This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:
- How to Speak so People Take Notes
- From Crisis to Comeback
- 44 Ideas for Better Conversations
How to Speak so People Take Notes
Before we start: I have opened up two 1:1 coaching spots for Q4. These are for ambitious leaders who want to become top 1% communicators before the year ends.
If you are interested, hit reply to see if it’s a good fit.
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I’m writing this 35,000 feet above the Atlantic, en route to Seattle – a fitting altitude to think about the current frontier of leadership and communication: AI.
I’ll be diving deep into how AI is reshaping the way we lead, connect and persuade with tough leaders here.
It’s not just about smarter tools – it’s about smarter leaders.
It’s a topic close to my heart. In my recent TEDx Talk, “Supercomputers Need Supercommunicators,” I argued that in a world run by algorithms, it’s the humans who can communicate with clarity and conviction who will lead the way.
It’s your edge. And, frankly, the only way to stay relevant.
Which brings me to today’s topic: keeping your audience’s attention while you speak or present.
I get asked this a lot: “How do you know if my message resonates with the audience?”
The answer: Check what they do.
Do they grab their phones, yawning?
Or do they nod? Take notes? Screenshot your slides?
The risk is: Your message will be instantly forgotten if no one’s writing down your words.
That’s why I teach top CEOs to speak so that the audience can’t help but take notes.
Start with these 7 tactics:
1 - Start With a Sledgehammer or Ice Cream Cone
↳ Start with a bold or contrarian statement like “Everything you know about leadership communication is wrong.”
↳ Or make the audience feel good about themselves (especially important internally): “You don’t hear this enough: your work is the reason we’re winning.”
2 - Say Something Tweetable
↳ Craft “atomic statements” — short, sticky, high-impact lines.
↳ Ask yourself: “Would someone post this on X?”
3 - Structure Like a Pro
Use proven story frameworks like:
↳ Problem → Solution → Action
↳ Past → Present → Future
↳ Story → Insight → Takeaway
4 - Apply the Rule of One
↳ One idea per sentence, slide, or talk.
↳ Clarity leads to recall.
5 - Make Them Look Up
↳ Ask a thought-provoking question — then pause.
↳ “How is this possible?”
6 - Use Contrast
↳ Old vs New. Before vs After.
↳ Notes happen when people see the delta.
7 - Master the 5Ps of Voice
↳ Pace. Pitch. Power. Pause. Prosody.
↳ Great delivery makes people reach for their pen.
The goal? Say something that demands to be written down.
PODCAST
From Crisis to Comeback
I do a show to help you become a top 1% communicator. Please subscribe.
This week, I join the “Art of Positioning” podcast with Beatrice Gutknecht and Hollywood lawyer Gordon Firemark. We unpacked a tough truth:
Your brand is one viral moment away from disaster.
I’ve seen brands implode in hours and CEOs sacked in days. I’ve also seen people and businesses emerge stronger.
That’s why I always focus on making sure a company is crisis-proof when we start working together.
Here’s what we cover:
→ A crisis plan that actually works – not just theory
→ Training your team to execute under pressure
→ Legal safeguards before the storm hits
→ What to do when PR damage control fails
→ How to rebuild trust – and convert skeptics
These are the strategies we use to pull brands back from the brink – and turn a crisis into a comeback.
Listen on Spotify.
Listen to the full episode here:
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
44 Ideas to Sound Smarter (Without Reading 44 Books)
If The Communication Book were a person, it’d be the friend who shows up to dinner with 44 brilliant conversation starters you enjoy while sipping your wine.
Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler pull off the impossible – they cram decades of communication theory into a book you can read before dessert is served.
From Robert Cialdini’s persuasion principles to the Sorry Matrix (yes, there is a right way to apologize), from non-violent communication to Standpoint Theory (basically: why the intern might be more right than the CEO) – it’s all in there.
Is it groundbreaking? Not really.
Is it useful? Hugely.
Is it fun? Surprisingly, yes.
Who should read it?
This is the book you give to someone who says, “I want to be better at communicating,” but still thinks Marshall McLuhan is a Game of Thrones character.
Who shouldn’t read it?
If you are a seasoned communicator, this won’t rock your world.
And yes, some ideas feel a bit 2008 — “the medium is the message”? Come on. As I have written here and elsewhere, today the messenger is the message.
Read it anyway. Because understanding how people think and talk is still the best shortcut to getting what you want.
Have an inspired weekend,
Oliver
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