Every so often we are called upon to make a difficult speech...you know the kind I mean. It might be a speech informing your employees that budgets are being cut by 25% and layoffs are required; it might be one where you communicate that the incentive trip everyone worked so hard for is canceled; it might be announcing to your faithful supporters than you are withdrawing from the campaign.
How do you deliver these kinds of messages with grace, poise and confidence?
Be Clear and Concise
Your tendency may be to ramble around, avoiding the tough, stark facts. Or to use euphemisms to sugar coat the situation. But your audience will appreciate clarity, specifics and ramifications. Honesty plays a role here as well. Be as honest as you can, without divulging confidential or inappropriate information.
Empathize
Put yourself in your audience's shoes and imagine what they're feeling. In some cases this may be very easy to do, because you too are being negatively affected by the news, but in others, it may be more difficult. Don't be afraid to say, for example, "This is an awful situation. Of course you must be scared and angry." Even if you're delivering the company's 'position' on the event or circumstances, be human.
Explain But Don't Make Excuses
If you come across defensively or make elaborate excuses for why the situation isn't really the company's (or management's or your) fault, you will lose credibility with your audience. And it will be hard to empathize sincerely. By all means, provide facts and explanations but avoid finger-pointing or "if onlys". Answer questions as thoroughly as possible or suggest other resources which can provide more detail.
Maintain Eye Contact
If you can't look your audience in the eye, you will seem guilty, uncomfortable, insincere. Sort of like the child who, while disclaiming all knowledge of the broken vase, can't look the parent straight in the eye. You will exacerbate an already difficult situation. Fight with your demons before you get in front of the audience and show enough respect to connect with them by looking at them directly.
Find a Silver Lining
Frequently there may be some good news or positive possibilities in the midst of the bad news. Again, don't sugar coat the tough message, but take the opportunity to remind your audience that things may not be quite as bleak as they thought.
For example, in announcing that your company is moving to another area where economic conditions are more favorable (upsetting and disruptive to many employees), your silver lining could be that house prices are much lower and the company will be providing a generous re-location package.
Take a look here at Hillary Clinton's speech when she withdrew from the 2008 presidential campaign. The "18,000,000 cracks in the glass ceiling" was the silver lining for her audience [this is at 23:00 of the speech].
The next time you have to deliver a difficult speech, your audience will be grateful that you cared enough to put these tips into practice.
Hi Kathy,
Excellent post! All the points you've mentioned are important, but I think the one that is most often ignored is showing empathy. When you put yourself in the place of the audience and can state what they must be feeling, there is a greater likelihood they will be open to hearing the "tough" news.
I've written two different posts about how to deliver a difficult speech. I discussed Obama's speech in Cairo http://www.wellwrittenwellsaid.com/successfulspeechesblog/?p=438
and his speech on race in America, "A More Perfect Union". http://www.wellwrittenwellsaid.com/successfulspeechesblog/?p=38
Posted by: John Watkis | November 13, 2009 at 08:25 AM