What You Need To Know About... Speaking Skills

Anyone who has to communicate with another human being should heed the lessons of The King’s Speech, they say. So, virtually everyone can learn something from it. For an adviser, the art of communication is not necessarily about speaking eloquently, as much as it is about getting your message heard through the fray.

The King’s Speech offers much more than quality entertainment; it provides general communications lessons advisers can tailor to their practices to improve their business.

A king must speak in order to lead.

Easier said than done for King George VI (played by Colin Firth). Prince Albert (“Bertie”) never thought his debilitating speech impediment would be a major problem because he never expected he would be king. After his father died, his older brother abdicated the throne after a short time. The year was 1939 and the newly crowned and stuttering King simply had to speak to the people of the United Kingdom.

Comparing a prospective client with a floundering retirement plan to the people of England in 1939 may be a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, the plan sponsor, investment committee, human resources department, and/or finance department need your help. You must speak to them in order to explain how your services will improve their situation. In order to speak to them so they will listen and believe in your skills and ability to help, you must:

Speak with confidence.

On the eve of Bertie’s coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, his less-than-traditional speech therapist, Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush), is making a mockery of the cathedral by sitting on St. Edward’s chair. Bertie tries to yell at him to get up. Logue scoffs and says, “Why should I listen to you?” In a moment of pure conviction, Bertie bellows, “Because I have a voice!”

The message an adviser may have in his or her head is not always so easy to put into words. However, if you believe in what you are saying—if you believe you have a retirement solution for a sponsor or a participant that will work—say it and mean it.

Moreover, say it simply. Bertie did not say “You should listen to me because that chair is a revered artifact and you are being sacrilegious by occupying it.” He commanded attention by speaking concisely.

Speak to your audience and no one else.

Bertie is crowned King and must tell his kingdom that it will be going to war for the second time in a generation. The room in which he’ll give his radio address to the nation is small—just big enough for the King, a massive microphone hanging from the ceiling, and Logue. As he looks at his marked-up notes, Logue gives him one final set of instructions: “Forget everything else, just say it to me.”

As an adviser, there are many different audiences you need to speak to—the plan sponsor and possibly an investment committee, plan partic­ipants, prospects, vendors, compliance departments—but, when one of these parties is your audience, you must focus on them and them alone. Doing so will make your message more effective and meaningful. The message for a small-business owner will be different—and should be delivered differently as well—from that for a large corporation. Home in on one audience at a time, craft the message thoughtfully, and you’ll start to communicate more effectively.

Even the King has royal advisers.

After living with a stutter all his life, there was no chance it was going to go away by itself. Bertie needed help. However, for many people, asking for help is not always an obvious solution, but what makes great leaders great is accepting that help.

There are legions of communication consultants out there today. They can assist with all sorts of communication channels, from print media to speaking. Everyone has something to improve on when communicating. For advisers, whose business is founded on being able to speak so clients will listen, hiring a professional consultant may be money well-spent. —Nicole Bliman