Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

Leadership Communications - Shifting From Language Of Self-Help To Science-Help

Whether it's TED Talks or an opinion-editorial (op-ed) in the Harvard Business Review, what influences is the language of science-help.

By focusing on subjects such as how mindfulness can reconfigure brains leaders rivet the attention and earn the respect of audiences and readers. Society now expects those deep dives into the implications of scientific research.

Fading or should be fading is the rah-rah rhetoric of self-help. That self-help tone and content captured the amazing tales of how FDR succeeded despite polio and just look at Steve Jobs' comeback.  

For that very reason the amazing system of Dale Carnegie comes across as dated. Its instructional materials, which we purchased when taking the introductory public speaking course, are dominated by anecdotes of conquering the self. Those could be aligned with the times if they contained simplified data on how changing thought patterns can change persona, behavior, you name it. That's of course neuroplasticity. 

Leaders who want to connect have to reach beyond their discipline such as financial services or law. They have to find out, then connect the dots on how the findings of science affect audiences and readers. 

"The Good Wife" - Series Will Need Public Speaking Consultant If Alicia Runs For State Attorney

We "The Good Wife" fans have seen Alicia present in court.

Her oral-communications role will be very different if she takes up Eli's recommendation and campaigns to be the state attorney. Then there will be the politico kind of speeches. For that the series will need to hire a public speaking consultant.

We fans bond with those television characters we love and hate. They are often more part of our emotional lives than real people like Barack Obama. Therefore, we will be all ears at Alicia's keynote speeches, perhaps much more so than we are when the president gives his televised addresses.

Will any speech consultant advise Alicia to have the talks interactive, that is, involving members of the audience? How about what she does with those doe eyes in maintaining contact with the audience? How can she communicate passion and still be Alicia, who is always in control?

 

Leadership Communications - The Look

Sure, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg captured the minds, hearts, and funds of more than a billion people looking like, well, a sloppy teenager. The hoodie had been his signature. And, Steve Jobs made the black turtleneck his leadership uniform.

But, as The Economist confirms, most leaders share the same kind of standard look. That is:

"The typical chief executive is more than six feet tall, has a deep voice, a good posture, a touch of grey in his thick, luxtrous hair, and for his age, a fit body."

That's the look of the male leader. For the female, I have observed, the typical female chief executive, partner in a law firm, or president of an academic institution is a bit above average in height, has a deep ability to listen, speaks slowly and cautiously, wears top brands, and has a designer hair style and coloring. 

That look of leadership, for both males and females, is a critical part of the continuum of leadership communications. That starts with the persona. It extends to the opinion-editorial in The Wall Street Journal and the 18 minute presentation at TED Talks. And, just as Queen Elizabeth does, it should be maintained all the time, in public. That includes when giving the second in command his or her performance review and jawing around the conference talk after a drop in earnings.

Some may wonder: If I don't have the look of leadership should I stick with being a good worker bee? Not necessarily. From the get-go, some know the gameplan for becoming a leader. Maybe they picked up that data at the dinner table from their father or mother who heads an organization. Maybe they made it their business to learn all about that.

But most grow into looking, sounding, and writing like a leader. Today, executive coaches help that process along. Before, they lucked into mentors, shrewd spouses, and succession planners who pointed the way. 

When preparing for public speaking of any kind, even if it's interviewing a candidate for a job, ask yourself: The way I look, would anyone follow me?

Four-Legged Political Props - The On-The-Ground Rule

The world mourns the death of groundhog Chuck. He died back at the Staten Island Zoo of internal injuries. The cause? Politico Bill de Blasio had dropped Chuck on Groundhog Day. Here is that coverage in the New York Post.

The use of the four-legged as political props has to be subjected to what I call The On-The-Ground Rule. Sure politicos can showcase their dogs, cats and more. But the performance art has to take place when the animal is planted firmly on its four feet. Lifting it has proved to be risky business.

Has the de Blasio Brand suffered a long-term setback? Time will tell. 

Gentrification (Creative Class) - Brand Taking It On The Chin

The case is "Bloomingburg Jewish Education Center v. Village of Bloomingbury." Directly and indirectly, it represents an unintended consequence of gentrification - or attracting the Creative Class to a location.

Real estate developer Shalom Lamm's initiative has been to build 396 townhouses in the Catskills. Buyers will be Hasidic Jews who see themselves driven out of Brooklyn by gentrification. No longer can they afford the rent or cost of owning a house in Brooklyn.

Villages in the Catskills are not happy about this migration and are pushing back. Thus, the litigation by Lamm.  Here is the coverage from Bloomberg on this bitter feud.

On September 30th, the old guard will be voting to consolidate two municipalities, giving them more clout to oppose the migration. 

The strength of a city, from ancient Athens, has been its diversity.

Each neighborhood, which might have only consisted of a few blocks, in my hometown Jersey City, New Jersey, had its own distinct identity. You were known as "from Bay Street, downtown" or "from Our Lady of Sorrows parish, Greenville." Here is my e-book, free to download, on that experience Download CUsersjasneDocumentsjg

Although my family, like the Jeffersons, moved on up to uptown when I was 11, I have remained part of the Bay Street tribe. At my sister Camille Genova-Klinga's wake, members of the tribe recounted how it used to be. 

It isn't that way any more. Gentrification is eliminating the unique ethos of the neighborhood. Only the professionally successful can afford the rising cost of living. In the 1980s, they would be called "Yuppies" Now they are known as members of "Creative Class.'

Sure, gentrification has positive impacts. That includes economic development. Providence, Rhode Island, a city very much like Jersey City used to be, could use some gentrification. 

