Mastering Effective Communication
In today's business world, executives must communicate effectively to a broad audience – their employees, shareholders, suppliers, community leaders, general public, and other stakeholders. These lessons come alive in Shakespeare's "Henry V" when the king delivers the greatest motivational speech ever made, the "St. Crispin's Day Speech." Winston Churchill used it as a model for his memorable speeches in World War II, it was played on the boats going to Normandy for D-Day, and coaches use it today to motivate their teams during halftime.
These lessons also play a role in "Julius Caesar," where Caesar and his colleagues in the Roman Senate spend most of their time communicating – some effectively, but many inadequately.
While Brutus does a respectable job winning the crowd at Caesar's funeral, Antony's famous oration changes the course of history. The differences in these two speeches give participants lessons in:
- Motivating effectively in challenging situations
- Communicating with different groups at advantageous times
- Using the tools of persuasion effectively
- Recognizing and overcoming competing narratives
By comparing these two speeches, participants learn real take-home lessons on communicating effectively in trying times, as well as using communication to avoid bad situations in the first place — a lesson Caesar himself should have learned.