Reporters at Hebrew University of Jerusalem press conference.
Last week, in Jerusalem, I spoke at the “EINSTEIN 140th BIRTHDAY PRESS CONFERENCE—In His Own Words: New Documents Revealed”.
Media coverage spread across the globe from Reuters to The Newcastle Herald—Australia to The Shanghai Daily to World Israel News to The Guardian—Nigeria.
These 106 various articles discussed the unveiling of new manuscript pages and personal letters composed by Albert Einstein purchased by Hebrew University of Jerusalem which was co-founded by the famous scientist.
Q: Why was I speaking at this press conference along with Hebrew University’s Archives’ Academic Director Professor Hanoch Gutfreund and Dr. Roni Grosz, curator of the Einstein Archives?!
A: As the granddaughter of Einstein’s cousin, Lina Kocherthaler, I shared personal experiences of growing up and being related to Einstein.
Q: What does this have to do with YOU?
A: Everything! You may or may not be giving international press conferences; but, you are a leader in your profession and my simple formula (easier to understand than Einstein’s!) shows how to be heard above the noisy market place.
Your Strategic Formula to Get Above the Noise:
Show Up. Speak Up. Follow Up.
Answering questions during our press conference.
Show Up – You and your organization need to show up – physically and digitally. The market place will not come to you. Network, attend your association gatherings, be a part of your space in person and online.
For me, I was invited to a dinner in Dallas honoring Einstein’s legacy about two years ago. I showed up.
Speak Up – Once you show up, you must speak up. Many of my C-Suite clients hire us to work on how to speak up effectively. It’s not that easy! Do you have the skill set to “say a few words about X” when asked? Mark Twain once said, “It takes me about two weeks to prepare for a good impromptu speech.” Be ready to talk about your services, brand, or latest initiative; with clarity and charisma.
At that Einstein event in Dallas, I was asked to “Say a few words about Einstein and my relation to him.” Thankfully, I was ready and I had a great time sharing just under 4 minutes of info and stories.
Follow Up – Once you’ve shown up and spoken up, it’s time to follow up. Next steps to getting heard above the noise won’t happen without you taking ownership of this endeavor. Follow up with an email, a personal thank you note, a phone call, a gift, a personal introduction to someone else that might benefit the other person/group, or a positive comment on social media.
After speaking at the Dallas event, follow up included emails with one of the attendees, Elan Divon, from Montreal. He then invited me to speak at a spectacular event hosted by the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University held in Montreal. After this exciting weekend in Canada I followed up with Hanoch (fellow speaker at last week’s press conference) who attended this Montreal event. You get the point. From that connection I was asked to speak at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
You might think that my family legacy guarantees getting heard above the noise. And, admittedly, this Einstein connection opens doors. BUT without using our Strategic Formula these doors would have closed.
Show up. Speak up. Follow up.
Ps: A special thank you to Elan Divon, Ram Semo, Hanoch Gutfreund and my new friends at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for asking me to speak and for being great hosts in Montreal and Jerusalem.
© Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S., author of 3 books and President of Speak For Yourself®, works with decision makers on how to speak with gravitas. It’s all in how you speak for yourself. Karen also speaks about her cousin, Albert Einstein, in a message about hope, resilience and brassieres.
Read more at www.SpeakForYourself.com/blog
#PresentationSkills #BusinessCommunication #OrganizationalCommunication
Karen Cortell Reisman, MS, Executive Communication Author & Speaker
Great formula – easy to remember. Strictly speaking, it is an algorithm instead of a formula. How to get results.
Roger, Thanks for reading our blog and for your comment! I was under the impression that algorithm meant: a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. My “formula” has to do with business principles, rather than calculations. But I will give this some thought. Karen