Executive Speaking, Inc.

Executive Speaking, Inc. Provider of Executive Speaker Coaching Since 1979 Speaking is an art- But speaking is also a science.

I specialize in bringing the best out of each client and giving each client the tools to be their best without me. My goal is to give each client the tools they need to speak at the right level to the right audience with the right message in the style that’s right for them. I help clients get beyond their own myopic myths – I’m speaking too fast… I can’t find the right word… Ehs…ahs...You knows… t

o learn the skills that empower and liberate. I have spent decades coaching thousands of leaders and emerging leaders, from Fortune 50 CEOs to frontline managers, from Singapore to San Francisco, from Delhi to Dubai. What keeps me going is discovering what is unique about each client and then building on that foundation of authenticity. I am constantly developing, testing, and refining new tools to help each client learn faster, better – their way. I feel so privileged that clients have trusted me to coach them for key board meetings, analyst meetings, and town halls – when decisions are crucial -When careers are on the line.

When you didn’t make plan, how do you deliver that message to your leadership team? You might be tempted to provide a d...
09/03/2026

When you didn’t make plan, how do you deliver that message to your leadership team?



You might be tempted to provide a detailed analysis of explanations packed into a deluge of PowerPoint charts. You want your leaders to understand the problems that prevented you from achieving plan.



I urge you to resist the temptation to have your leaders look at your business through the rearview mirror. Your leaders aren’t focused on the past. They are looking at your strategies going forward. The past is past. The future is coming faster and faster.



When I was hiking the trail of the Nā Pali Coast in Hawaii, I had to focus forward. The trail was steep and slippery. The drop-off to the ocean was a sheer drop hundreds of feet down. I had to focus forward.



In high-stakes situations, you too have to focus forward. You have to show your leaders that you can steer your organization to success, that you can build the momentum to drive that success, and above all, you have to demonstrate the confidence that your leadership team wants to see.



Last week, I helped my client make this transition. I would welcome the opportunity to help you communicate your message with power and precision going forward. I invite you to schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation now: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min



How to cut your preparation time in half The secret is simple. Shift your mindset from focusing on the details to focus...
08/26/2026

How to cut your preparation time in half



The secret is simple. Shift your mindset from focusing on the details to focusing on the decision.



When you focus on the details, you try to anticipate any possible question from every direction. You spend your preparation time mastering the minutiae just in case. That is a bottom-up approach. It takes entirely too long.



When you focus on the decision, you immediately direct your thinking toward your outcome objectives. You spend your time developing the evidence you need to support your goal. This is a streamlined approach. You prepare from the top down. It is significantly faster.



If you want to learn a framework for cutting your presentation preparation time in half, I invite you to learn about my proprietary Core Satellite System. You can schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation here: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min.



Your time is precious. Reclaim the hours you need to focus on what actually drives results.



"Everybody knows. That’s how it goes. Everybody knows." Leonard Cohen wrote those lines in 1988. Think about what they...
08/20/2026

"Everybody knows.

That’s how it goes.

Everybody knows."





Leonard Cohen wrote those lines in 1988. Think about what they mean for your speaking today. When you address analysts, stakeholders, and investors, the expectations are incredibly high.



Trust disappears if you deliver one message to one group and an entirely different message to another. Thanks to AI and instant information sharing, everybody knows exactly what you said yesterday.



Many leaders jump to the conclusion that they need to script all their high-stakes presentations to avoid mistakes. That is a terrible solution. If you simply read a script, you will sound robotic and lose the room.



The actual focus must be on delivering a consistent message with adaptable words. You can explain your key point in a dozen different ways. Even with the intense demand for consistency across channels, you still have the opportunity to communicate authentically. You can give the exact same underlying message while delivering it your way to fit the specific audience in front of you.



Building a message structure that allows for consistency and spontaneity under pressure is exactly what my proprietary Core Satellite System is designed to do.



