But technique is only part of the equation. Learning to identify and express your core differences, strengths, and authenticity isn’t easy. George Burns said it best: “Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” The same goes for speaking in public, making a presentation, or communicating with others.
In Out Front I share the performance techniques that David and I have translated for business professionals. The anecdotes about clients throughout the book are based on real experiences, but client names and other characteristics have been changed to protect their privacy.
This book focuses on the strengths and challenges facing women speakers because that’s what I know best. However, the techniques presented here are practical, field-tested, and proven. When these are put into practice, women and men can become engaging, memorable, and fearless speakers.
1 INSPIRATIONAL ANDPOWERFUL FEMALE ICONS
There have always been women who had the moxie to stand up and speakout. Today, many women are making unique contributions in politics,entertainment, and business.
As a college student, I embraced an alternative lifestyle. Before my junior year, I changed majors from education to anthropology and transferred from Northern Illinois University to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It was the 1960s, and the pass/fail grading system at UW allowed me time to protest the Vietnam War and participate in campus politics. Even my decision to study cultural anthropology was about making a contribution to the world rather than making money. Thank goodness my parents gave me a long leash, especially when they very much wanted me to graduate, get a job, and become financially self-sufficient. But I believed that going corporate, owning property, or driving a gas-guzzling car was being co-opted by the establishment and just plain wrong. Ah, college and the naiveté of youth.
This narrow perspective severely limited my career choices. But when you’re twenty-one and on your own for the first time, anything and everything seems possible. And I was fortunate to have powerful female icons who served as role models, both personally and for women worldwide.
In 1972, Gloria Steinem co-founded Ms. Magazine and took a stand on women venturing out on their own. She popularized the phrase, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” which resonated with me.2
I was equally impressed with the chutzpah of authors such as Germaine Greer, who wrote The Female Eunuch and railed against the conservatism of the day. Greer was described as an “impulsive, fatally naive diva of feminism who made the world a better place in spite of herself.”3 Or Erica Jong, author of Fear of Flying, who celebrated women’s newfound sexual freedom. As you’ll read later, I picked up her banner with the genre of films I produced. Now Jong’s book Fear of Dying completes the arc of time.4 Aging has a way of giving us perspective on the totality of our lives.
In politics, I was moved by the eloquence of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the first black woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives. Two of Jordan’s talks are included in American Rhetoric’s list of the 100 greatest speeches of all time.5 At the 1976 Democratic National Convention, Jordan delivered a moving and powerful call to action. Hard to believe it was forty years ago. Following is an excerpt: “And now—now we must look to the future. Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. If we do not, we not only blaspheme our political heritage, we ignore the common ties that bind all Americans. Many fear the future. Many are distrustful of their leaders, and believe that their voices are never heard. Many seek only to satisfy their private work—wants; to satisfy their private interests. But this is the great danger America faces—that we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups: city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual; each seeking to satisfy private wants. If that happens, who then will speak for America? Who then will speak for the common good?”6
I also admired the outspoken U.S. Representative Bella Abzug, who wore her trademark floppy hat on the House floor to avoid being mistaken for a congressional assistant who might be asked to fetch coffee. In her words: “When I first became a lawyer, only 2 percent of the bar was women. People would always think I was a secretary. In those days, professional women in the business world wore hats. So I started wearing hats.”7 Abzug provided many quotable statements, but this one says it all: “We are bringing women into politics to change the nature of politics, to change the vision, to change the institutions. Women are not wedded to the policies of the past. We didn’t craft them. They didn’t let us.”8
At the opposite end of the spectrum was the soft-spoken yet effective Patricia Schroeder. In a sea of male congressional representatives, Schroeder was the first female representative elected from Colorado, as well as the first woman to serve on the male-dominated House Armed Services Committee.9 I’ll bet she wasn’t popular for publicly stating that “When men talk about defense, they always claim to be protecting women and children, but they never ask the women and children what they think.”10 Always the strategist, Schroeder realized that a light touch would allow her words to carry more weight. For example, “When people ask me why I am running as a woman, I always answer, what choice do I have?”11
There were also role models in my personal life. For these specific individuals, I will refer to them by their first names because they became my friends. While studying at the University of Wisconsin, I was introduced to Ada Deer, an advocate for indigenous peoples. Among her many accomplishments, Ada served as chairwoman of the Menominee Restoration Committee (the interim tribal government). Later, appointed by President Bill Clinton, she was the first woman to serve as assistant secretary of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior.12 In her confirmation hearing, she said she wanted the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be a full partner in fulfilling the Indian agenda developed in Indian country. “The best way we can do this is for the tribes to decide what needs to be done and for the tribes to do it on their own terms, with our enthusiastic support.”13 Here again, a female leader advocated for self-determination.
Shortly after graduating college in the early 1970s, I volunteered to work with Ada and the Menominee. I accompanied tribal representatives to Washington, D.C. We lobbied to reverse the federal policy of termination—a law intended to pilfer tribal resources including timber, oil, and fish by ignoring long-standing treaties with the U.S. government. The Menominee and a handful of other, more wealthy tribes were desperate to save what was left of their land and regain tribal status.
As volunteers, we supported the Menominee by taking care of tasks, everything from logistics and travel arrangements to writing press copy and speeches. As a twenty-something, I found it thrilling to be part of this historic movement. Like many young people without a trust fund or other financial backing, I waitressed at night so I could volunteer during the day.
During that time, Ada introduced me to Nancy Lurie, Head Curator of Anthropology at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Author of books on Native Americans, notably Wisconsin Indians, Nancy put me up in her home and guided me through the process of documenting the Menominee struggle to save their land. The result was a book called Freedom with Reservation, published in 1972. As the coordinating editor, I had a range of duties including overseeing the distribution of 10,000 copies to build public awareness and drive momentum for our lobbying efforts.
Our reward was seeing the historic passage of the Menominee Restoration Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1973. This act officially returned the Menominee Reservation (and those of ten other tribes) to federally recognized status.14 What was initially considered a hopeless campaign turned into a victory led by the Menominee, supported by the National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, and a few of us outsiders.
Being encouraged by Nancy and Ada bolstered my self-confidence and was instrumental in shaping my career path. First