It’s only reasonable that you get a sense of what’s to be found in my new book on leadership and public speaking, Speeches for Leaders.
So try these ten soundbites:
On practising a speech in advance
Would orating mightily to oneself in front of the bathroom mirror really help?
On fear
The wily speechwriter exploits the fact that most people in any organization or corporation are terrified of any task with the word “speech” in it, and will be pathetically grateful if the speechwriter takes the lead
On disaster
His key mistake? So many to choose from. The worst was the most banal blunder any business leader can make: publicly sneering at one’s own customers
On tone in business speeches
The smart business leader is never defensive or evasive or grumpy.
On ‘thought leaders’
Many corporations nowadays push their top executives right out there into the wider public space, to win thought leader acclaim. This means having good original thoughts, and being a good leader
On logic
Why start a story at the beginning, then work through to the end? That’s what people expect. So do the opposite
On having no way out
The panel threw themselves into analyzing in considerable detail how such masterpieces contrasted “the impenetrability of paradox with the paradox of impenetrability.” I was trapped
On missing the point
The British organizer made a discourteous professional blunder. She lost sight of her main role at this occasion: to introduce the guest of honor, and not much else
On avoiding teleprompters
Once it all gets out of synch, it’s difficult for the teleprompter operator and leader to re–find the right place, quickly and together, and get the speech back on track. While that is happening, the leader is horribly exposed like a fish gasping for air
On live-Tweeting during a speech
Tweets undermining the leader may be sexist or racist, or sharp and quite funny, or utterly untrue, or all of these and more at the same time in fewer than 140 characters:
HAHAHA hot socialist black babe lectures us on world poverty but wears a FAT ROLEX COSTING $10K!!!! LOL #hypocrite #stringemup #sexylegs
The leader and speech spiral out of control, but the leader does not know why. Horrendous
Vivid stuff, based on close proximity to real-life examples of success and calamity.
Now, buy it here if you’re in North America.
Or here if you’re not.
You won’t regret it.
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