It was once said of Mark Twain that “he drew from the ‘divine ragbag’ of his mind whatever it offered and left it to the reader to discern the relevancies and sequences.”¹ Twain was a creative genius and could get away with digressive narratives. But speakers who draw from the “ragbag” of their minds and let their listeners piece together the structure of their remarks risk losing their audience. Clear organization is fundamental, and the Leader's Script will enable you to make a compelling case every time you speak.

The Role of Structure

A sound structure does some heavy lifting for you: It allows you to get your message across. If you say to a colleague, “We need to work on our client pitch,” and you don't explain why, the thought dangles. If you tell an employee, “I am confident you can lead this project,” your listener will expect you to explain the reasons you believe that. Hence the need for proof points. Stating your message is rarely sufficient. You need evidence that encourages listeners to buy into that point of view. So after presenting what you believe, share why you believe it.

Structure your script in advance when you know you'll have to say a few words or field questions. But even when you have little warning, create a set of bullet points—on paper or in your head—that support your argument.

Adeola Adebayo, a principal at OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds, told me she has to come up with proof points several times a day. Her boss might come to her in the hall and say, “I just read something in the news about Company X. I know you're following that sector. What do you think about this company?” She'll reply: “Yes, we invested in it and it's still a good investment.” But she knows that just having this message is not enough. “My boss would expect proof,” Adebayo explains. “So I'd say, ‘There are several reasons Company X remains a good investment.’” She'd then provide bullet points:

• First of all, it's the largest company in its sector in our country.
• Second, it generates significant cash flows.
• Third, although it operates in a volatile industry, it has strong liquidity.
• Fourth, it has the support of the investment community and access to the capital markets.

She might conclude with the following call to action: “I suggest we increase our investment in Company X.” This is a great example of how to respond in the moment with a cogent set of arguments. Sound simple? If you make it a habit, it will be.

Make sure your bullet points argue your case, and are not simply topics. Suppose Adebayo had responded to her boss's question with this answer: “There are three aspects of Company X that I've looked into: their financial results, their oil reserves, and their place in the industry.” That approach would offer information but no conclusion. It makes no point. As a leader you need to speak with a structure that carries forward an idea.

Patterns of Organization

Building your case involves choosing the right pattern of organization for your points—and with impromptu speaking this choice often happens in the blink of an eye. The secret is to learn the following four patterns and pick the best one for each impromptu script.

1. Reasons. This pattern backs up your main point with reasons.

   Suppose your message is, “I believe we need a more inclusive working environment.”

   Your bullet points might be:

   • First, we're way behind in hiring women and minorities.
   • Second, a diverse workforce leads to a better bottom line.
   • Third, inclusivity is the right thing to do!

2. Ways. This pattern shows the ways your main point can be acted upon. Or it can refer to “things” that have to be done.

   Suppose your message is, “I know we can fix this situation for our customer.”

   Your bullet points would show the ways:

   • First, we will interview our customer.
   • Second, we'll assign a team to resolve the situation.
   • Third, we will follow through and make sure it's fixed.

3. Situation/Response. This pattern is used when your message refers to a situation or challenge to be acted upon. The first bullet describes the situation or challenge, while the second presents the response.

   Your message might be, “Although last year's results came in below expectations, we've taken steps to turn the division around.”

   Your bullet points would sound like this:

   • Adverse economic conditions resulted in earnings that were 10% below projections last year.
   • But our new product line and cost efficiencies should allow us to meet or exceed expectations this year.

4. Chronological. This pattern takes your listeners through a temporal sequence that elaborates your message.

   Say your message is, “We have met our project commitments on schedule.”

   Your bullet points might sound like this:

   • When we launched this project, we said we would complete the installation in three years.
   • In the first year we achieved the goal we set.
   • In the second year we were ahead of schedule.
   • Today all of our commitments have been met.

To decide which structure to use, pause after your message, and choose your pattern. And if you have time to think in advance, all the better. Eventually the decision will become second nature. Having a message and bullet points will guide you through your impromptu remarks. Fill in the words as you speak.

The Power of Structure: Two Examples

Let's look at how structure works in a script—with two examples.

This first script shows a leader at a consulting firm speaking to a team about a client pitch. His structure shows the ways the pitch needs to be prepared.

GRABBER. We have a great opportunity on Monday, presenting to this client.

MESSAGE. I know we can make this a winning pitch.

STRUCTURE: WAYS. There are several ways we can do that.

• First, we need to present a clear, compelling description of the program we'll deliver.
• Second, we need to specify how we'll help them reach their target audience.
• Third, we'll have to show the tactics we'll use to get their users excited about it.

CALL TO ACTION. So let's all do our homework, go into the presentation well prepared, and leave no doubt we can deliver the results they want.

This second script uses the situation/response model. It's a real‐life example that was delivered by Ian Gordon, a senior vice president at a grocery chain, to a group of employees.

GRABBER. Thanks for coming today…it's great to have you here. I'd like to begin with a story from earlier in my career, when I headed up the detergent business at Unilever.

MESSAGE. I found that only by talking to front‐line employees could I solve the problems we had in packaging our products.

STRUCTURE: SITUATION/RESPONSE.

• The assembly lines that handled our packaging operated much slower than they should have. Executives at head office were puzzled and disturbed by this persistent problem.
• My conversations with employees in the plant provided an excellent solution: reduce the number of package sizes from 14 to 4. We implemented those suggestions and productivity soared.

CALL TO ACTION. This story illustrates why you need to stay close to your team, listen to their ideas, and give them the support they need to do their jobs better.

All inspiring leaders speak with a clear structure. And they do so not only to be motivational but also to get their views across in tough, contentious situations. Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, speaks with such clarity. In the following example he uses “reasons” to take issue with a reporter who snuck into an employee‐only conference call and wrote an article on how JPMorgan Chase was going to use government money to buy weakened competitors.

• “First, I don't think it's right to sneak onto an internal phone call like that.
• Second, we hadn't even received the [government] money yet.
• Third, the person he quoted wasn't even in a position to know what we were going to do with the money.
• And fourth, that employee even said something that essentially contradicted [the reporter's] point.”²

Leader‐like speaking is clear, direct, and compelling.

Learn the four patterns for developing your message, use them, and flag them. If you do all this, your impromptu comments will be persuasive. Part IV of this book will provide many more examples of how these four patterns can work for you.