Be Yourself

Transparency wins people over. Though you’ll want to come across as smart and articulate, it’s even more important to be open and sincere so people will trust you and your ideas.

It’s OK if you’re nervous. Audiences are gracious. As business communication expert Victoria Labalme points out, they’ll “forgive a stumble, an ‘um,’ or a section where you backtrack as long as they know that your heart is in the right place.”

She adds: “Your audience wants you to be real. So avoid sounding like a corporate spokesperson—but don’t portray false humility, either. Playing small and meek when inside you know (and the audience knows) you’re a giant will not win you any fans. Authenticity means claiming who you are.”

If you love what you do, for instance, let your enthusiasm show.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer explodes with so much passion when he presents that his sweaty, breathless dancing became a YouTube phenomenon (figure 6-1).

In a January 2012 article about Ballmer, Business-Week mused, “He plays the cheerleader in public appearances in an apparent effort to prove that no one can top his love of Microsoft—and he succeeds cringingly well.” It’s over-the-top, but it’s all him. No one questions his authenticity, and the man can rally his troops.

And then there’s Susan Cain, who took the opposite tack when she gave one of the most buzzed-about talks at TED 2012. Cain spoke quietly and convincingly about being an introvert in a world that rewards extroverts. Her style suited her—and her subject matter—perfectly. She seemed comfortable onstage, but she certainly wasn’t dramatic or even passionate. That wouldn’t have been natural, given her personality and her topic. Instead, she delivered her message in a way that would resonate with fellow introverts: “The world needs you, and it needs the things you carry. So I wish you the best of all possible journeys and the courage to speak softly.”