I invite you to schedule a 30-minute complimentary consultation with me at Executive Speaking to build your clarity and confidence: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min



You face a difficult message you need to communicate. If you act like most of the thousands of executives I've coached v...
08/11/2026

You face a difficult message you need to communicate.
If you act like most of the thousands of executives I've coached virtually over the past 40 years, you immediately start wordsmithing your script.
That's a great first step. Executives ignore the next important move far too often.
You must consider your tone.

Tone goes far beyond the basic sounds you make. A strong executive communication tone acts as a complex weave of your inflection, your rhythm, your pacing, and your actual message. People obsess over finding the perfect vocabulary. They forget that their audience reacts to the emotion behind those words.

Early in my career as a theatre director, my entire focus centered on helping actors deliver the text along with the subtext. You can't separate the two.

A slight shift in rhythm completely changes the meaning of a sentence.

A change in pacing reveals anxiety or projects confidence.

The exact same rules apply to business leaders under pressure. When you step into a high-stakes virtual meeting, your team hears your words, but they feel your tone. The physical aspects of your delivery dictate how your message lands in the room.

You can read more about mastering these dynamics in my article on the most important elements of your voice: https://executivespeaking.net/the-4-most-important-elements-of-your-voice-article/

If you have 30 seconds right now, I invite you to explore a fun AI-generated voice exercise. This tool gives you a clear picture of your current rhythm and pacing. Testing yourself in the moment provides immediate feedback on how you come across authentically: https://executivespeaking.net/voice-analyzer-app/

Managing your tone takes practice. The results completely transform how you lead. You want to communicate your true feelings and intentions, rather than just reciting words. In just a few hours of virtual programs https://executivespeaking.net/programs/ we can refine your approach.

Let's get to work. Book a time to speak with me directly here: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min.

You walk into the room for a high-stakes investor presentation. Corporate communications handed you a strict mandate. Yo...
08/07/2026

You walk into the room for a high-stakes investor presentation. Corporate communications handed you a strict mandate. You get one slide, and it is the exact same template every other business unit leader must use. You have exactly three minutes to speak.



When your presentation looks identical to everyone else in the room, the real challenge is making sure you do not sound like them. The immediate temptation is to walk through every chart and data point on your mandated template. You speed up your delivery to cram all those details into your short time slot. If you follow this strategy, your message will simply blur together with the dozen other portfolio leaders presenting that day. You will lose the room. The executives will tell you that you lacked clarity and confidence.



To stand out, you must move that slide from the foreground to the background. The private equity partners can already read the data. What they need from you is the meaning behind those numbers. Under pressure, you must distill your message down to its absolute essence. You have to focus on the story that only you can tell.



For over 40 years, I have helped leaders command these exact pivot points. I use my proprietary Core Satellite System to help you organize your message structure so your key point always lands authentically. When everyone else is blending in, this approach ensures your leadership presence stands out your way. If you want to master these inevitable one-slide moments, let's talk. Book a time with me right here: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min.



You might be tempted to delay presenting a big idea to your board of directors. Whether it is a major acquisition or a b...
08/06/2026

You might be tempted to delay presenting a big idea to your board of directors. Whether it is a major acquisition or a breakthrough product, you want everything perfect before you enter the room. You wait until every single detail is buttoned up.



The massive risk with this strategy is surprise. When you spring a fully formed concept on a governing body, their natural response is tension. People tighten up. They jump back mentally and physically. Boards exist to oversee strategy. They hate feeling blindsided.



To get your board to lean into your vision, you have to prepare them early. Share your initial thinking. Keep them informed as your thoughts evolve. By laying this groundwork, you build anticipation.



Alfred Hitchcock knew exactly how to master this dynamic. In an interview, he explained that you have to tell your audience everything. The more they anticipate what happens next, the more involved they become. Suspense draws people in. Surprise pushes them away.



When you are speaking under pressure in these high-stakes meetings, structuring your message is critical. Using my proprietary Core Satellite System, you can ensure your key point is clear while feeding your board the right amount of information at the right time. The more they anticipate the direction of your strategy, the greater alignment you will get.

