We've all been there: You're at an event listening to a boring CEO and you
keep checking your Blackberry, going over a mental to-do list, or just looking
at your watch--anything to keep your mind occupied. You may have been excited
about the speaker, having heard about her accomplishments or knowing her
personally. But you leave thinking less of that CEO than you did when you walked
in.
I've seen bad CEO presentations more times than I can count. I've also booked
speakers for seminars and events, and I'm often surprised to find that a CEO who
is engaging one-on-one is dull when speaking to a group.
CEOs have to be effective public speakers because they are the face of their
companies and embody the brand itself. At the very least, they need to represent
a polished, organized and energetic brand. However, it's a missed opportunity if
they don't also use the pulpit to inspire, motivate and create an impression of
corporate strength.
Every day I work as an executive communications coach, I see that effective
public speaking is a learned skill. Tricks of the trade that anyone can grasp
and incorporate will significantly improve a speaker's impact. Yet when CEOs
accept speaking engagements, they often view them as an afterthought on their
busy schedules.
So why do otherwise engaging, charismatic leaders bomb at public speaking?
Here's what I've seen:
Winging it. This is by far the biggest reason for a boring speech. The
presenter chooses not to prepare because of lack of time or interest, or even
because he or she doesn't want to appear rehearsed (as if showing you care were
a bad thing). Few great speakers can just show up without developing their
thoughts and practicing. Of those who can, many have already told what seems
like off-the-cuff anecdotes many times before. At the very least, every speaker
should know the audience's and the organizer's expectations for the presentation
before going through with it. Comments that you have practiced out loud should
be prepared. Your introduction should also grab the audience's attention.
Wrong comments, wrong place. Often speakers fail to tailor their
remarks to the audience in the room. This goes hand-in-hand with winging
it--either the speaker didn't find out what was expected or knew and didn't
bother to adapt the content due to time constraints. You can quickly bore an
audience with generic comments that aren't relevant. People want to feel that
you are speaking directly to them. On the other hand, an overly formal
presentation can be equally off-putting if the tone of the event is
conversational. Providing your speech with enough structure that you feel secure
enough for a couple of informal comments, however, can help you look prepared
and casual at the same time.
Can't get off the stump. It's common in politics to have a stump
speech--a talk you give over and over again to different audiences.
Unfortunately, many CEOs have their own stump speeches and don't know when to
retire them. One CEO I've heard--who is actually a very engaging speaker--had
this problem. The first time I saw him give the speech, it was inspiring. The
second time, it was mildly entertaining. The third time I was annoyed. Business
communities are small and audiences frequently overlap. Only give a talk once
unless you are positive the audience is entirely new.
Not enough narrative. Most speeches at your average conference are
filled with details and pontifications. They are quickly forgotten. Humans don't
retain data points, but they love hearing stories and learning about the
experiences of others. As a speaker, your stories are the most powerful and
memorable thing you can share. By weaving personal experiences into a speech and
talking from the heart, you draw the audience in.
Selling too hard. There's an unspoken contract between speakers and
audiences: You are there to inform them, not to sell them. Audiences tune out
quickly if they believe a speaker is using the podium to advertise his or her
products or services. Yet many CEOs feel they can't pass up an opportunity to
let so many people at once hear how great their company is. This is a huge
mistake. As the CEO, you are the embodiment of the company. If you are an
interesting, engaging speaker, that's all the selling you need.
Piling on panels. Many business speeches take the form of panels,
where several speakers give their perspectives on the topic at hand. These are
ripe for boring speeches because, with the shared air time, participants feel
less pressure to prepare. In fact, to be an effective panelist you need to be
extra interesting by compiling provocative and memorable comments ahead of time
that set you apart from the other speakers. You also have to resist the urge to
pile on--rewording what someone else has already said to show agreement--because
it wastes your chance to make a powerful comment of your own. It's also
painfully dull for the audience.
Here's the irony of all these boring CEO speeches: Leaders are usually
interesting people who have the ability to connect with others. If they avoid
common pitfalls, they can become compelling speakers and use the speaking
opportunity to their advantage.