“Unboxing” the Executive Speech

Think of the worst executive speech you’ve sat through at company meetings. When the CEO starts talking, do you expect entertainment or drudgery? A few minutes into his speech, you notice the anecdotes are detached, jokes fall flat, and the audience’s suppressed yawns with glassy-eyed stares. The speech has lost its battle and the result might well be a classic reflection of your company’s microcosm, managing without leading.

The goal of a speech is to persuade. This means appealing to every aspect of the human being listening in the room for them to take up your point. Incorporating visuals, sound, or even other people into the presentation helps your audience to identify and stay with you all the way through.

And for the speech to sway things your way, it has to have focus. People probably already know the topic of discussion before you walked into the room so they really expect information about that subject, not how good you swing a 9-iron. So keep the anecdotes and jokes minimal or risk people forgetting your talking points.