Big events usually involve senior executives. Traditionally these executives are asked to snap to an overall event theme such as “Faster!” But with this level of guidance, the executives are generally all over the map and there is little continuity and usually no storyline. Add to this, the executives generally have a message that they want to communicate and you end up with an audience that is confused.
And overall, your executives have had less impact.
We often get the chance to run large events. We apply the same rules to the overall event that we do to individual speeches. Namely, we start with a clear story arc. The event, in its entirety, should tell a story – not just have a theme. In its most effective form, the event is similar to a 1930’s movie serial – each speech is an episode with tension, reveals and resolution. And at the end of the episode there is a teaser to make you want to stay tuned for what is up next.
The story arc is informed by the impact that we want to have on the audience emotionally and intellectually. And almost always, it is about the actions we want the audience to take. For a deeper description, have a look at our blog on Know/Feel/Do.
People often create a run-of-play that describes how the event looks. Here is the one thing you can do to make your run-of-play powerful – in terms of creating the story arc and informing the content delivered by each of the executives. Ready? Here it is…
Notice the transitions and how they get the story moving to the next level. We’d love to hear how you have created continuity in big events. Let us know how it went.
Our client, a senior corporate VP, had to deliver a difficult message to the other CEO direct reports – and the news was about them! She was fantastically successful. She got agreement. She got action. She was praised by everyone involved for her insight and practical suggestions. It was good for the company. It was good for her. Question is… how did she pull off such a miracle?
The world is full of praise for Steven Jobs. The point here is a little different. This is a quiet word of thanks. Steve taught our team something. And he offered the same lesson to everyone. That lesson was simply this: Everything matters.
Last year we wrote over 50 executive speeches. Plus a bunch of communications to internal and external organizations. We have given a lot of thought to what those communications contain and have surprised ourselves with a relatively simple conclusion. All executive communications are about three things: How do you want people to feel? What do you want people to know? What do you want people to do?
