# 415 | Executive communication: a step-by-step guide to impressing senior leaders when you speak

An episode of [The Art of Speaking Up](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1436888741), 9 May 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2630838/episodes/19505514-415-executive-communication-a-step-by-step-guide-to-impressing-senior-leaders-when-you-speak.mp3

You don't need to speak perfectly to impress senior leaders. You just need to know how to engage them emotionally. In this episode, I'm teaching you the Theater Framework – my 3-part system for inspiring and impressing an executive audience when you speak. Most advice about executive communication focuses on what to say. But the leaders who leave the strongest impression know it's really about how you make people feel - and that’s what I’m helping you with today. You'll learn: • Why executive audiences aren't there for the information (and what they actually want) • How to bring the right energy into the room so leaders feel bought into your work • A simple question that turns any boring slide into a compelling story • How to close your presentation in a way that builds your reputation as a strategic leader Whether you're presenting a project update, leading a meeting, or speaking up in a high-stakes room – this framework has you covered. Links: Download my free worksheet — 5 Phrases That Will Help You Sound Like a Leader: https://jessguzikcoaching.com/phrases/ Work With Me: Group Program Waitlist: https://jessguzikcoaching.com/academy/ 1:1 Executive Coaching: https://jessguzikcoaching.com/coaching/

## Transcript

[0:00] SPEAKER_00: What if I told you that you don't have to speak perfectly or have encyclopedic knowledge of your subject matter in order to impress executives when you speak?
[0:11] SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of advice out there about how you should speak to executives, and it can get overwhelming, which is why in today's episode, I want to focus on the one thing that matters most when you are talking to an executive audience.
[0:26] SPEAKER_00: You need to know how to make them feel something.
[0:30] SPEAKER_00: The key to impressing an executive audience is to get them emotionally invested in the topic that you are speaking about.
[0:39] SPEAKER_00: Today I'm going to teach you how to do that step by step using a framework that I call the theater framework.
[0:47] SPEAKER_00: You're going to learn how to speak in a way that will leave your audience feeling inspired and remembering you as the fearless leader who made them feel that way.
[0:58] SPEAKER_00: If you're new here, welcome.
[1:00] SPEAKER_00: I'm Jessica Guzzick, a prior McKinsey consultant and a New York Times featured podcast host.
[1:06] SPEAKER_00: I'm a leadership and executive coach for female professionals, and I am here to help you build deep confidence and unleash your voice in the workplace so that you can have a bigger impact as a leader.
[1:20] SPEAKER_00: The framework that I'm teaching you today is one of my signature frameworks.
[1:23] SPEAKER_00: It's called the Theater Framework.
[1:26] SPEAKER_00: And the reason that it's called this is because it's inspired by musical theater.
[1:31] SPEAKER_00: You might be wondering what musical theater has to do with executive communication.
[1:36] SPEAKER_00: And the answer is everything.
[1:38] SPEAKER_00: So let me explain why.
[1:40] SPEAKER_00: When you go see a musical or a show in a live theater, there's really one reason that you are there.
[1:47] SPEAKER_00: You are there to feel something.
[1:49] SPEAKER_00: When the performers get on that stage and they start singing and dancing and going into big musical numbers, you become immersed in the experience and you feel engaged emotionally.
[2:01] SPEAKER_00: You could even go see a musical for a show where you know the story, you know the plot, you know how it's going to turn out in the end, and you would still enjoy it because you're not there for the plot.
[2:13] SPEAKER_00: You're not there to find out what happens.
[2:15] SPEAKER_00: You're not there for the information.
[2:17] SPEAKER_00: You're there for the emotional experience that you get when those performers come on stage and start singing and dancing.
[2:24] SPEAKER_00: Your executive audience is the same.
[2:26] SPEAKER_00: They're not there for the plot, they're not there for the information.
[2:31] SPEAKER_00: They are there to feel something.
[2:33] SPEAKER_00: They want to feel inspired.
[2:34] SPEAKER_00: They want to feel uplifted.
[2:36] SPEAKER_00: They want to feel hopeful about the future.
[2:39] SPEAKER_00: And the people who are able to convey information in a way that elicits those positive emotions are always the people that leave the strongest impression on an executive audience.
[2:52] SPEAKER_00: That is what great executive communication does.
[2:56] SPEAKER_00: And that is what you are going to learn to do through the theater framework.
[3:00] SPEAKER_00: The theater framework is a three-part framework containing the three things that make your executive communication powerful.
