But to my mind none has addressed the central need for (and subtle complexities of accessing) truth and heart in business rhetoric with simple clarity -- until this little volume appeared. It's been around awhile and is still a gem.
Terry Pearce teaches communication at UC Berkeley's business school (with side trips to the London School of Business and various corporate gigs), and he's spent time in the trenches at IBM. Perhaps he's best known for his work with Schwab CEO and co-chairman Dave Pottruck (see "Clicks & Mortar," a book they co-wrote). His graceful braiding of theory and practice, and clean style brimming with examples, make this a fluid read that sticks in the mind.
Pearce digs beyond style into substance, and even deeper, into conviction. As a writer who routinely interviews CEOs in hopes of helping them frame their thoughts, I daily encounter this core question: How do you coax and excavate substance from your client, and frame it with authenticity? Pearce spills the tools and techniques of how he does it. If you fret about making your speaker believable -- if you want to craft language that does more than disappear in the pool of rhetoric with scarce a ripple to show for it -- in other words, if you want to help folks communicate in a believable, sustainable way that makes a difference -- that's 'leadership communication.' And this book can help set you on the right road.
Sadly, most corporate speeches are forgettable. Maybe because most speakers are afraid to speak from the gut? If you intend to help raise the level of your own message, or your clients, this one's worth your time.
Terry shares his wisdom, drawn from his own experience with executives and students, and his keen observations of the world in which we live to give us a framework for addressing the important and age-old questions: "Who am I?" "What do I fundamentally care about?" "How can I express what I profoundly care about to inspire and move other people to action?"
Terry shows us that Leading Out Loud is at the very least a two step process. The first step focuses on the Leader. Me. I need to have the courage to engage in the reflection and the introspection to come from a place of authenticity and conviction before I can ever hope or aspire to lead anyone else. I need to be solidly grounded in who I am, what I believe, what I care about and why I care. This is perhaps the most difficult part, but it is also the foundation for any and all future speak and action.
Terry then shapes a very practical and useable communications framework to help me understand how I can connect with others (this is the Out Loud piece) by speaking to both their minds and their hearts - to engage the whole person, not just a part of them - to seek to inspire the whole human being. I use Terry's communications framework in my everyday conversations, especially the tough conversations - both personal and professional. It helps me to reach a much more profound level of clarity and depth in the quality of my conversations. I use the framework in my work as a coach and consultant to senior managers and executive to help them build their skills to lead and engage the people whose efforts they rely on for success. It is the most effective material and set of tools I work with. I trust it will be for you as well.