CEOs and entertainers have something in common. Both understand that communication is the art of timing and storytelling and that every good story ends just in time. To engage an audience, whether from a podium or in a simple email, requires brevity, clarity and a punch line that delivers. In business, the punch line is the profit. It means leadership has a point to make and knows how to do it.
Good Storytellers Don’t Ramble – Comedians cut to the punch line and successful CEOs do the same. Reporters and audiences remember short, sharp, and surprising statements that distill a company’s value proposition into a few powerful words. Those words are always as rehearsed and ready as any Jerry Seinfeld routine and designed to leave an indelible impression. As Jeff Bezos once famously said, ‘Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.’ What they say about us should be what we say about us.
Time Waits for No Speaker – Making a point requires having a point. Comedians control a room with pacing and pauses, and they always know where they’re going with a joke. Business leaders need to know where they’re going, too, so the message lands right. Whether it’s an earnings call, a product launch, or a crisis response, delivery matters. The best media spokespeople build to their conclusion with calculated proof, and when they stick the ending, we’re still with them, not looking at our phones.
Great Soundbites Win Coverage – Reporters love a good quote as audiences love a great punch line. If your statement doesn’t stand out, it will never stand up. The best media quotes are less than a dozen words and provocative enough to spark curiosity or emotion. Corporate-speak has no audience at all.
Know Who’s Listening – Smart CEOs adapt their message to their audience just like a comedian tailors jokes to a crowd. A speech to potential investors is tailored to who they are and engages expectation and doubt. A speech to staff engages them because they’re already invested in body and mind. One size never fits all, whether addressing a college audience or the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Effective communication is personal. Effective words are like eye contact.
Delivery is the Message – Entertainers own the stage with confidence, body language, and the knowledge that they have something to say that the audience wants to hear. Successful CEOs do it too. We can see it in their eyes, posture and voice. Like the best comedy set, TED talk, or crucial address to the stockholders, we in the audience are hardly aware of the rehearsal required to make it work.
Rehearsing timing, storytelling, and delivery takes practice. The best seek feedback and coaching to refine their message and command the stage. Start with the company’s key brand messages as a reference point and riff from there.
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