In a recent coaching session, the VP of a large organization asked me to help fine-tune a speech he was preparing for an upcoming conference.
After reading it, I asked, “How do you want your audience to feel when they hear you speak?”
He paused for a moment. “Inspired. Hopeful. Challenged. And I want them to feel like leadership has their backs.”
“Great,” I said. “Then, with all due respect, we need to strip out the corporate jargon and replace it with something far more relatable.”
If I had a nickel for every corporate presentation that fell flat simply because the speaker defaulted to the language they were used to—rather than the language that truly resonates—I’d be a wealthy person.
Consider this:
When speaking about the future of the aerospace program in 1961, JFK could have said, “Our mission is to establish global leadership within the industry by prioritizing innovation and executing strategically focused aerospace initiatives.”
But he didn’t.
Instead, he said, “We choose to go to the moon. We intend to put a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth by the end of the decade.”
Which one is more powerful? Which one sticks with you?
It’s 2025.
People don’t have the patience for corporate jargon anymore.
They crave real, authentic, and memorable messages.
That’s how you inspire action.
Let me help you do it.
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