Christopher Witt

In their speeches and presentations leaders have — or should have — a bias towards action. They want their audiences to do something.

I’m not suggesting that speakers should urge their audiences to act without due consideration or thoughtful analysis. Far from it. A person who moves an audience to action through emotional appeals devoid of reason or a concern for the truth is a demagogue, not a leader.

But a speaker who simply passes on information without expecting the audience to do something as a result is a teacher or a trainer, not a leader. (I love teachers, by the way. I come from a family of teachers. I think teaching is a noble profession. But I don’t want speakers to lecture their audiences. I want them to influence, motivate, and inspire their audiences.)

The question to ask, when you’re preparing a speech, is “What do I want the audience to do as a result of listening to me?”

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