[3:11] SPEAKER_00: Number one, energy.
[3:13] SPEAKER_00: Number two, story.
[3:16] SPEAKER_00: And number three, the closing number.
[3:19] SPEAKER_00: And it's called the theater framework, as you will see, because these are also the elements that make a musical or a live theater performance really great.
[3:29] SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to go through the three parts of the theater framework one by one.
[3:34] SPEAKER_00: I'm going to teach you what they are and how you can apply it next time you are speaking to executives.
[3:40] SPEAKER_00: We're going to start with the first part of the framework, which is energy.
[3:44] SPEAKER_00: The number one thing that makes a musical or a live show really engaging is the energy of the performers.
[3:52] SPEAKER_00: I want you to imagine what it would be like to go to a musical and all of the performers on stage have really low energy and they're dancing really limply and they're singing really quietly.
[4:04] SPEAKER_00: That would be a very unenjoyable and very weird show.
[4:07] SPEAKER_00: The job of the dancers and performers isn't just to dance, it's to bring energy to their performance so that the audience can feel that energy too.
[4:19] SPEAKER_00: The same is true when it comes to your job as a leader.
[4:23] SPEAKER_00: Your job as a leader isn't just to share information.
[4:27] SPEAKER_00: Your job is to bring energy and excitement into the room so that your executive audience feels emotionally invested in and bought into the work that you are sharing.
[4:40] SPEAKER_00: The way that you do this is by fearlessly highlighting all of the things about your work that you feel excited about.
[4:49] SPEAKER_00: So let me show you what this would look like in practice.
[4:52] SPEAKER_00: Let's say you're working on a project plan.
[4:55] SPEAKER_00: A typical way that someone might present that is by saying, what you're looking at is the project plan for the launch of our new product.
[5:04] SPEAKER_00: It has three phases, and I'll walk you through each phase one by one.
[5:09] SPEAKER_00: Now, there's nothing wrong with this.
[5:11] SPEAKER_00: It's simple, it's straightforward, it's to the point, but it's a little bit like those limp, lifeless Broadway performers.
[5:18] SPEAKER_00: It's flat and it's not emotionally engaging.
[5:21] SPEAKER_00: To bring my audience in emotionally, I'd want to ask myself, what am I excited about when it comes to this project plan?
[5:30] SPEAKER_00: And I'd want to make sure to put emphasis onto those things.
[5:34] SPEAKER_00: So I might say something like, I'm excited to walk you through our project plan.
[5:39] SPEAKER_00: This is going to help us get our new product out and into the hands of our most loyal customers.
[5:45] SPEAKER_00: We've managed to fit this plan into a two-month timeframe, which means we'll get the product out during peak buying season.
[5:54] SPEAKER_00: Let me walk you through the three phases of the plan.
[5:57] SPEAKER_00: In this example, I injected my talking points with excitement.
[6:01] SPEAKER_00: I talked about getting the product out into the hands of loyal customers.
[6:05] SPEAKER_00: I talked about getting it out in time for peak buying season.
[6:09] SPEAKER_00: And notice how I shared all of that before I even got into the details of the project plan.
[6:17] SPEAKER_00: My executive audience doesn't really care that much about the three phases of the product plan.
[6:23] SPEAKER_00: They care about the growth that this is going to bring to the business.
[6:28] SPEAKER_00: I brought my energy into the room and focused on the places where my project plan is helping the business.
[6:36] SPEAKER_00: And that energy is going to be felt by my audience, and they're going to feel much more invested as I start to walk them through the plan.
[6:45] SPEAKER_00: The best way to bring this excitement into your communication is to figure out what you genuinely feel excited about.
[6:52] SPEAKER_00: So this isn't about faking excitement.
[6:55] SPEAKER_00: It's about figuring out why you stand behind your work, why you feel invested in it, why you're looking forward to the results that it's creating, and fearlessly including those in your talking points.
[7:09] SPEAKER_00: Now, something that can feel scary is a lot of times it can feel like, oh, that feels like bragging if I talk about how great my work is and how much it's going to help.
[7:20] SPEAKER_00: I feel like I'm bragging and taking up space and I'm not really adding value for the audience.
[7:25] SPEAKER_00: Here's how I want you to think about that.
[7:27] SPEAKER_00: I want you to imagine if performers on Broadway said to themselves, I don't want to brag about how good a dancer and singer I am.
