Page 142 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

Ch08_Baldoni_141496-7 5/22/03 1:09 PM Page 120
120
GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
notes on the following points:
How do they walk on stage?

How do they welcome the audience?

What gestures do they employ?

How do they make the audience feel? Why do they do

this?
8. Consider a situation in which a facilitated dialogue might be appropri-
ate. [A facilitated dialogue is similar to a focus group where a facilita-
tor (or even the speaker) asks questions designed to elicit opinions and
ideas of the audience. See Chapter 9 for more on a facilitated dia-
logue.]
What is the issue that you would explore? Why is dia-
logue more appropriate for it than a straight presentation?
What questions would you pose to yourself and the
audience?
What would you want as the desired outcome?
9. Think about your next meeting or coaching session. How will you
employ some elements of communications theater to underscore your
leadership message?
JACK WELCH—THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATOR
He has been called the greatest CEO in America. On one side, you have an
unparalleled record of earnings growth, sustained profitability, and growth in
market capitalization that stretches for more than two decades. On the other
side, you have a man who can be tough as nails, brusque, and at times impa-
tient, yet who speaks reverentially of his late mother, to whom he attributes
much of his success. He is Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of General Elec-
tric from 1981 to 2001.
So much has been said and written about Welch that you would think that
he invented the role of the modern CEO. He, of course, would be the first to
disagree. For one thing, he would laud his predecessor, Reginald Jones, for
preparing him to lead the company. More important, he would attribute his
success to a couple of seemingly simple themes: focus, execution, and people.
Inherent in all three is communications. And it is his relentless commitment to
disseminating the message that accounts for much of his success.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE
The facts of Welch’s professional life are pretty straightforward. He got a