The Office

To be or not to be an effective speaker – that is the question, says Lyndall Crisp.

Ahem. Public speaking in the spotlight

THE horror of public speaking – followed closely by an unpleasant conversation with an employee, manager or client – can be a major hurdle, even at the highest levels of the corporate world. Yet conquering both fears is necessary to become a strong, decisive and inspirational leader. And who better to look to for guidance than William Shakespeare?

After all... we know what we are, but know not what we may be. (Hamlet)

Modern executives can learn much from the Elizabethan bard, who immortalised leaders in his plays 400 years ago. The dilemmas faced by Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V – economic upheaval, social inequality, coups, conflict – are familiar today.

“Shakespeare was obsessed with leadership,” says James Evans, associate director of Bell Shakespeare (bellshakespeare. com.au), who runs the theatre company’s professional development courses. “All of his characters are so flawed; they’re a fantastic catalyst for a conversation about leadership.”

Each course is tailored to the client’s needs. Teams of up to 20 executives and aspiring executives work with actors on various skills

using relevant scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. The first step is to make participants better presenters.

“We debate a scene and then they have a go,” says Evans. “We get them up on stage and focus on self-awareness: how do we appear when we walk into a room? What does our voice sound like? What are our physical and vocal ticks that might annoy people? All sorts of hang-ups about how they appear in front of a group.”

Evans offers a clear set of tools – ABCDE – to practise before addressing an audience. A is to accept that fear is normal, B = breathe, C = centre, D = decide and E = engage.

“What’s fascinating is that the high-flying leaders want to be the best; they’re constantly looking at how to improve themselves, how to be even better,” he says.

It comes down to self-confidence: Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. (Measure for Measure)

Joel Robbie, Telstra’s Big Data business development manager, was happy to give it a go as part of the telco’s program for highperforming employees. He was accustomed to public speaking but felt he came across as wooden. Throwing Shakespearean insults at fellow workers across the stage at the Arts Centre Melbourne helped him to project, annunciate clearly and lighten up.

“It was a really interesting, fun way of building a business skill,” he says. “I recently gave a presentation and tried to make it lighthearted. It felt really comfortable...”

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. (Twelfth Night)

The English playwright identified three leadership styles that resonate in today’s global business culture: “dynastic rule” (powerful families in which the reins are handed down the line), the “autocrat” (the leader who disregards wise advice in favour of his own infallibility) and “the people’s hero” (the innovative leader whose thoughtful strategy wins the day).

Course participant John Cincotta, COO of Deutsche Bank, believes great leadership comes down to presence. “Leadership is not one-dimensional. The ability to lead in different circumstances and adjust your style and delivery is so important, especially to those who are looking to you for strength and direction,” he says. “Through acting, role-playing and studying Shakespeare’s characters, we had the opportunity to finetune and develop this skill.”