[7:36] SPEAKER_00: So when we do tonight's show, let's just do it kind of bad.
[7:40] SPEAKER_00: Like let's humble ourselves and not dance with a lot of animation in our bodies and like let's sing sort of off key tonight.
[7:49] SPEAKER_00: That way, no one in the audience will feel bad and no one will think that we're bragging.
[7:54] SPEAKER_00: No, like that wouldn't make sense.
[7:56] SPEAKER_00: The audience wants the performers to take up space.
[8:00] SPEAKER_00: The more confident the performers are, the better experience the audience has.
[8:06] SPEAKER_00: The same is true with executives.
[8:08] SPEAKER_00: Your confidence gives them confidence that the business is headed in the right direction, and that is music to their ears.
[8:17] SPEAKER_00: So when you do this, they're not going to hear it as bragging, they're going to hear it as the business being successful.
[8:25] SPEAKER_00: Let's move on to the second part of the theater framework, which is story.
[8:30] SPEAKER_00: When you go to a Broadway show, you are moved by the story, the characters who fall in love, the struggles, the triumphs.
[8:38] SPEAKER_00: This is a huge part of what gets you invested in the show as an audience member.
[8:45] SPEAKER_00: The same is true for your executive audience.
[8:48] SPEAKER_00: When you can tell a story and take them on a journey, they are going to feel emotionally invested in and bought into your work.
[8:57] SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the most common thoughts or struggles that comes up around this is the thought of, well, my work isn't as entertaining as a Broadway show.
[9:08] SPEAKER_00: Like, my work isn't wicked.
[9:10] SPEAKER_00: I'm working on like a project launch timeline.
[9:12] SPEAKER_00: How do I tell a story?
[9:13] SPEAKER_00: The thing is, the people who stand out in a corporate environment are people who figure out how to take that boring work and shape it into a story.
[9:24] SPEAKER_00: Let me show you how you would do this.
[9:26] SPEAKER_00: Let's say that you are working on talking points for a slide.
[9:30] SPEAKER_00: And on that slide, it shows the 20 different retail stores that your company's new product is going to be sold in for the launch.
[9:39] SPEAKER_00: Now, on the surface, that's a little bit of a boring slide.
[9:43] SPEAKER_00: It's just the name of 20 stores.
[9:45] SPEAKER_00: But if we can tell a story, it will become emotionally engaging for the audience.
[9:51] SPEAKER_00: To do this, you want to ask yourself, how did I arrive at these 20 stores?
[9:59] SPEAKER_00: And you can ask yourself that question about any slide that you are about to present.
[10:04] SPEAKER_00: Ask yourself, how did I arrive at this?
[10:09] SPEAKER_00: And that question will often lead you to a story.
[10:13] SPEAKER_00: So in the case of the slide with 20 stores on it, I would ask myself, how did I arrive at these 20 stores?
[10:21] SPEAKER_00: And here's an example of how I could incorporate that storytelling into my talking points.
[10:27] SPEAKER_00: I could say something like, What you're looking at are the stores that we'll be selling the new product in.
[10:33] SPEAKER_00: Interestingly, back in 2021, we had a different product that we were going to launch in these stores, but the COVID shutdowns interfered with the plan.
[10:44] SPEAKER_00: When we were setting up this launch, we asked our retail partners if they would be willing to offer us additional shelf space since we weren't able to sell during COVID.
[10:55] SPEAKER_00: Most of them said yes, which means that for 14 out of 20 of these locations, we're getting additional shelf space and additional promotional space at the register.
[11:07] SPEAKER_00: We expect this extra visibility to translate into increased sales, which will be perfect for getting our new product out to customers.
[11:15] SPEAKER_00: In this example, you can see I took something that looked flat and boring on the surface, and I brought it to life by telling a story.
[11:24] SPEAKER_00: That story makes my audience feel more invested in the plan that I'm sharing.
[11:30] SPEAKER_00: And even better, when you tell those behind the scenes stories of how you arrived at the work that you are presenting, it positions you as a highly effective leader because your executive audience sees your resourcefulness.
[11:46] SPEAKER_00: They see the leadership that you had to demonstrate behind the scenes in order to create the final output that you are sharing with them.
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: So the question that you want to ask yourself to apply the story part of the theater framework is how did I arrive at this?
[12:05] SPEAKER_00: Now, the final part of the theater framework is the closing number.
[12:10] SPEAKER_00: Before I dive into that, I want to invite you to download a free PDF worksheet that I created.
