Hey, Boss: You’re Boring! - Associations Now Magazine - Publications and Resources - ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership

Bill Clinton is famous for his ability to connect with an audience, whether it’s one person or 20,000. So these days, few people remember that his name was a punchline for political jokes after the 1988 Democratic National Convention. He got his biggest applause when, 32 minutes into a 15-minute introduction, he said, “In conclusion …”

What changed? “The Bill Clintons of the world know how important speaking is and work at it much more than you might think, always reviewing their speech tapes and trying to get better,” says Michael Sheehan, a Washington, DC-based communications coach who specializes in message development and successful sound bites. “They’re like the great athletes who come to practice two hours earlier than anyone else and stay two hours later. The ones who make it look the easiest are the ones who work the hardest.”

Sheehan should know. He spent many of those hours at Clinton’s side, shaping Clinton’s speaking style and approach to TV through two campaigns and two terms in the White House. Sheehan still works with many Democratic senators, including Hillary Clinton. But you don’t have to aspire to the White House, he says, to spiff up your speaking.

Michael Sheehan can’t make everyone a Clinton—but executives across the association world and corporate America can attest to his methods. He recently talked to Associations Now about how to make yourself—or your boss—another great communicator.

Associations Now:What should association CEOs do to make a stronger connection with their audiences, whether they’re giving a speech at their convention or talking to the media?

Sheehan: I often say that it’s not about thinking outside the box. It’s about thinking outside the boardroom. The challenge is not so much figuring out what the audience may want to hear but how they will react to what you say. You need to realize that individuals think from their own perspective.

Here’s an example. In the Pentagon, generals speaking of battle will use the phrase “acceptable level of casualties.” But to the public, the only acceptable level of casualties is zero. That’s why the military may need to use that phrase inside the war room but shouldn’t use it in a press conference.

As an association executive, you, too, have to recognize that the way you talk inside the office or with your board is not how you talk to outside groups. You have to ask yourself, “What effect, positive or negative, will what I say have on someone who’s not in my frame of reference?” To answer that, it can help to think about what you might say that would be persuasive to your next-door neighbors, assuming they aren’t also in your profession.

Why is it so hard for top executives to look at issues from others’ perspectives?

Two reasons. For one, CEOs usually get to be successful because they have tunnel vision. They’re focused on their goals and objectives, and whatever doesn’t advance those goals, they disregard. That’s why, in the corporate world, CEOs may be really good at figuring out what to say to Wall Street analysts but not to customers. In the association world, they’re good at focusing on what board members want to hear, but they overlook what members need to hear … and often they completely overlook what regulators, the public, and members’ own customers demand to hear.

The second reason is, to be quite honest, fear on the part of those around the CEO. It’s hard to tell a CEO to think about how something will play outside the four walls of his office. Not a whole lot of underlings are willing to say to the boss, “You have your head in the clouds”—or in another part of the anatomy.

So how should CEOs find out what’s going to be persuasive with their audiences?

There’s only one scientific way to know, and that’s by doing formal research. But there are also do-it-yourself methods you can try. If the topic you’re concerned with is in the news, examine how the issue is treated in the general press, both print and electronic, and consider the perspectives of readers and viewers. Again, think about how you’d explain your viewpoint to your next-door neighbor.

Another alternative is to cold call your members. People are always flattered when you ask them for their opinion. That’s an advantage that political candidates have: From all their contact with the public, they get feedback in a very unfiltered way.

CEOs sometimes have another problem: Their delivery is dull, even though they probably don’t realize that about themselves. How can you avoid being boring?

The best way is extremely easy and no one ever does it: Have one of your presentations taped from the back of the room and then watch it. I’m never-endingly shocked, even after being in my business for 26 years, that nine out of 10 speakers say they’ve never watched themselves on tape. Your staff should chain you to your desk and force you to watch yourself.

In my experience, the only people who don’t have that natural aversion are former athletes. Of all the elected officials I’ve worked with, Bill Bradley—who played basketball with the New York Knicks before becoming a senator—was the only one who without prompting walked over to watch his speech tapes. He knew that watching yourself is how you learn.

In any organization, there are one or two people who are naturally more comfortable and better at presenting than everyone else. There’s nothing wrong with asking that person for his or her two cents’ worth. But don’t ask the people you work with every day. They’re either afraid to tell you the truth, or they fixate on some idiosyncrasy, like scratching your nose, that drives them crazy but the occasional audience would never notice. Sometimes the person who spends the most time with you is the worst judge, which is also why you shouldn’t ask your spouse.

Outside of noticing that snoring sound coming from the front row? Watch for physical movement in the audience. When they start rustling, or they slump, or they won’t make eye contact, you’ve talked too much.

There’s a lesson to be learned from entertainers in Las Vegas—they know how to leave the audience wanting more. So keep your formal presentation fairly short and save a little something interesting for the Q&A, which is often the best part of a presentation.

Too many people fail to prepare for the Q&A because they think that part will just come naturally. But it will go much better if you think it through in advance: What are you going to use the Q&A for? Usually you should use it for vertical or horizontal enhancement—for going a little deeper or a little wider on one of your most important points.

Look for opportunities. Answer the audience member’s question briefly and then say, “And that reminds me of another thing that I was just asked about” or “There’s something else I wanted to bring up.” You’re not using this technique to divert the audience, like a magician doing sleight of hand, but instead to communicate the substance of what you really want to say.

Of course, the battle is half won when CEOs themselves want to become better communicators. What’s your advice for PR people whose bosses need improvement and don’t know it—or don’t want to know?

You mean other than sending an anonymous email that’s been carefully scrubbed?

One technique that works well involves peer-to-peer advice. Every board of directors has high-ranking executives from other organizations. Usually those people know when the CEO is not the best presenter. Perhaps one of these board members—ideally one the CEO has expressed admiration for—can say, “You’re doing OK with your presentations, but maybe you’ll want to give them a little more attention. I worked with this or that firm that you might like.”

In a slight majority of cases, the CEO knows about the problem and appreciates the offer of help. The PR person can then reinforce what the peer executive says by making an argument like this to a CEO: These days the visibility factor is increasing for you whether you like it or not. The number of appearances you’re going to have to make is increasing exponentially, and the scrutiny is getting more stringent.

Or again, tape them giving a speech and get them to watch at least some of it. If time is short, cue to one of the sections of a presentation that worked the least well. They’ll say, “I had no idea that I looked like that, or that I was so physically inanimate, or so monotone.” There is nothing quite like holding up a mirror to yourself.

Michael Sheehan is president of Sheehan Associates, a communications training firm in Washington, DC. He can be reached via the firm’s website at
www.sheehanassociates.com.

Edward Barks, January 15, 2008
Karla Taylor’s final question is vital for association communicators. Here’s how I frame it for my media training clients: “What do you do when the boss says ‘No’?”

Begin by drilling inside your CEO’s head to learn why he or she is reluctant. Recommending a course of action before assessing individual attitudes amounts to communications malpractice.

Remind your CEO that poor communications skills and shoddy messages result in fewer members, lower dues revenues, and loss of prestige for both the association and its members.

If you want to avoid criticizing the boss yourself, hire a consultant. Elite performers -— from ballplayers to ballet dancers -— work with trainers. Shouldn't your CEO? (For details on how to select the right one, see the free white paper, "A Buyer’s Guide to Communications Trainers," http://www.barkscomm.com/buyersguide.pdf)

The good news is solutions do exist that allow association communicators to transform the boss’ “No!” into an enthusiastic “Yes!"