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Guest: LaQuita Cleare, an international speaker, public speaking coach, and the CEO of Clear Communication Academy. She has extensive experience working with CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, public figures, and politicians in more than 50 countries across four continents, including many clients of CEO Coaching International.
Overview: People are not persuaded by information. An honest, well-crafted story that makes an audience feel something can make a lasting impression for both you and your business. Whether you’re speaking at a conference or addressing your staff on Zoom, effective storytelling that showcases who you really are and gives your audience opportunities to engage with your main themes is key to connecting, inspiring, and making BIG happen.
LaQuita Cleare on Becoming a Master Storyteller:
“Storytelling is essential. I don’t even think it’s a soft skill because in the leadership position, I think it’s so important that you are inspiring and motivating, and that people are really able to connect to you. Storytelling is having people relate to you, connect to you, and be inspired. And one of the traps that leaders often fall into is just delivering information. They’re delivering numbers and speaking to shareholders or employees with no emotion. So I think that adding stories gives us a chance to really raise the bar and go from delivering information to connecting.
“I think before you are telling stories or deciding what story to tell you have to understand what you are trying to do. What is your goal? So if I say that my goal in this meeting is to be relatable, maybe in that particular story, I’m going to get a little bit more vulnerable because the purpose there is to really connect and to show that rise to the top. If I’m doing a presentation or a pitch for investors, I may not get that vulnerable. I might just tell a story around how I came up with the business idea or our humble beginnings
“Most leaders have the problem of not truly being able to connect through a camera. And there’s several reasons behind that. One is, it’s just a different medium. If you’re in front of Zoom and I tell you to make eye contact, well, what do you do? Do you stare into the camera? And then you feel awkward, right? I think there’s a chance for CEOs to raise the bar on how they are engaging their team. If you have an hour-long meeting, that’s a long time in a virtual setting. What are the things that you’ve prepared to keep people engaged, to keep people wanting to really participate in that meeting?”
Links:
Schedule an Appointment with LaQuita Cleare
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About CEO Coaching International
CEO Coaching International works with CEOs and their leadership teams to achieve extraordinary results quarter after quarter, year after year. Known globally for its success in coaching growth-focused entrepreneurs to meaningful exits, the firm has coached more than 1,500+ CEOs and entrepreneurs across 100+ industries and 60 countries. Its coaches—former CEOs, presidents, and executives—have led businesses ranging from startups to over $10 billion, driving double-digit sales and profit growth, many culminating in eight, nine, or ten-figure exits.
Companies that have worked with CEO Coaching International for two years or more have achieved an average revenue CAGR of 31% (2.6X the U.S. average) and an average EBITDA CAGR of 52.3% (more than 5X the U.S. average).
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