Managing Partner, Corporate
Last week, I spent two intensive days media training the CEO of a prominent technology company.
When we started, he was like many leaders I meet: accomplished, highly intelligent and deeply knowledgeable about his business, yet noticeably uncomfortable at the prospect of speaking to journalists.
The thought of a media interview felt high stakes. The pressure to remember key messages seemed overwhelming. Like many executives, he believed successful media engagement meant delivering perfectly rehearsed lines and avoiding mistakes at all costs.
Two days later, the transformation was remarkable.
The same executive who had approached media interviews with apprehension was actively seeking opportunities to tell his story. He wasn’t reciting talking points. He wasn’t trying to sound like a corporate spokesperson. Instead, he had discovered something far more powerful: his authentic voice.
And that is where truly effective executive communications begins.
Every organisation needs clear strategic messaging. It provides consistency, alignment and direction. But audiences rarely connect with messages alone, instead humans connect with stories.
Customers, investors, employees and media audiences aren’t simply evaluating products, services or quarterly results. They’re deciding whether they trust a leader’s judgement, understand their vision and believe in their ability to navigate complexity.
This is especially true in technology, where innovation often moves faster than understanding. The leaders who resonate are those who can translate complexity into something meaningful, relevant and human.
At HAVAS Red, we often work with executives who are experts in their field but haven’t yet found a way to communicate that expertise in a way that feels natural and memorable. The good news is that storytelling is not an innate gift. It is a skill that can be learned, refined and strengthened.
There is a simple reason storytelling is so powerful: our brains are wired for it.
Facts and statistics may inform us, but stories help us understand and remember. When leaders share experiences, lessons learned, challenges overcome or moments of insight, audiences create an emotional connection to the information being presented. The result is greater recall, greater engagement and, importantly, greater trust.
People may forget a data point shared during an interview. They rarely forget a compelling story that illustrates why it matters. For leaders seeking to influence opinion, inspire action or build reputation, storytelling is often the bridge between information and impact. And content sits at the heart of all of that.
During media training, there is often a defining moment.
It’s the point when an executive stops treating an interview like an examination and starts treating it like a conversation. For this particular CEO, that shift was transformative.
Instead of focusing on memorising answers, he began focusing on sharing experiences. Instead of worrying about delivering the “perfect” corporate response, he started explaining why certain decisions mattered, what challenges the business had overcome, and how customers were benefiting from innovation. Almost immediately, his confidence grew.
His responses became more natural, his energy increased and his personality emerged. Most importantly, he became more compelling and credible. The irony is that executives often become stronger spokespeople the moment they stop trying to sound like spokespeople.
In today’s environment, leaders are communicating constantly.
Whether speaking with journalists, presenting to investors or analysts, addressing employees, participating in industry events or responding to challenges on social platforms, every interaction shapes perception. This is where executive presence becomes critical.
Executive presence is not about having all the answers. It is about demonstrating confidence under pressure, remaining composed in uncertainty and communicating with clarity when the stakes are high. The most effective leaders project credibility not because they are flawless, but because they are authentic, decisive and confident in their convictions.
One of the most common misconceptions about media training is that it exists to help executives avoid making mistakes. Effective media training is about preparing leaders to perform under pressure, and with content and stories that brings their audience closer to them.
Journalists are often working to tight deadlines, and we all know interviews can be unpredictable. Challenging questions emerge. Unexpected issues arise. During times of uncertainty or crisis, the pressure increases significantly. The leaders who perform best are not those who have memorised the most key messages. They are the ones who can remain calm, think clearly and return to the themes that matter most.
This is why our training focuses on building confidence rather than creating scripts. We challenge assumptions, test responses, simulate difficult interviews and help leaders become comfortable with uncertainty. The objective is not perfection. It is preparedness.
It goes to reason, when pressure arrives, confidence and clarity become the foundations of credibility.
One of the most rewarding aspects of media training is watching leaders discover strengths they didn’t realise they possessed. Our role isn’t to turn CEOs into polished corporate performers.
It’s to help them uncover the stories only they can tell.
That means understanding what drives them, identifying the experiences that shaped their leadership, and helping them communicate those insights in ways that resonate with audiences.
The best media training doesn’t create uniformity. It creates clarity.
Every leader has a unique communication style. Some are visionary. Some are analytical. Some are natural educators. Some lead through empathy and experience. The objective is not to force them into a single communications template, but to amplify what already makes them authentic and credible.
Take the next step and reach out today.
