[originaltext] However gifted someone may be, he or she still had to develop

However gifted someone may be, he or she still had to develop various talents to achieve a lofty professional position. And that’s good news for the rest of us. Each one of us has our own skills and talents, and we too can develop them and propel ourselves into positions of influence. Here are some ways to enhance those talents.
    First, develop your critical decision-making skills. Decision-making is a top leadership competency because it pops up everywhere, from the simple choice of where to hold a staff meeting to the strategic option of where to spend marketing dollars. These decisions impact the people in the next cubicle, but they may also affect a subsidiary halfway across the globe or an entire country. Decisiveness is not a trait we’re born with—it’s a skill that can be learned. To master it, analyze your process of critical decision-making to spot weak links in your reasoning and to recognize unconscious biases for or against something or someone. While we can’t control outcomes, we can shape the process that sets them in motion.
    Second, learn to make a solid argument. You may never address the United Nations Security Council or testify before Congress, but everyone should be able to put together a coherent argument. That skill is critically and frequently useful—in high-stakes conversations, presentations, question-and-answer sessions and in other discussions with decision-makers or anyone else who represents a certain viewpoint or asks you to explain yours. To argue means to give reasons. It means defending and promoting your choices against the contrary arguments of equally adept influencers. Take what you’ve learned in school and build on that base with private instruction and directed reading on the relevant subject. You’ll find that your ability to think critically and analyze others’ arguments will dramatically increase your influence on their choices.
    Third, become a storyteller. Storytelling has been a premier tool in influencing people across cultures and eras. Influencers tell stories for strategic purposes. From motivating people to act, to teaching, to reducing resistance and changing minds, a well-told narrative is a formidable force, often far more powerful than the mere recitation of complex financial or technical facts. Numbers and figures are important, but when it comes to showing their relationship to any issue, large or small, a strategic narrative wrapped around the digits will deliver the message better and more memorably than anything else. After you master the data, ask yourself: Is there a way to put a human face on my message?
    Are there real-life examples that will help me make my point in a way others can relate to?
    Questions 16 to 19 are based on the recording you have just heard.
    16. What does the speaker mainly talk about?
    17. What does the speaker say about decisiveness?
    18. How will your ability to think critically help you?
    19. What will deliver the message better and more memorably?