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: It's called Five Phrases That Will Help You Sound Like a Leader.
[12:20] SPEAKER_00: This printable worksheet teaches you five different phrases that will help you impress leadership with the sophistication of your communication skills.
[12:31] SPEAKER_00: Grab it for free by clicking the link in the description box or in the show notes.
[12:37] SPEAKER_00: And now let's get into the final part of the theater framework, which is the closing number.
[12:44] SPEAKER_00: Every great musical or live performance ends with a big, dazzling closing number.
[12:51] SPEAKER_00: It leaves the audience on the high and it has you walking out of the theater thinking, oh my gosh, that show was incredible.
[12:59] SPEAKER_00: We want to do the same thing for our executive audience.
[13:04] SPEAKER_00: Executives are busy, they're in meetings all day long.
[13:08] SPEAKER_00: And the one thing that will benefit your career most is if they remember you even after the meeting is over.
[13:17] SPEAKER_00: And you're going to accomplish this by closing your meeting in a way that gets them emotionally invested and excited to hear from you again in the future.
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: So the closing number is that final burst of inspiration that you're going to leave your audience with.
[13:35] SPEAKER_00: And to figure out what it is, the question that you ask yourself is if the end of my presentation is really just the beginning of something greater, what is it the beginning of?
[13:51] SPEAKER_00: When you think of your closing number as the beginning of something, it helps you connect with that bigger vision that you are building towards when it comes to the work that you do.
[14:03] SPEAKER_00: So here's an example of what that would look like, building off of the example that I've been sharing with the project plan.
[14:11] SPEAKER_00: You might say something like, thank you all so much for joining.
[14:15] SPEAKER_00: The product will be in stores starting June 1st, which means we're just two months away from seeing how our customers respond to the new features.
[14:25] SPEAKER_00: We're excited to use this customer feedback to shape our strategy for the second half of the year so we can continue to grow sales next quarter.
[14:35] SPEAKER_00: We're looking forward to updating you on the results.
[14:38] SPEAKER_00: And thank you all so much for joining.
[14:40] SPEAKER_00: So in this example, you can see that I got my audience thinking about the future.
[14:45] SPEAKER_00: I let them know what was coming, why it's exciting, and I gave them something bigger to look forward to.
[14:53] SPEAKER_00: This connection between your work and the bigger things that lie ahead for your company is one of the key things that will build your reputation as a leader.
[15:05] SPEAKER_00: Because now your audience is leaving, not just thinking of you as someone who built a project plan to launch a new product, but as someone who is driving the future strategy of your company.
[15:20] SPEAKER_00: And instead of just viewing you as a hard worker, they are now seeing you as a strategic leader.
[15:26] SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, the theater framework has three parts.
[15:31] SPEAKER_00: Part one is energy.
[15:33] SPEAKER_00: You're going to bring energy to your audience by asking yourself, why am I excited about what I'm sharing and incorporating that into your talking points?
[15:45] SPEAKER_00: Number two, storytelling.
[15:47] SPEAKER_00: You're going to figure out what your stories are by asking yourself, how did I arrive at this?
[15:54] SPEAKER_00: And the final part of the theater framework is the closing number.
[15:59] SPEAKER_00: To figure out what this is, you're going to ask yourself, if my work is just the beginning of something greater, what is it the beginning of?
[16:09] SPEAKER_00: When you incorporate these elements into the way that you communicate, your audience is going to feel inspired and invigorated by your work and they are going to remember you as the fearless leader who made them feel that way.
[16:24] SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode.
[16:27] SPEAKER_00: If you are realizing that you want to elevate your executive communication skills so that you know how to impress and inspire an executive audience when you speak, this is what I do in my coaching work, and I would love to support you.
[16:43] SPEAKER_00: There are two ways that you can work with me.
[16:45] SPEAKER_00: The first way is through my group.
[16:48] SPEAKER_00: You can join the wait list for my group program by clicking the link in the show notes, and you will be notified as soon as the next cohort opens for enrollment.
[16:57] SPEAKER_00: The second way to work with me is through my one-on-one executive coaching, where I work with you in a one-on-one capacity to help you package and sell your work to an executive audience so that they respect you and so that they have visibility into the impact that you are creating within the organization.
[17:18] SPEAKER_00: You can apply to work with me one on one by clicking the link in the show notes.
[17:23] SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode, and I'll catch you in the next one.
[17:29] SPEAKER_00: Bye.

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