Lynn Espinoza is a broadcast news veteran with more than a decade of media, presentation and executive coaching experience. She has developed personal coaching sessions for Fortune 100 C-level executives, corporate communicators of all kinds, doctors, lawyers and leaders in non-profit.
Cheers to the Class of 2010!!
Posted on June 15, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
Full disclosure: This is a proud mama moment.
My daughter graduated from high school tonight. It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal… until it’s your own child. It was a classy ceremony, and parents had every reason to be proud of each and every one. The speeches, as is always the case, were meaningful. That said, I think everyone in the room was paying attention to the speeches except for the graduates. They were busy trying to keep balloons and beach-balls in the air without getting caught by the counselor-cops.
For the class of 2010, I have a few thoughts to pass along:
- Visualize yourself living in the exact future that you want. It works.
- When the “water” or “oil” lights go on in your car, don’t ignore them.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in your trunk, in case you choose to ignore the “water” or “oil” lights in your car. I wish someone had’ve told me this one.
- Try to hang out with people who you think are more talented, smarter, kinder, than you. It will raise your game.
- If you spend your time criticizing people who you find less talented, intelligent or not as kind as you, everyone else will know that 1) you are hanging with the wrong crowd or, 2) you have found a false way to build yourself up. Either way, you lose.
- Forgive. Often. If you are unsure about how to go about this, spend some time with a Golden Retriever.
- Appreciate Top Ramen. Somewhere around age 22, you will vow never to eat it again. You’ll rediscover it before you turn 35.
- If you have children someday, you’ll also rediscover Kraft macaroni and cheese.
- Laugh at yourself.
- Laugh at the rest of us, too. We are as awkward and insecure as you are, we’ve just spent more time learning how to look brave.
What’s a President to do?
Posted on June 14, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | 1 Comment
I’ve been listening with interest to the national debate over President Obama’s communication style throughout the oil-spill crisis. For weeks, pundits have been crying that he’s not tough enough. Too much thought; too little action. Then last week, in a pseudo-angry moment, he said he might need to “kick some ass” to keep things moving. For that, he got a real scolding from NPR over the weekend. A three minute editorial depicting his use of “ass” as patently un-presidential. I, frankly, thought both the comment and the editorial were silly. I guess I agree that there are more presidential ways to get a point across, but good Lord - how does he find a medium without being tagged as lukewarm? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
And there is something else on my mind regarding this:
My personal criticism of the president’s style through this crisis draws to light something that comes up often in my training sessions. Recently, the president was down in the gulf talking to the people who are suffering - both emotionally and economically. He spent too much time talking about what he isn’t doing, and what he can’t do. For instance, he said, “I can’t go down there and plug the hole” and, “I can’t suck up the oil with a straw”. Sure, sir, we know that. We also know that the president was speaking metaphorically. However, anytime an executive is talking about what they’re not doing they are missing the opportunity to talk instead about what they are doing. In this case the president - metaphorically or otherwise - painted a picture that lacks vision or progress. It was both uninspired and uninspiring. The country is hungry to hear what is known rather than unknown. We want to hear what he can do rather than what he can’t. Without that, he perpetuates the nothing-but-rhetoric perceptions that plague him today.
Farewell, Helen Thomas
Posted on June 7, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
It’s not supposed to happen this way. Helen Thomas should be celebrating her retirement from 60 years of journalism by attending amazing tributes and parties - applauded by every big name in the business. She should be receiving love notes from the hundreds (or, thousands) of aspiring journalists who watched her and learned from her. Every woman in the news business owes her.
Instead, she retires under pressure after a thoughtless comment goes viral on You Tube. It’s just stunning. She has been a tough-nosed reporter for so long, and she (of all people) knows how a stupid utterance can unravel a brilliant career. It just seems inconceivable that the brilliant career-under-collapse is hers!
About a year ago, I had a chance encounter with Helen Thomas at the Edward R. Murrow Symposium at Washington State University. At a hotel breakfast, the only seat available was at my table, and Helen took it. As someone who had a long run as a television reporter, I seized the chance to talk with her about her storied career. It was a meal I’ll never forget. We discussed hot political figures, but not hot political issues. Had she spoken her views of Jews in Palestine, I wouldn’t have left the table so star struck.
So this is how she goes out. She has no choice but to retire, and she deserves to hear the negative reaction to the comment that is bouncing around the world. It’s just sad that she leaves the White House press corps - where she has spent decades unearthing the truth - with a slap, rather than a pat, on the back, and without acknowledgment of all that she’s accomplished.
Faith in the Future
Posted on April 26, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
Last week, I was delighted to participate at the Murrow Symposium - the signature annual event of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. Dozens of professionals from all over the country land in the wheat fields of the Palouse, with the goal of helping students who are about to embark on careers in the broad communications industry. There are seminars and workshops of all kinds, and they are always well-attended.
