Press Room
So What's The Big Idea?
By Cord Cooper
When giving a speech, mastering a few key points can mean the difference between boring your listeners and lifting them to their feet.
Start by focusing on broad themes and making a one-on-one connection, says Suzanne Bates, a communications consultant and author of the new book "Speak Like a CEO: Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results."
Every speech or presentation needs just one big idea, she said: "A big idea has a life of its own. It doesn't require a big speech. (The speech is) big because of its power, not its length."
A prime example is Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in 1863. Roughly 271 words, it stands as one of history's most powerful speeches. The people Lincoln addressed hadn't even come to hear him. They were there to hear orator Edward Everett, who spoke two hours.
"When Lincoln got up, he gave the address in two minutes. But in two minutes," Bates said, "there was one big idea. He persuaded the nation to fight on."
To make big ideas actionable:
Harness the present. Leaders who tour the convention circuit often give the same canned speech. It makes for easy delivery, but in a fast-changing world is it rousing the audience?
When Talbot's Chief Executive Arnold Zetcher was being honored by the National Retail Federation a few months after 9-11, he knew a tried-and-true response wouldn't cut it. "The first draft was a basic acceptance speech," Zetcher recalled, "and then we thought, 'Wait a minute, we need to talk about what people are thinking. We need to talk about something bigger. It has to be about the country.' "
He and his team retooled the speech, and to this day it's one of the best he's ever given, he says.
"When you're in touch with what people are thinking in that moment, you can confront it and get them ready to hear the important message," said Sovereign Bancorp chairman John Hamill.
Explain it simply. EMC co-founder Roger Marino built his storage-systems firm in part by explaining complicated concepts in ways people could understand.
He learned lessons about simple communication while earning his electrical engineering degree at Northeastern University. The most brilliant professors, he says, were often the ones who could translate complex ideas into simple terms.
Communicating simply remains his biggest strength, he says.
Be an optimist. When the going gets tough, CEOs have to "balance reality with hope," Bates said. Leaders "must see and talk about what's possible. Hope is a potent message."
Be real. Talk to people on their level, and when possible do it with humor, says Dan Wolf, founder of Hyannis, Mass.-based Cape Air. The more you can share personal "feelings (and) reactions," the more powerful your connection with your audience, Wolf said.
"You have to be willing to reveal something about yourself - by telling people where you've been and the mistakes you've made," said Judy George, founder of home-furnishings retailer Domain. "(Audiences) relate to it. They realize that we're all human."