But, unless gentrification is managed, cities begin to mirror the sameness of the suburbs. Ironically that kills independent mindsets, supposedly the symbol of the Creative Class. 

Bank of Walmart - Branding Lessons For Entrepreneurs

At the low end, it's a dog fight in merchandise, even in the category of groceries.

Dollar stores, for example, entered that category several years ago. So, obviously, Walmart had to figure out what else to sell and how to sell it to continue to grow. Indeed it has done just that.

What it has come up with is the checking account for Everyman and Everywoman. This leverages its iconic branding in accommodating The Frugal. That's exactly what Apple did when it migrated from personal computers to the iPlatform. Steve Jobs took the Apple identity for innovative technology and ran with it. Now Walmart is exploiting its Branding for Going Cheap.

In The New York Times, Hiroko Tabuchi and Jessica Silver-Greenberg report:

"Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, is teaming up with Green Dot, known for its prepaid payment cards, to supply checking accounts to almost anyone over 18 who passes an ID check." Here is that coverage. 

There are plenty of lessons entreprepreneurs can learn from this move about their own branding.  Here are the main ones:

Keep experimenting. Walmart had a long and rocky road to this brand expansion into the money business. As NYT notes, "After years of thwarted efforts to break into banking, Walmart is making its biggest foray yet into everyday financial services." So what if the market is skeptical. The burden is on you to prove out that this concept can work. Focus on the task at hand, not the critics, especially in the media.

Partner.  Working with other parties is difficult. But usually necessary. Walmart selected Green Dot. Apple's operating brilliance is getting the right vendors to work effectively with the company and with each other. That's the MO behind Apple Pay. Emotional intelligence is required. 

Promote. Walmart had no trouble getting the right attention for this initiative. You will have to be more clever. Think shocking. Think explosive. Think gimmick. Think relentless. The promotion piece is more important than the execution. Pay some ambition interns to put you out there. Then tell them to quit school and work for you full time.

Don't gush. Success has a short shelf life. Instead of enjoying this homerun a bit too much, put the energy into how it can be milked for greater profit. 

Leadership Communications - Tough Message, Gentle Tone

The new kind of spiritual leader, Pope Francis delivers tough messages, gently.  

Many of those focus on the need for reform within his church. But there is none of the traditional harshness which used to go with being the head of the Roman Catholic Church. His approach mirrors the rhetoric of compassion that made Pope John XXIII such a force. His influence extended to all religions.

I notice tone. Way back when I worked for petroleum company, the superior doing the performance review was harsh about aspects of the first drafts I handed in. I went into shut-down. In a few months I left the company to join an organization that was more understanding about how we human beings receive messaging.

When I began blogging in 2005, my coach Paul Chaney offered tough criticism. But it was framed gently. Within a few months a public relations agency hired me for a four-year blogging assignment. Yes, I had opened up to Chaney's recommendations. 

Left to his own magical thinking, my rescue dog Lee would walk from Arizona to California all day. To reconfigure that into two 40-minute walks a day with a few brief ones in between, I lift him at the end of each. I kiss him and hug him, explaining Mommy has to go back to the writing assignments. Through that gentle conditioning, Lee has transformed from a sadsack biter to a tail-wagger who gets groomed without a muzzle. 

No Jobs for English Professors? Think Again

The Globe Institute of Technology in Midtown Manhattan is hiring a few part-time English Professors for the fall semester. MA is required. Teaching experience is a +. 

If I were still in the New York Metro area I would jump at this opportunity. Here are more details and how to apply. Good luck. 

Public Speaking - (First) Do A Few Loads At Public Laundry

"Meet you at the public laundry on First Avenue, right off E. Roger Road." 

That's what I mandate for clients struggling with getting results from their oral communications. Those could take the form of a keynote speech at their trade association, interviews for jobs or business assignments, or a conversation with employees about their performance reviews.

In the public laundry what's palpable are the fundamentals in the minute-to-minute struggle for survival. Clients are forced to bear witness to the best and the worst of human behavior.

There will be the woman who helps the homeless man not over-buy supplies from the machines. "No, you don't need that softner and it's lousy any way." Then there will be the student who removes someone's clothes from the dryer to cash in on the remaining 30 minutes in the cycle. 

Immediately noticeable is the lack of complaining. Unlike the chattering classes with their opinion-editorials in brandname media, these folks don't comment on the heat or how many of the "good" washers are out of order. 

The ethos is gratitude. One man folding his wife's clothes tells a woman how blessed he is that he still "has her" after 38 years. A child gushes about free baseball camp which just ended. 

The best day for clients to be at that particular laundry is Wednesday. There is a special on using the washers. 

 

"Ebola" - Unlikely To Become Pop Culture Term Like "Perfect Storm"

Speechwriters and ghostwriters used to post on the web how many times they caught the term "perfect storm" in leadership communications. Ranting against that cliche they rated it as much a catastrophe to the English Language as the perfect storm was to human life.

Well, I have a hunch that we won't experience the same phenomenon with "Ebola."  That disease, which kills about 70% of its victims, could inflict itsself on 21,000 by November, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The horror is too palpable.Here is coverage from USA Today.

And its ability to find its way to the U.S. is all too likely.  It doesn't take much of a bodily fluid to transmit it. This is not a provincial disaster, like the perfect storm. It's global and possibly national, as throughout the U.S.  Here in the U.S. neighbor will turn on neighbor. Count on total social chaos.

If we escape its reach we will be, first, grateful. Next, we will want to forget about it. No, we won't want a public speaker or guest columnist in The Wall Street Journal to bring us back to the brink of what could have been.