You must do anything you can to find out how you look and sound to your audience. NOT how people around you say you look and sound. Here is an example as shown in The Crown on Netflix.

Watching the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this weekend, made me appreciate The Crown even more.

I feel like I know the players.

I know the back stories better now of the women and men who were banned from marrying their loves – because they were divorced.

Have you seen any of the series? It’s on Netflix and follows Queen Elizabeth’s rise and rule.

In season 2, episode 5, Queen Elizabeth is criticized by a lord who’s the editor of a newspaper. He points out that her recent speech was tone-deaf.

The monarchy was stuck in the past.

The speech was not written by the queen, but by a bunch of old men who were not in touch with their audience.

Eventually, the queen reluctantly listens to the lord’s feedback.
It’s painful for her. She’s not used to this kind of help.

In the end, his notes made it easier for her to guide the monarchy in relating more to its audience (the people).

It was difficult for her to sit there and listen to the criticism, but she did.

She had to swallow her pride and for a moment, not take the counsel of the people surrounding her.

This is difficult for many leaders. But it’s key to building a business.

You must do anything you can to find out how you look and sound to your audience.

NOT how people around you say you look and sound.

It’s critical to take that information and see if you can alter your presence and image to reach more people, and keep your current audience.

In the Queen’s case, the advice originated from criticism written in newspaper articles.

She could have prevented that in the first place by listening to more forward-thinking advisors.

Sometimes your staff — the people you trust the most — are too afraid to tell you what you need to hear.

It’s not that they don’t care. It’s hard to tell your boss they’re boring, not transparent enough, has an outdated look, doesn’t do a great job on stage… and whatever else you should be hearing.

Many times, it takes an outside voice to break through and convince you of the tweaks that will help you become a more effective leader.

I would have loved to have been there to help guide Elizabeth II. Of course, I’m honored to help all my clients. Here’s a little more on why public speaking is the most important skill you need.