I specialize in coaching executives to secure board approval. If you have a massive idea coming up and want to deliver it with clarity and confidence, let's talk: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min

You're in the boardroom. You're asked a tough question. Should you take a long pause before you speak? Absolutely not. H...
07/30/2026

You're in the boardroom. You're asked a tough question. Should you take a long pause before you speak?

Absolutely not. High velocity communication demands momentum. When you stop talking under pressure, you show the room that you're scrambling to find the right answer. You communicate a lack of confidence to think on your feet.

There is exactly one exception to this demand for an instant response. When you are suddenly faced with a high-stakes crisis, you should pause. Think about dealing with a deadly fall from one of your cranes or discovering tainted ingredients in your product line. Pausing in a crisis demonstrates that you are being thoughtful and reflective. You avoid shooting from the mouth.

Taking a break under normal conditions will hurt your presence. Pausing during an emergency projects clarity and confidence. Every communication choice you make must be right for the moment.

If you want to be prepared for any crisis that could arise or you're struggling to handle tough questions authentically, let's talk. Schedule your complimentary 30-minute consultation now: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min

What do you dread most when you present to your board? In coaching hundreds of leaders, I have found that the biggest fe...
07/23/2026

What do you dread most when you present to your board?

In coaching hundreds of leaders, I have found that the biggest fear is the relentless drill-down. A board member decides to focus on detail after detail.

I can't assure you that you will never experience this. Some board members simply have to drill down to demonstrate their power of thinking. But I can assure you that the key to keeping your board out of the weeds is to position your message at a high level. You must elevate your ideas from the start.

Yesterday, I was coaching a CEO who had to discuss the sudden departures of a CFO and a VP of HR. I had to help her shift her approach completely. Instead of presenting each risk individually, we grouped the risks together. Then we moved on to discussing change management strategies and the specific strengths that would maintain the tremendous positive momentum she was developing.

If you feel frustrated and anxious about the level of questions your board is asking you, let's talk. I invite you to schedule a 30-minute complimentary consultation now: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min.

Stepping into a direct reporting line with the CEO is the ultimate test of your communication skills. You can possess bo...
07/22/2026

Stepping into a direct reporting line with the CEO is the ultimate test of your communication skills.

You can possess boundless technical knowledge. If you can't translate that expertise into business value, you'll struggle to maintain your influence. You will constantly feel marginalized in the room. This happens to brilliant executives every single day.

Leave the technical jargon at the door. Treat every interaction as a chance to build trust through clarity and confidence. The challenge is organizing your thoughts when you're under pressure. This is exactly where my proprietary Core Satellite System helps you structure your message. You learn to focus on your key point. You always connect your insights back to the bottom line.

The transition is demanding. It's also entirely possible when you approach it with the right mindset and the right structural tools.

If you're ready to elevate your executive presence and master high-stakes communication, let's talk. Schedule a time with me here: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min

The Seven Second Test: Why Recruiters Keep Deleting Your Messages. Recruiters spend an average of seven seconds scannin...
07/15/2026

The Seven Second Test: Why Recruiters Keep Deleting Your Messages.



Recruiters spend an average of seven seconds scanning a cold message or resume. That's all the time you have. If your note looks like a massive block of text asking for favors, they hit delete.

I saw a great post recently highlighting this exact problem. Job seekers send messages begging for help finding a role, but recruiters don't find jobs for you. They fill specific positions in their pipeline. In these high-stakes interactions, you must use high velocity communication.

You need to cut the fluff. Make your message short and direct. Use punchy sentences and tight paragraphs. Tell them your ideal job title and location immediately. Give them strong action language and sharp bullet points highlighting your most impressive accomplishments.

Under pressure, people often over-explain. They write entire pages of backstory. Stop doing that. Give the recruiter your key point right away. Apply for the job first, and then send a brief message referencing the exact requisition number and your top skills.

If you want to project clarity and confidence, you must respect the reader's time. Speak in actionable terms. Command the room your way, even in a brief direct message.

Ready to project clarity and confidence under pressure? Let us refine your message together. Book a session with me today: https://calendly.com/execspeak/30min

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60 S 6th Street Ste 3610
Minneapolis, MN
55402

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