David Ahearn is co-founder of Four Day Weekend.
You have seen it hundreds of times. An executive you have been working with to deliver the perfect speech walks onto the stage only to panic and stare directly at the confidence monitor or teleprompter and give a laborious, sweat-drenched and uninspiring speech on the goals for the company's upcoming quarter or year. As the audience shifts nervously in their seats praying for an end to the pain, you as the meeting planner are left searching for a few words of encouragement that you can impart after said executive walks backstage looking like he just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
"You did great," you lie.
The truth of the matter is, public speaking is one of the most terrifying experiences that most people ever go through. Some people would rather die than speak in public, and no matter how outwardly confident an executive seems at the outset of a speech there is no mistaking the "deer in the headlights" look as they walk the proverbial Green Mile to their impending death at the lectern. Everyone in the room can feel the fear, as the victim starts sweating like Kim Kardashian on Jeopardy!
One of the problems with having executives work off of teleprompters is that many times the speeches they give aren't even written by them. So on top of not being comfortable speaking in public, they have the added pressure of saying someone else's words. It's no wonder they stare at the confidence monitor hoping and praying that they can get through the 15-20 minute address without losing their breakfast. They aren't speaking from their place of passion -- these aren't their words! Although they may have unique ideas of where they want to help lead the company, when speeches are written for them they lose the very voice that has elevated them to a place of leadership.
Easier for everyone.
Here's an alternative: Ditch the teleprompter and replace the speech with a talk show. At Four Day Weekend, we have come to discover that the talk show is the perfect way to put executives at ease while we lead them as the professional hosts. We're the Sherpas guiding your execs up Mount Everest, with a whole cast of characters (including a band) on stage increasing the engagement. And it's been proven that an engaged audience retains far more of the pertinent information of a presentation than one that is put into a coma-like trance by an inexperienced public speaker. The host interviews the executives by getting to know each guest personally and then moving smoothly into the business message.
This also has the benefit of allowing executives to better relate to the audience. When the talk-show host asks a few questions about their lives, such as where they grew up, what their hobbies are, and maybe how they met their spouse, we humanize these seemingly elusive figures and draw the audience in with personal anecdotes. The talk-show format relaxes the executives and the audience, while the host takes care of running show flow so that it is both fun and informative, runs on time, and meets the company's messaging goals.
"Don't Suck!"
During one such talk show for a Fortune 50 company, its president and CEO, whom I'll call Jack, admitted that he and his wife don't do a lot of cooking at home so they choose to dine in restaurants on most evenings.
"So you never eat at home?" I asked.
"Most nights we eat out with our daughter. My wife does make something called 'chicken dish' once in a while and that's pretty good," Jack admitted.
"What's in chicken dish?" I asked.
"I never thought to ask," Jack said.
Big laugh, and suddenly Jack had the audience in the palm of his hand, all from one personal anecdote that set the stage for Jack to detail the agenda for the coming year. Together, Jack and Four Day Weekend had the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. At the end of the interview, I asked one final question: "Anything you would like to leave the team with? Words of encouragement, motivational words?"
Jack paused, searching for the perfect words, and said, "Don't suck!"
Laughter exploded through the auditorium.
"Boy, you're a real Knute Rockne there, Jack!" I countered.
Jack blushed realizing what he said and the audience howled even louder. Jack was surprised by his own candor but it completely humanized him and then allowed him to follow up "Don't suck!" with a beautiful moment where he told everyone in the room how proud he was to be leading and working with such a great organization.
After we worked with this Fortune 50 company several more times, Jack told me that that moment was one of the single most remembered moments from a National Sales Meeting. He let his guard down and the result was a team of people who admired his willingness to show his humanity.
"Don't suck" became their unexpected clarion call to greatness and this never would have happened had Jack's speech been telepromptered. Jack is an accomplished speaker but this extemporaneous moment was so organic it could have never been planned. Even if someone had tried to plan it, it most likely would have been dismissed in favor of playing it safe.
Countless times executives have walked off stage after a Four Day Weekend talk show interview and said, "It went so fast. I can't believe it is over!" So often executives are just looking for a "wingman" to help deliver their presentations. As hosts, it is our job to make our guests shine and become the star of their own segment. Add in a Top 10 List, a couple of improvised songs about audience members, or a photo quiz and soon you have a general session that will not only be exciting to watch but will be talked about during the entire conference and for months following.
--David Ahearn
Four Day Weekend is a comedy troupe experienced in professional corporate bookings for award shows, emcee duties, workshops, and keynotes. Visit the group's Web site for more information.
This article was first published on MeetingsNet.com on August 28, 2015.