Ten Essentials of Effective Public Speaking: For CEOs, Leaders, and Decision Makers

1. World Class Communication: How
Great CEOs Win With Key Audiences
Virgil Scudder
President, Virgil Scudder & Associates

2. This is the Age of Communication
• 90% of CEO’s time
• 75% or more for other executives
• 75-100% for PR professionals

3. Why Focus on CEOs?
• The best CEO communicators provide the best
models
• They have the most diverse communication
challenges
• Every public appearance for them is high
stakes
• Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Kraft
Foods, probably said it best.

4. Irene B. Rosenfeld’s View
• “As the ‘face’ of our company, my words are
carefully scrutinized every time I speak, and
they often live in perpetuity in cyberspace.
But, it’s not only what I say that matters; it’s
also how I say it. A hesitation, the wrong
tone, or even an unconscious gesture on my
part can affect our stock price.”

5. Perceptions Drive Action
Two Examples
• 1. (Reuters) “The stock of xxx Corporation fell
$2.00 today in the wake of what analysts
described as a lackluster presentation by the
company… Traders said a relative lack of
enthusiasm by (the president and CEO)…had a
negative effect on the stock.”

6. Perceptions Drive Action
Two Examples
• 2. (Dow Jones News Service) “XXXX Inc.
shares rose $2.875 to close at $60.875
following a dinner meeting that one analyst
called ‘positive.’ There was no news, (he said).
They talked about a couple of things that
made me feel good about where they are
going but nothing I would ever guess would
have pushed the stock up.”

7. What is Communication?
• Communication is:
– Not what you know
– Not what you say

8. What is Communication?
Communication is what your
audience takes away

9. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
1. Straight Talk

10. 1. Straight Talk
• All your communication must follow the 4 C’s:
– Clear
– Concise
– Credible
– Delivered with Confidence
Can only be accomplished with preparation

11. How Not to Say It
• On a shareholder earnings call, a New York
City banker was asked about a possible
merger
• Should have expected the question and had a
good answer ready

12. How Not to Say It
• His response: “Forgetting the business logic
and the price, there will be options down the
road there. I will answer your question about
capable and that we really weren’t capable yet
because our army was doing all the other stuff
we had to do, particularly the systems
conversions. The army will be capable to do
other stuff sometime next year, which is
reasonable. Doesn’t mean we will.”

13. What Did He Say?
• My guess: “Not now. The time is not right.
Maybe later.”
• Result: An embarrassment for him and the
company.
• Worse: Featured, with his picture included, in
a New York Times article entitled: “When
CEOs are Tangled in their Own Web of Words.”

14. The Scudder Method
• Think like a print journalist
• Turn a mass of information into a good, brief
story

15. The Scudder Method “Funnel”

16. The Scudder Method “Pyramid”

17. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
• 1. Straight talk
• 2. Authoritative public speaking skills

18. 2. Authoritative Public Speaking Skills
• Good public speakers are invariably
considered good executives
• Anybody can be a good public speaker
• It takes practice, learning the right techniques,
and observing others
• Try to build each talk around three key points
• Use short sentences, short words
• Illustrate your talks with stories or examples

19. 2. Authoritative Public Speaking Skills
• Nervousness is the greatest barrier to a good
speech or interview
• Accept that a small amount of nervousness is
normal
• Focus more on your audience than “how am I
doing”
• Go into every public appearance fully
rehearsed
• Break the ice with humor or a question

20. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
1. Straight Talk
2. Authoritative Public Speaking Skills
3. A leadership presence

21. 3. A Leadership Presence
• What is this presence? It’s appearing in
command and under control at all times
• Name two recent U.S. presidents who had it
and two who didn’t
• Leadership presence requires a warm smile, a
friendly greeting, good posture, good eye
contact, a firm handshake, and showing an
interest in the other person

22. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
1. Straight Talk
2. Authoritative Public Speaking Skills
3. A leadership presence
4. Listening and Learning

