Some CEOs refuse to acknowledge that their communication
skills could use a tune-up. Ed offers some frank advice to help
motivate reluctant leaders in the December 2003 issue of IABC's CW
Bulletin.
What to Do When the Boss Says No
by Edward J. Barks
It's an undisputed fact. Some CEOs refuse to acknowledge that their communication skills could use a tune-up.
Someone in your organization -- quite possibly you -- needs to assume responsibility for sharpening your CEO's communication skills. Your organization and your CEO personally stand to benefit from improved proficiency. If your leader neglects this part of her leadership toolkit, it's time to offer some frank advice on how she can improve.
It is part and parcel of a CEO's job to connect with many publics -- delivering speeches, talking to the media and testifying before lawmakers.
It is important that you work to increase your organization's odds for success when positioning your CEO before the public. You must also be prepared to deal with the sensitive matter of how to encourage the boss to accept the benefits of learning from a communication training workshop.
The first thing to explain is that there are no naturally gifted speakers. Your CEO did not roll out of bed one day with all the expertise needed to run your enterprise. Similarly, none of us emerged from the womb with flawless speaking abilities. The key to success involves lots of practice, much like our clients experience in their training environment.
Baseball slugger Barry Bonds has a hitting coach. Robert DeNiro has learned from acting coaches. Your CEO, even if she is a speaking superstar, needs a trusted coach who can continue to advance her learning, too.
You can position the need for training by telling your boss that she is nurturing an increasingly high, public profile. What's good enough for a manager is no longer good enough for her. Her prestige merits some individual coaching.
Your organization will reap the rewards of a more polished CEO. It's also important to remind your leader that she will benefit on a personal level as well. What does she stand to gain from a higher public profile? Here are just some of the benefits:
- Sharpen non-verbal tools for maximum advantage
- Refuse to be sidetracked by off-point or hostile questions
- Convey confidence during presentations and media interviews
- Rid yourself of trembling voice and knocking knees
- Take charge when dealing with reporters
- Craft a magnetic message
- Avoid reporters' tricks and traps
- Assume control during the crucial Q&A period
- Keep from wandering aimlessly when delivering remarks and talking to the press
- Get rid of annoying, non-verbal habits
- Gain an edge on the competition
- Steer clear of the dreaded misquote
Someone needs to lay the cards on the table if your CEO is to attain communication success. That could be someone in your organization. Or, it could be the coach you select to guide your CEO's improvement. In fact, if there is a matter so sensitive that you dare not raise it with your CEO (perhaps because you'd like to keep your job!), we'll do it as part of the training process.
Your CEO may be hesitant to firm up her communication abilities. You can help both your CEO and organization by serving as a catalyst for improvement. The benefits are many. Get to work to turn the boss's "no" into an enthusiastic "yes!"
Ed Barks is a trainer, author and speaker who teaches today's leaders how to work with the media and how to deliver dynamic, message-packed presentations. Ed, the President of Barks Communications, is the author of "Face the Press with Confidence: The Media Interview Companion" and "Keep the Audience on Your Side: The Public Speaking Companion." His firm also operates Barkscomm.com,
the Internet's Communications Training Resource, at www.barkscomm.com.
Edward J. Barks,
President of Barks Communications, is an expert in media, presentation
skills, and testimony training. The firm also operates Barkscomm.com,
the Internet's Communications Training Resource, at http://www.barkscomm.com/.
© Barks Communications 2003
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