I couldn’t have said it better myself.

The August 16 Wall Street Journal has a terrific article “The Gift of Gab,”  in its Small Business Section. (The online version may be locked for a while.) The author, Barbara Haislip, interviews a range of entrepreneurs and business experts. Her conclusion: “Give a speech. Win a client.”

The article notes that public speaking gives entrepreneurs a way to share their expertise much more effectively than a sales call or a booth at a conference. In particular, giving a speech lets you appear as a thought leader to an audience that wants to hear you.

Still, as the article notes, speaking can be challenging. The business people in the article (and I) recommend practice, practice, practice wherever and whenever you get the chance.
And once you get over your stage fright, work hard on the content of your speech and seek out great real-life examples. As Haislip notes, “Audiences respond strongly to stories.”

It’s too early to tell whether Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne can save that endangered automaker. But it is clear already that he knows how to use speeches to help turn his company around.  A month ago he spoke in New York to the National Automotive Dealer’s Association on (what else) transforming Chrysler. That speech is definitely worth a read – especially because it’s breath of fresh air after all the wease-ly,  responsibility-shirking remarks by Titans of Finance these days.

Marchionne acknowledges his industry’s failures (we “got into businesses we did not know how to run and, in doing so; we created clumsy bureaucracies that impeded innovation in what should have been our core expertise: making cars that consumers want to buy.”) He’s frank about how much Chrysler needs government help.He also lays out specific steps Chrysler is taking to turn things around (more fuel efficient cars, more R&D, better engines, etc) AND he sets out his vision for the revitalized company – (“a profound transformation, both in terms of quality and quantity.”)

One of the things I liked most about the speech is the clever way he addresses one of the biggest questions about the merger – can the conflicting cultures of a European company and an American one really be blended in a way that works?

To take on the skeptics, he does an extended riff on how “Bruce Springsteen showed us the power of change.” It’s not just a throwaway line: he talks about the Boss’s song structure and lyrics in a way that shows he (or his speechwriter) really is a fan. Subliminal message: if this Italian guy knows archetypical American music so well, maybe an Italian firm and an American one can work together to make and sell good cars.

I spoke recently with George Chavel, president and CEO of Gaithersburg-based Sodexo North America to get his thoughts on executives’ speeches, for my column in the Washington Business Journal, Speaking to Rise.

What are some of the techniques you use in given a speech or presentation?

GC: One thing I try to do is to illustrate a general point I’m making with a real-life story — something I’ve experienced myself or that I’ve heard about from a colleague. I find if I can relate to a story, I’m more comfortable presenting it, and it is easier for me to connect with an audience.

How do you prepare for a key speech or presentation?

GC: First, I practice, over and over until I’m absolutely comfortable with the timing and the delivery. This is especially important for me because I prefer to use bullet points instead of a word-for-word script. I also make sure to have some of my colleagues — people I can trust to give an honest reaction — listen to the presentation. I’ve even checked with my teenage sons, who I know will tell me what they really think.

How important are speeches and presentations to Sodexo’s communications strategy?

GC:We have a diverse and decentralized work force of 125,000 and 6,000 clients spread over three countries in North America. So we use every communications method and technology. But you can’t operate a service industry without emphasizing face-to-face communication, everything from one-on-one talks with clients to speeches to large groups of employees and suppliers.

Another Obama speech, another opinion…this time the Washington Post’s On Leadership blog let me offer some thoughts on what CEOs need to know about ‘the vision thing,’  and what they can learn from the State of the Union speech and from Steve Jobs. Here are the first couple ‘graphs, and you’ll find the rest online.

At about 10:20 pm EST last night, an army of bloggers, reporters and assorted chatterers took to their keyboards or microphones to start analyzing how well President Obama did on his first State of Union. In so many of these analyses, the central concern is whether the president did a good job laying out a vision of where he wanted to lead the country. It’s no secret that neglecting what the first President Bush called “the vision thing” can be a fatal political error.

But as Steve Jobs showed us on the very same day, vision matters in business too. When he revealed the iPad tablet yesterday, he wowed the crowd not only with a new gadget but a vision of how we might interact with the online world in the future.

If you’re in D.C., I hope to see you at the Capital Communicators Group monthly lunch, Thursday, November 12, 2009, noon – 1:30 p.m.

The topic is, “It’s Not Just What You Say, but How You Say It …  some veteran speechwriters share some of the unique challenges of speechwriting as well tips of the trade.” I’m one of those vets, the other is Ann Scholl, a speechwriter for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It does cost $20 bucks, but Ann and I will be worth it.

You’ll find more information at the Capital Communicators Blog.

Come on down and see us!