With Time Magazine designating “The Protester” as it’s 2011 “Person of the Year,” executives who give presentations would be wise to give some thought on how to handle a hostile audience. Earlier this year, Kirsten Korosec, who writes for CBS News’ ‘Smart Planet’ blog had some great advice on ‘How to Win Over an Angry Mob.”

1. Don’t cancel.

2. Acknowledge the protest.

She cites Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, addressing hostile graduates in a commencement address to Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

“Pandit not only acknowledged the protests and criticism in the opening lines of his speech, he welcomed it: ‘I do know that the invitation for me to speak here today stirred up some controversy. And I think that’s a healthy sign. I would be surprised, even disappointed if some of the most intense debate and criticism of the financial industry were not coming from this university. Americans have the right to be angry about the financial crisis. People should question the financial system and those who run it.’”

3. Contact your critics before the speech
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4. Be accountable and own your mistakes

When JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, spoke to Syracuse University’s class of 2010, Korosec says, his “entire speech revolved around the central message of accountability. And to his credit, Dimon appears to have followed his own advice. Dimon said JPMorgan Chase would pay for errors it made in processing foreclosure paperwork on defaulted home loans.”

In his best-selling book, Delivering Happiness, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (left) describes his evolution as a public speaker, bringing his company’s message to the public.  For his first big speech, he says, “I wrote out my entire speech beforehand, and then spent a month memorizing it and rehearsing it. I couldn’t sleep the night before my speech. It ended up going okay, and I was relieved when it was finally over so I could catch up on my sleep.”

The speech won praise for him and raised the profile of his company. So naturally he began to get more invitations and give more speeches.

He memorized each one, and over time felt he was getting better as a speaker. But he was so focused on saying the speech exactly as he had written it, that he was always nervous. And then he had his “epiphany” about speeches: he noticed that people generally commented about two things after a speech. “They told me they really enjoyed the personal stories, and … they could really feel my passion for company culture, customer service, and Zappos in general. So, for my next speech, I tried a completely different approach.”

Instead of trying to recite lines from a script, Hsieh I decided not to memorize or rehearse anything. “I just went by three basic rules for my talks: 1. Be passionate. 2. Tell personal stories. 3. Be real.”

Pretty good advice for any executive preparing a presentation.

Most would agree that one of the characteristics of a great leader is the ability to inspire others to change. I suppose in some leadership roles, this can be accomplished one person at a time, without ever having to give a presentation. However, for most leaders, at some point, they are going to have to give that department presentation, halftime pep talk, inspirational talk to the troops, or presentation to the big dogs. It’s those make-or-break moments on stage when leaders have the opportunity to influence the greatest number of people to change.

So if a leader gets stage fright, and doesn’t shine during these opportunities, or worse, avoids them altogether, than I’d say it’s going to be an up hill climb to ever become a truly great leader. You can’t just throw up your hands and say “it’s just not me”. Consider it a requirement for the job.

Dan McCarthy, “Great Leadership” blog

Earlier this year, yet another high profile CEO bit the dust, brought down in large part by poor communication skills.

As communication coach Carmine Gallo points out in a recent Forbes column, when the board of Hewlett-Packard fired CEO Leo Apotheker less than one year after he was hired, board members cited the need for better communication at the top of the company.  HP Chairman Ray Lane said of the firing,“The market’s a little confused because we’re in so many different businesses.  This is 90 percent about leadership, communications, and operating execution.”

And in praising Meg Whitman, the woman hired to take over as CEO, Lane and other board members lauded her ability to articulate a vision and strategy. In fact, Lane made sure to highlight Whitman’s communication skills in every interview he gave introducing the new CEO.

On a recent trip to Berlin, I was reminded of an aspect of effective executive presentations that is critically important, but all too often overlooked (including by me): knowing your audience.

I was explaining to some German business people what I did. I noted that one of the most important pieces of advice I give to executives is: when you give a speech, be personal. Tell the audience something about your self – you life, your family, your background, etc. Getting personal will connect you with your audience, I say.

While that approach works great in the U.S., in Berlin I was quickly informed that German audiences are turned off by political and business leaders who try to get personal. My contacts cited a speech Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) gave to the U.S. Congress. In it, she spoke a bit about her life growing up in Communist East Germany. The speech went over well on this side of the Atlantic, but drew criticism in Germany.

Why? It turns out that in Germany, it’s considered undignified to talk about yourself in a speech. In fact, it is considered patronizing, even smarmy, to do so. The Germans use the phrase sich anbiedern, which has connotations of boot licking and sucking up.

So, always research your audience. And if you’re speaking in Germany, stay away from the personal.