CEO Speak: Learn to Speak Well
By Suzanne Bates
Here are eight secrets to make your public speaking clear and compelling:
Secret 1: Talk about big ideas. One big idea is all most people can remember, and it doesn't require a long speech. It's big because of its power, not its length. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is 271 words, and one of the best speeches ever.
Secret 2: Speak in the moment. No one likes a canned speech. You must address what is happening in the moment. Sovereighn Bank CEO John Hamill believes, "When you are in touch with what a person is thinking in that moment, you can confront it and clean it out to get them ready to hear the important message."
Secret 3: Keep it simple. Your message must be simple and straightforward to be remembered. Roger Marino, founder of the high-tech giant EMC, sold one of the least sexy products you can imagine – storage systems for computer information – but he built a company that dominates the industry. The secret? Simplicity.
Secret 4: Be a straight-shooter. In our recent surveys, we found that the number one quality people want in a leader is integrity. To speak like a CEO, your message must ring true.
Secret 5: Be an optimist. A hallmark of leadership is optimism. When Bill Ford, Jr. ousted CEO Jacques Nasser at Ford Motor Company in 2001, the company was losing billions of dollars. At that quarter's news conference in June 2003, Ford Jr. responded to each question with optimism. Within 20 months, Ford had turned the company around and booked $896 million profit in the first quarter alone.
Secret 6: Focus on the future. In difficult times, we look to leaders for hope. Rudy Giuliani was the becon of hope through the 9/11 crisis. He focused on hope, the future, and what could be done. When you speak, tell people what you believe is possible. Focus on the future, and people will help make it happen.
Secret 7: Be real. Standing behind your title is a lousy way to start a speech or conversation. It makes people believe they have nothing in common with you. To make a connection, you must be real.
Secret 8: Stand for something. People aren't just working for a paycheck. They want to be part of something bigger.
Suzanne Bates is the President of Bates Communications and the author of Speak Like a CEO.
ACTION: Speak like a leader and people will follow.