A speech is only so many pretty words until you drive home the message in a way that connects with the audience. That’s why you need to pay more attention to how you use explanation to describe benefits, challenges, and to set expectations.
Communications expert John Baldoni hits on the power of explanation in a recent blog post on Harvard Business Publishing, where he notes that President Obama has shifted rhetorical gears to become less lofty and more concrete through the deft use of explanation. Says Baldoni:
“Explanation is a key attribute of leadership communications. Leaders know to inject their communications with verve and enthusiasm as a means of persuasion, but they also need to include an explanation for the excitement. What does it mean and why are we doing it are critical questions that every leader must answer with straightforward explanations.”
Write that down for your next presentation: “What does it mean and why are we doing it.”
Baldoni offers three ways to become an effective explainer:
- Define what it is.
- Define what it isn’t.
- Define what you want people to do.
But a great explainer don’t merely cite a laundry list of benefits. Too much detail can put an audience to sleep, but too few details won’t be convincing. Here is how Obama explained in an interview the importance of using taxpayer funds to assist GM and Chrysler.
“Our auto industry is the foundation for economies all across the Midwest and ultimately, for the country as a whole. And had we allowed GM or Chrysler simply to liquidate, that would have been a huge anti-stimulus on the economy as a whole, and could have dragged us even deeper into recession or even depression.”
