for all your high stakes presentations.

The first two presentations are the foundation for all of your high-stakes conversations and presentations:

• "Who are you?" This question arises when you are meeting your audience for the first time. Your audience is interested in the your vision, values and vows. Use the voice of a contributor, and illustrate how you can make a difference in their lives.
• "When have you succeeded?" You audience is looking for evidence and social proof that you have a track record of success. Use the voice of a storyteller and share examples of how you've overcome adversity, reached a milestone, or achieved a mission. Stories have the power to communicate character, credibility and competency.

The next 5 presentations represent the leadership questions that are answered in internal events such as a company kickoff or a board meeting.  They are also answer in external events that include analyst presentations, client conversations, and media interviews.

• "Which do you recommend?" When confronted with a problem, your audience will be exploring potential solutions. Speak with the voice of a trusted advisor. Establish trust by first acknowledging the solutions provided by your industry and your competition. After sharing an unbiased and trusted perspective, share the merits of your solution.
  
• "What is Possible?" This question is often asked in meetings focused on brainstorming new ideas, designing new products, or creating new solutions. Speak with the voice of a visionary to spark imagination, inspiration and creativity in your audience.
• "Where are we going?" During times of uncertainty, this will be a central question from your team, your company and your industry. Speak with the voice of a leader, who has a crystal clear vision of the direction and destination for their audience.
• "How will we get there?" In training events, your audience is there to learn how to solve a specific problem. When you speak with the voice of a teacher, you empower your audience with the knowledge and skills required to complete a task, achieve a milestone, reach a destination.
• "Why is this important?" This question is the focus of keynotes delivered at industry conferences, TEDx events, and company kickoff events. Speak with a voice of a changemaker, to move the audience from seeing problems to seeing possibilities. Shift their emotions from feelings of doubt to feelings of confidence.