The Four Speeches Every Leader Has to Know PDF
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The Four Speeches Every Leader Has to Know Bård Norheim Joar Haga The Four Speeches Every Leader Has to Know Bård Norheim · Joar Haga The Four Speeches Every Leader Has to Know Bård Norheim Joar Haga Department of Theology, Religion Department of Theology, Religion and Philosophy and Philosophy NLA University College NLA University College Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway ISBN 978-3-030-19973-9 ISBN 978-3-030-19974-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19974-6 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Harvey Loake This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland P reface How should a leader speak to motivate his audience? Should he prom- ise success and progress, or should he appeal to a sense of duty? In his opening address to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940, Winston Churchill proclaimed: “I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat…”. A leader is someone who invites followers, but how should the leader speak to move the audience? The leader wants to motivate his audience to follow him with action and dedication. Churchill speaks of suffering as he invites the audience to follow him into the future. Why doesn’t he promise success or appeal to a sense of duty? Churchill aims to speak with authority. In order to achieve this, he addresses suffering in what he thinks is a credible way. His aim is to persuade his listeners to take on suf- fering. He even tries to make suffering attractive. But how should the leader speak in order to address suffering in a credible way? In this book, we have developed a typology of four speeches to help the leader cope with that particular challenge. We believe that there are four speeches every leader has to know—the opening speech, the executioner speech, the consolation speech, and the farewell speech. This typology of four speeches provides the leader with tools to develop and evaluate her work as a speaker. The book also offers constructive advice on how to deliver speeches and analytic tools for self-reflection. The book is written for leaders in business, politics, sports, institutions, NGOs, religious leaders, and elsewhere. In short, the book is for anyone v vi PREFACE who is interested in the noble art of leading through speaking. The book deals with rhetoric—the art of speaking well—and how a leader stages her authority by speaking publicly with credibility. Rhetoric is the art of seeing and using the possibilities of persuasion available in any given situation. The book, therefore, looks at how a leader should speak with authority to motivate someone to give their very best, take on suffering, go to war, or even die. Bergen, Norway Bård Norheim Joar Haga a cknowledgements Thanks to Kenneth Kallesten, Campion Hall Oxford, Tony Jones, Andy Root, Marianne Frønsdal, Harmen van Wijnen, Wegger Chr Strømmen, Bjørn Kloumann Bekken, Egil Tjåland, Jøran Halsne, Knut Erik Hollund, Bård Mæland, Egil Velde, James Quigley, Anne Haanes, Anne-Kathrin Birchley-Brun, Mike King, Nick Shepherd, Paul Otto Brunstad, other colleagues at NLA University College, Britt Marit Haga and Kjersti Gautestad Norheim. vii c ontents 1 Introduction: A Rhetoric of Suffering 1 2 The Opening Speech: Envisioning the Future 21 3 The Executioner Speech: Communicating Tough Decisions 57 4 The Consolation Speech: The Leader as Comforter 73 5 The Farewell Speech: Leaving a Legacy Worth Suffering For 93 Epilogue 111 Glossary 115 Index 123 ix CHAPTER 1 Introduction: A Rhetoric of Suffering Abstract The opening chapter offers an introduction to the art of speaking well through an innovative view on leadership which highlights the importance of interpreting suffering. Using a wide range of exam- ples, the book offers practical help for the leader who leads through speaking. The chapter presents three fundamental claims that define the art of speaking for a leader: (1) every leader is a speaker; (2) life as suffer- ing; and (3) every speech is a story of life. Based on these three claims, we argue that there are four speeches every leader has to know—the opening speech, the executioner speech, the consolation speech, and the fare- well speech. Keywords Leadership rhetoric · Rhetoric of suffering · Rhetorical persuasion · The opening speech · The executioner speech · The consolation speech · The farewell speech We believe that there are four speeches every leader has to know—the open- ing speech, the executioner speech, the consolation speech, and the farewell speech. This typology of speeches helps the speaker to address suffering in a credible way. The opening speech addresses suffering by calling the audience to invest time, hope, energy, and talents in the preferred future the leader envisions. An efficient speaker draws the listeners into this vision, which © The Author(s) 2020 1 B. Norheim and J. Haga, The Four Speeches Every Leader Has to Know, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19974-6_1 2 B. NORHEIM AND J. HAGA may include suffering and sacrifice, famously expressed at the end of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address: And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. We do not believe that the opening speech is a one-time event, however. Versions of the opening speech occurs on many different occasions—at weekly staff meetings, when the leader presents a new product line of the company, meeting stockholders, or at press interviews. At all these instances the leader has to motivate the audience to participate in the vision outlined in the opening speech. To exercise leadership the leader continuously envisions the preferred future. Therefore, the different ver- sions of the opening speech are all directed to the future. This is what ancient rhetoric referred to as the political, or deliberative speech. In the executioner speech, the leader himself brings suffering to his audience by executing a verdict by the power of his office as a leader. It could be by announcing budget cuts and letting people go, or it could be a judge giving a verdict. Curiously enough, in the executioner speech the leader inflicts suffering with his very words. At the same time, the leader offers a rationale for the suffering he executes, some sort of defence of the verdict. The leader does this by appealing to the legacy of the company. In this sense, the executioner speech is directed to the past. It articulates the legacy of a company—its past narrative—and draws the consequences of that legacy to give a verdict, which involves suffering. In rhetorical theory such a speech is referred to as forensic speech, originally a verdict spoken by a court judge, summoning the offences of the past in the light of the law (the legacy). For strategic reasons many company leaders give their executioner speeches, like cutting budgets, in the form of a press release in order to escape the media spot light. A typical exam- ple of such a speech is Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson’s downsizing speech from April 2012, where he announces that 2000 out of 14,000 workers will lose their jobs: We are intensifying our efforts on our core businesses and redeploying resources to our most urgent priorities. Our goal is to get back to our core purpose – putting our users and advertisers first – and we are moving aggressively to achieve that goal.
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