So many books, articles and training manuals about Leadership have been written that a mere blog seems futile.
Why do it then?
I’m doing it to inspire you and get you to move into action. Wow, that really sounds like what leaders should be doing.
Can I really do that by writing this blog?
I’m going to try since communication is one of the most important skills a leader needs.
The key to inspiring is imagination!
If you tell a story and capture your audience’s imagination, then stir their emotions you have a good foundation to get them into action.
The spark for imagination starts with the choice of a topic to which the audience can relate. Something they know and care about or something they can dream about.
Talking to a group of people born and raised in a city about farming (planting, nurturing the seedlings, helping them to grow into healthy plants etc.) is not going to work. City dwellers will have trouble visualizing something they have never experienced unless you are exceptionally good with words.
Sports stories have frequently been used to lift people and get them motivated but in a mixed gender group the story may not resonate with everyone. Part of the audience may also feel excluded if they don’t follow a particular team or sport.
Using an example like going to the moon can work because it is something people can dream about.
To stir emotions the story you tell works best if it is about a struggle or adverse situation and overcoming the odds to triumph.
People may see themselves in the situations narrated and empathize with the characters and wish the success they are being told about will be their own.
I think I have set the stage….now it is up to you to find the right topic to relate to your target audience.