I co-presented a session on “How to land a great gig!”, and then resume critiques and mock job interviews. It is interesting to me that all of the students who came to the “great gig” session were young women. No guys at all. It actually made it easier, because we could talk openly about details that are relevant to women-only (hair and make-up, skirt-length, etc). But we had plenty to say to the guys, too. Ah well. A lot of young men brought their resumes in for a tune-up, and participated in the mock-interviews.
But who showed up for which workshops is not important. What IS important is the calibre of young people overall. Simply stellar. You know, we hear so much about the problems with Gen X: They are lazy; they feel entitled. They are disrespectful; they don’t have much to offer. If this is your impression of the incoming workforce, you may be missing some serious evidence to the contrary. At the Murrow Symposium, I met nothing but outstanding men and women. They are hungry for information, and hungrier for help. They are fresh-faced go-getters. They are respectful. They are worried that the doors to the job market are closing around them, and they are sharpening their own competitive edges.
I have faith that the future is still in good hands.
Pay Your Users Some Respect
Posted on March 31, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
I am fortunate to work with some of the most exciting technology companies on the planet. The people who work in these companies are passionate about bringing their technologies to the public; a public always hungry for the latest gadget or gizmo. Communications teams work hard to build a story that will connect the technology to the people who want to buy it, but the story is too often peppered with my least favorite technology buzz word: User.
In the dictionary, the term “user” does show up as a legitimate technology term, but after two more commonly-known definitions:
Us-er (yoo-zer)
–noun
1.
a person or thing that uses.
2.
one who uses drugs, esp. as an abuser or addict.
3.
Computers. a person who uses a computer.
Or maybe it’s because it rhymes with loser. Whatever, calling someone a user just doesn’t sound welcoming. For instance, the security division of one of my technology company-clients talks about “locking down” their “users”. Sounds to me like what they do at the state penitentiary.
The fix is simple. Instead of users, refer to your customers as, well, customers; or consumers; or even better - PEOPLE!
The people who use your technology will be grateful.
I want New Mexico
Posted on March 26, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | 2 Comments
I’ve been in business now for three years. Thousands of kind readers from 81 countries have joined me on this blog. There’s really nothing unusual about my blog stats except for one thing. I’ve never had a visit from New Mexico. I have every state - plus Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. But no New Mexico.
For a long time, I have fought the urge to manipulate New Mexicans by adding tags such as, “What is New Mexico’s State Bird?” That would be silly. Besides, if New Mexico wants to turn a blind eye, I can turn the other cheek.
Right?
No. I can’t take it anymore.
The New Mexico State Bird is the Roadrunner.
The Bellweather
Posted on March 26, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
As a business of one, it doesn’t take me very long to detect trends in my business. Think of the economy as a huge ship (no, not the Titanic), and I am a tiny speed boat. I can turn quickly, but even just slightly choppy water can really batter my hull. I operate best when the water is like glass.
The economic water is hardly glass-like but, man, it has smoothed! All of the companies that I serve are big companies with bigger global brands. All in all, they seemed to have weathered 2008 and 2009. During that time they trimmed their workforces and cut expenses. In many cases, they cut back on media and presentation training. That’s the choppy water I was talking about.
2010 is vastly different. My clients have come back in a big way. The chop is smaller, and all of my data shows that it’s going to be smoother ahead. A business of one can be a great bellweather.
Full speed ahead.
Why Bad Meetings Happen to Good People
Posted on February 23, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
A colleague of mine, stuck in yet another meeting-of-small-consequence decided not to doodle this time. On this day, he drowned out the usual corporate yammering by penning the following:
in working america
too much, stop it now
If you work in an organization of more than 20 people, communicating with each other by way of meetings is sometimes a necessity. But we’ve moved from necessity to incessenty; meeting for meeting’s sake; how-to-look-productive-to-the-boss’ sake. I’ve worked in this creativity-numbing environment, and I coach executives who want to get out of it. Here are some suggestions and guidelines for meetings:
- If you have something to say that really pertains to only one or two people, talk directly to them. Don’t require the rest of the group to schedule time to listen and watch.
- If you have something to tell everybody - and just one thing - either send them an e-mail or wait until you have several important things to say. Meetings are fewer and more productive that way.
- Don’t send an invite to a “Mandatory All-Hands Meeting” without saying something about what you will talk about. If you don’t, a viral panic spreads through the office, and the rumors alone can hijack the intent of your meeting.
- Try to keep your meetings short, but don’t cut people off or stop engaging conversation just for the sake of time-keeping. Sometimes spontaneous brainstorming breaks out. Let it happen!
- Make sure that there is a clear meeting objective, and a desired outcome. It helps if you can let people know the intent of the meeting before it happens. That way, people can get some creative juices flowing before the meeting even starts. You can save buckets of time if people come prepared with ideas to share.
- Spread “action items” as evenly as possible. It helps with team building, and prevents that perception of, “Why do I always come away with all the action items??” If no action items result from the meeting, perhaps a meeting wasn’t needed in the first place.