23. 4. Listening and Learning
• Listening is a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of
successful communication
• Dr. Bernard Ferrari: “Listening is often the difference
between success and failure, and between a long
career and a short one.”
• Ferrari’s 80/20 rule
• The best CEOs are always seeking input and asking the
right questions of the right people
• Listening makes others feel important
• Bosses who listen are rewarded with higher employee
morale

24. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
1. Straight Talk
2. Authoritative Public Speaking Skills
3. A Leadership Presence
4. Listening and Learning
5. Knowing How to Use PR and Media

25. 5. Knowing How to Use PR and Media
• Where’s the CCO? PR needs a direct line to
the decision makers
• Positive media opportunities abound but
many executives pass on them
• A favorable news story is many times more
credible than the best advertising
• Customers, vendors, and employees all want
to see and hear good stories about the
organization

26. Getting the Boss or Client to Buy In
• Leaders are competitive by nature; so position
media interviews as opportunities for
competitive advantage
• Send a periodic summary of the favorable
coverage received by competitors
• Show videos of well-handled interviews and point
out what a favorable perception they create for
the individual and the organization
• Point out that good media coverage impacts the
bottom line

27. Keys to Interview Success
• Be sure the participant is media trained to be
skilled and comfortable with the process
• Do on-camera rehearsals before each
interview
• Select three key points with proofs or
examples for each
• Identify all possible negative questions and
prepare a three-point response for each
• Debrief after each interview

28. Keys to Interview Success
• Never do an interview for the purpose of
answering questions
• Take immediate positive control
• Satisfy each non-agenda question but then move
quickly to make your points
• Be warm and friendly and use the interviewer’s
first name
• Don’t worry about saying the wrong thing. We all
do from time-to-time and mistakes are survivable

29. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
6. Speaking Visually

30. 6. Speaking Visually
• People remember pictures better than words
• Paint word pictures with stories or examples
• Be sure they are relevant to key points, not
just something funny or interesting
• Avoid “Marketing speak” and industry jargon
• Again, short words, short sentences

31. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
6. Speaking Visually
7. Crisis Readiness and Response

32. 7. Crisis Readiness and Response
• Two things are revealed in a crisis
– Your preparedness
– Your culture
• First minutes and hours are most critical
• People remember the handling of the crisis
more than the crisis itself

33. 7. Crisis Readiness and Response

34. 7. Crisis Readiness and Response
• Questions you must answer:
– What happened?
– How did it happen?
– What is the current situation?
– Where did your system fail?
– What was your initial response?
– What is your long-term response?

35. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
6. Speaking Visually
7. Crisis Readiness and Response
8. Conveying a Vision

36. 8. Conveying a Vision
• A leader is expected to have a plan
• Conveying the vision is important to all
constituents and especially important to
employees
• Regular progress reports are essential
• A clear vision and game plan are critically
important during turnarounds, hostile
takeover bids, and many crises

37. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
6. Speaking Visually
7. Crisis Readiness and Response
8. Conveying a Vision
9. Showing Humility

38. 9. Showing Humility
• The humble CEO is the most effective CEO
• Not expected to know everything, but must know
the basics and how the pieces fit together
• “I don’t know” is a valid answer at all levels of an
organization
• Be ready to share credit and accept blame
• Be willing to apologize
• Apologies show strength, not weakness

39. The Ten Essential Skills and Techniques
6. Speaking Visually
7. Crisis Readiness and Response
8. Conveying a Vision
9. Showing Humility
10.A Quest to Be the Best

40. 10.A Quest to Be the Best
• Do CEOs ever make straight A’s in school?
• What they do have is ambition, a strong work
ethic, and a competitive nature
• The successful ones have, and clearly
articulate, a vision and a plan to achieve it
• They also have a willingness to change course
when necessary
• They follow the lesson of the turtle

41. In Summary
• Success today requires highly developed
communication skills
• Great communicators are made, not born
• The best CEO communicators are the best
models
• Listening, learning, and constant striving to
get better are keys to success

42. World Class Communication
Winner of 2012 Distinction Award for Business Books
by ExecRank

43. Further Information
• 305-867-1796
• virgil@virgilscudder.com