It was obvious that Jill Foster is an expert persuasive speaker and communicator from the moment I walked into the classroom on Friday. She walked right up to me, smiled, asked for my name, introduced herself, and gave me a firm handshake. She continued to do this as students filed into the class, and she instantly made me feel at ease and comfortable.
Foster is the founder of Live Your Talk, an organization that helps women with public speaking. It was very clear the entire time that Foster does this for a living—her gestures enhanced what she was saying, and she did not utter a single inarticulate. Foster even launched into her presentation with an interactive introduction, asking if we had any examples of how we used persuasion within our groups for our group project.
Foster then went on to give us a real-life example of the importance of persuasion, even if you are not giving a formal persuasive speech or being persuasive is not part of your job description. She explained that when she was working in sales for Borders Books, a mistake was made and a big client was going to receive half of her order a day late. Upon Foster explaining the situation to her, the customer flipped out and even started cursing at Foster in Italian! Clearly, it was a very intimidating situation, and not a traditional platform for persuasive speaking. However, Foster had to sit down with the customer, carefully listen to her entire side of the story, not make excuses, and use careful persuasive tactics. Foster’s magic touch worked—the woman continued to be a Borders customer and an internal reference within her company.
How did Foster manage to pull that one off? First of all, she had to realize that she couldn’t view persuasive speaking as a very constructed role, as she had in the past. Although she pulled off the interaction with grace, it was truly after this incident that she learned the four questions you must use as a “lens” in persuasive speaking:
1. What point of view do you represent?
2. What is the other party’s point of view and does it have merit?
3. What is at stake in the conversation?
4. How does your emotional resolve persuade the outcome?
Besides her insightful story, Foster shared many other helpful persuasive tips with the class. She explained that you must be confident in your point of view, because that conviction is necessary if you are speaking to an audience where 95% disagrees with you. She also explained the importance of social media, and how it is not only expanding the audience of persuasive speech but also helping people reach out and find influencers in society. Additionally, she said it can be useful to repeat your key point or thesis throughout your speech, to reiterate and make clear to the audience what you are standing for. Finally, Foster advised watching tone and language, because even the way in which we speak can be persuasive.
Foster was a warm, engaging speaker who clearly has a lot of real-life experiences and many useful tips. I know her insight will come in handy not only for our persuasive speeches, but whenever we find ourselves trying to convince someone of our point of view. Foster said, “There’s always a chance to persuade.” She has me convinced.
Photo courtesy liveyourtalk.com
I thought she was great, too! I was really amazed at her ability to speak without the constant "um" or "like." Even when she was thinking about what to say next, she simply thought. She didn't have the need or the habit of verbalizing her internal thought through inarticulates! She was a great speaker and really drove home the idea that you are always persuading.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree with everything that's been said here. She truly is a great saleswoman. I was sold on her communication techniques from a few minutes into her presentation! And to that woman who cursed at her in Italian--who's the bigger person now?
ReplyDeleteIt's so inspiring to hear a story like that, turning a terrible situation into the exact opposite. It shows that communication skills are not only essential, but have additional unexpected benefits as well.
ReplyDeleteQuinn I'm really impressed because you covered in your post all the most important things she said (you must be a fabulous note-taker). My favorite part of her presentation was when she offered her advice on some of our prospective topics.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post, Quinn! I love that you gave her background story and touched on her inspirations for starting her company, and not just what she talked about in her presentation. Your post was really in depth while staying concise, and I really enjoyed the recap of all the important questions and focus points Ms. Foster presented.
ReplyDeleteQuinn, thank you so much for summarizing what Jill Foster said about in class so concisely- it's nice to have all of the helpful advice in one place! And it's really cool that you touched on her background information as well. Her story about when she worked for Borders was so interesting!
ReplyDeleteQuinn - Thank you, very much, for the kind feedback and summary. It was absolutely fantastic meeting you and your colleagues. The conversation was a valuable one, which I enjoyed a lot. Emily, Margaret, Rachel, Sophie, Michael, and Grace -- thanks also for the gracious comments and perspective. They are motivating and I'm your fan 'from a distance' when you deliver those final presentations. Best wishes for the coming week.
ReplyDeleteThis was a much different take on the guest speaker then usual reflections, which I appreciated very much. Great post!
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