- If possible, avoid meeting at the same time each day - or even the same day each week. It makes the meetings feel more tedious and forced. And quite frankly, you may not have something to say every Tuesday at 3:00. Maybe your news was better shared on Monday at 1:30. Maybe you didn’t have a full agenda until Thursday at 10:00. Be flexible, and ask the staff to be as well.
- Even in times of trouble, lead with the positive. Acknowledge the recent accomplishments of a team or individual. Celebrate little victories, to keep people inspired to achieve the big ones.
- Shake it up! Have fun! Switch meetings rooms! Bring a guest speaker! Don’t have budget for an outside speaker? Invite someone from within the company to share a challenge or success story. Often employees feel more vested in the company when they learn what other people and teams are doing.
- Food always helps!
Below is my attempt at corporate Haiku. If it strikes a chord in your office place, it may be time to shake things up!
The most productive of all?
The one that’s cancelled!
How to Speak like Steve Jobs
Posted on February 17, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | Leave a Comment
In almost every presentation training session, I hear this:
“I want to speak like Steve Jobs.”
I’m sorry, you can’t - but please read on.
Steve Jobs is Steve Jobs because there is only one of him. He is absolutely authentic in his approach to speaking. If you are trying to learn to speak like him, you have probably studied clips from his MacWorld or similar large-scale presentations. He’s dynamic and animated; so practiced and polished. If you have not seen his 2005 Stanford University commencement address, take a few minutes to watch it. His style is completely different, and equally authentic. I think this is his most compelling presentation ever. I would love to know what you think.
Here’s the deal: Authenticity trumps polish every time. If you want to speak like Steve Jobs, don’t spend your time trying to imitate him - you’ll sound like a phony. Instead, find your own voice. You don’t have to be extraordinarily smooth or silky - you have to be authentic. You also have to practice. And practice. Practice is one of the reasons that Steve Jobs is so good. The other reason is that he is an original. Always.
As a speaker, your greatest compliment is to hear that no one else speaks like you. Be an original. In that way you can speak like Steve Jobs.
The Elevator Speech: Going Down
Posted on February 3, 2010. Filed under: Latest News | 1 Comment
I find myself troubled today by the classic concept of “The Elevator Speech”. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, it goes like this:
You step into an elevator, and realize that your dream customer is in there with you. The doors close, and you have thirty seconds of his undivided attention. You have the opportunity to tell him who you are, what you do, what makes you special and why he needs to hire you.
In theory, the elevator speech is a great tool. It forces you to get really clear on what differentiates you, and to be concise when you talk about the benefits of your services. What really bugs me, though, is how executives are being taught to commit their pitch to memory, and to use their company’s clever tag lines as part of the pitch. It sounds slick; not at all authentic. If I were your dream client, I would be eager for the doors to open - releasing me from your commercial.
This is on my mind because I have a friend who speaks only in Elevator Speech. If you casually ask him what he does, he says something like, “I provide the highest-quality strategic counsel for leading companies that seek to raise their visibility in the crowded and competitive global marketplace. My only goal is to ensure that you meet your goals, and I won’t rest until we get there”. Of course I’m paraphrasing to protect the guilty but you get the point. He’s actually a funny, warm and genuine guy - and a pleasure to work with - but you wouldn’t know that by his elevator speech. He has his speech at-the-ready for cocktail gatherings, birthday parties, weddings and, I’m quite sure, elevator encounters. It sounds the same every time.
Here are some tips and guidelines to make sure that your elevator pitch goes all the way to the top:
- Make it real. You want to make sure that you always sound like, well, you. Marketing-speak rarely sounds authentic. Chart out what it is that you want to convey, and then put those concepts into language that you use everyday. For instance, when was the last time you talked about a robust ecosystem at a dinner party?(Geek alert: If you talk about robust ecosystems at dinner parties, you need to work on more than your elevator pitch!)
- Listen. If you get out of the elevator having done all of the talking, you’ve missed your real opportunity. That is, to get to know your potential customer. You may well be the right person, at the right time, with the right service - but there is no way for you to tailor your pitch if you don’t take a few seconds to listen to your dream client’s unique needs.
- Know when to stop. If you have brilliantly landed your opening salvo, and the response is, “How ’bout those Yankees?”, save your breath. Go ahead and talk about the Yankees, and politely offer your business card. You may even make a better connection talking about a great baseball pitch instead of pushing an elevator pitch.
- Always have your business card or brochure ready. Whether the response to your elevator pitch is hot or lukewarm, your business card and/or brochure is the essential closer. You don’t have much time with this person, so you don’t want to waste it talking about contact information. Let them know how much you’d welcome a conversation outside of the elevator!
My point is this: Get clear on the benefits of your business, and what you want prospective clients to know about you. If you believe in those benefits, and can speak to them naturally and authentically, you’re much more likely to connect on a personal level, and win the business.