CEO Communications in an AI World
We are well into the era that mandates chief executive officers move out of the boardroom and the CEO office and into the public arena as the chief spokesperson, brand representative, and overall voice of the company. The days of the CEO hiding behind the door at headquarters is literally and figuratively over and the demand for the chief executive to be accessible, informed, relatable, and able to communicate to different audiences various relevant messages a necessity.
Multiple recent surveys reinforce a strengthening trend in how the public views business and communications (in and outside of business) today: increasing contempt, distrust, and disinterest along with the lack of a vital ingredient that is rapidly becoming mandated to generate credibility: authenticity.
Authenticity has quickly become the touchstone today, especially with the 25 and younger demo, to secure a favorable standing with consumers and it can be seen everywhere including on the suddenly challenged social media world where interaction and engagement has become more challenging. The number of influencers who are truly delivering meaningful returns to sponsors (and retaining or growing followers) are declining in part to the inevitable fatigue of an established media channel but mostly because of the over-commercialization and commoditizing of their channels that have resulted in personalities straying from their original character or value proposition, misleading audiences about products or their use of them, and blurring the once clear line of not-so-commercial social pages (and now affiliated podcasts or videos.)
In other words, they got too commercial, became too much about the sell, appeared less than genuine – artificial.
Speaking of artificial, artificial intelligence has quickly become the new SPAM. Despite the billions of dollars invested in this seemingly ‘new’ technology (more hype in reality than true as AI has been around a long time in different forms) and the promises of how it can help business (first) and people (a distant second) the moniker of “AI Slop” has already stuck. In addition to endless reports coupled with real life testimonies of how the technology has hurt so many people in so many lines of work, its overall quality in accuracy and use in audio, video, and other forms of communications have created itself a subgenre of output that is similar to B-Movie studios in old Hollywood.
The call for authenticity is tied to the call for less commercialization today. This is seen in the continual decline of engagement with broadcast and cable television, new lows across the board of civil dissatisfaction with politics, concerts, sports, retail, and even non-profits.
Consumers feel the old adage of ‘the customer comes first’ is long gone. The customer experience had been greatly downgraded, customer service painful and frustrating, the costs of purchases, whether tickets, services or goods too high, and the marketing, well, in some alternate reality compared to actual experience.
These points along with myriad others have created an overall environment of hostility, cynicism, and indifference. This is bad enough but when coupled with spending a large amount of capital on advertising and marketing that is going to be met with mostly inattention or disdain, the challenge is daunting.
The CEO today, and by that I am not strictly referring to the head of a Fortune 500 ranked organization, but any head of any business, should be willing and capable to be the face and voice the company. The CEO does not and should not be the only face and voice. That only exacerbates the problem and reinforces the worst assumptions of business today and its leaders but the CEO should be the primary figure not just on the organizational chart.
Having a CEO engage different target external audiences through various methods and media produces engagement so often missing today. Despite the low opinion by the public of business in general, the role of the CEO in America still holds weight and creates gravitas if used properly.
A chief executive officer speaking on a podcast, commenting at a conference, being interviewed by media, offering thoughts in a blog or other written communications gives access, removes the curtain and delivers the optics of a company whose head is engaged, in-touch, mindful of issues, and connecting directly to the intended recipient.
If an organization has a CEO so inclined to do such work, do not spoil it and make it all for naught with some of the worst features of corporate or executive communications that never, ever work externally but make the internal isolation bubble of external leadership feel good with forced affirmation that they were successful as everyone else is holding their noses and rolling their eyes:
Corporate Talk – we have all read it and heard it and hated it. The cliché business phrases that are as worn as a vinyl record from the 1980s. Highly specific industry jargon that is meaningless to everyone else (or also tired and overused.)
Legalese – all too often businesses will give way too much leverage and influence to legal counsel and the lazy, scared, and unimaginative executives will allow legal to become corporate communications’ and write, edit, and sometimes deliver messaging. Other than your lawyer(s) and possible yes people who convince themselves it is great because they did not have to write it, the communication is meaningless and into the ether. It does nothing for the brand, nothing for the company and certainly noting for that organization’s customers who hate lawyers to start.
(Disclaimer: there are times and circumstances that demand such communications. I have been involved in many of them and a corporate communications or public relations professional certainly should know by instinct those occasions that call for such messaging. But it should not be the standard. The only people profiting is legal itself and you can be sure everyone else is questioning your organization’s overreliance on lawyers and legal speak anyway.)
Marketing – If your CEO is going out there and engaging various target audiences to represent the brand, personify the organization, and build corporate reputation, do not waste the endeavors with prepared comments, speeches and talking points that are overly commercial and sound like an in-person informercial. Advertising and Marketing have their spaces, this is not it. Relative to the situation, of course some key points can come from marketing or sales concerning a product or value-proposition pitch angle but it should be minimal and then expanded on or supplemented by informal, real-world speak to maintain interest and authenticity.
False Voice – Many CEOs do not have the skills, temperament, or personality to do public speaking. Many more dread media. In our world today, being authentic also means not being overly rehearsed or polished. The most endearing and trusted business leaders are those who convey that beyond the title, they can have a conversation with you. They are not elitist or hiding behind the office door calculating golden parachutes, stock options or bonuses (even if they are, of course.)
So, if a CEO is entering the public arena, do not sabotage the effort by changing the voice of the executive. Rather, create the narratives, talking points, comments and communications that fit the person’s style in real-life. Use the quirkiness, the ambitious inner comedian, cautious introvert, easygoing extrovert, analytical geek or amateur historian or whatever character traits the CEO possesses. Make it a strength. Incorporate it. Do not attempt to change it, heavily edit it or force expressions, words or thoughts in delivery styles that do not match the individual.
For our purposes, the CEO is the product here. As you would not attempt to change what the company’s product is by comparing it to another or making it something it is not, that would be fraud, the same goes with your speaker. In our overly staged and choreographed world of media and communications, anything authentic is fresh, valued, notable and memorable.
Unlike that AI Slop.
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