“I hate seeing myself on video.” Or even worse: “I’ve never seen myself on video.” We at Decker Communications hear this constantly when helping speakers prep for an important event or preparing leaders to deliver critical messages. The reality is that the majority of today’s leaders are flying blind when it comes to their communications and the experience they create for their listeners. 

It’s a self-imposed weakness for which audiences pay the price in the form of doubtfulness, demotivation, and boredom. I’m reminded of the classic HBR article about business people being corporate athletes. Videotaping is ubiquitous in the development of world-class athletes. Could you imagine a professional golfer saying to their coach, “Please don’t videotape me – I hate seeing myself putt.” Absurd, right? And yet that’s the way that the majority of executives approach their communications. They choose to live in their blindspot.

Now is the time of year when our clients start actively planning Q4 events and Q1 kickoffs. In the lead-up to these events considerable effort is devoted to the overall event narrative and the pivotal messages they intend to convey. But no matter how good the stories are, success or failure is determined by the speaker, the storyteller. When leaders underperform as speakers, engagement disappears alarmingly fast. Once gone, it’s unlikely to come back entirely if at all. And all that money the event planners spent on a lavish location, entertainment, and jumbo shrimp cocktail goes down the drain. 

In our experience, there’s a simple best practice that every company can apply – one that never fails to deliver tangible results: start getting your key leaders on video now. Don’t wait until the event or meeting is just weeks away. The moment that leaders see themselves on video, their improvement process can begin. 

Better communication has a virtuous impact on everything that leaders and managers touch, not just events. This year it seems that for every inquiry we receive for event-based support, we’re also getting as many inquiries about upcoming restructurings and all the communications challenges that these initiatives entail. Rarely are leadership communications as closely scrutinized as during restructuring announcements and the reorganizations that follow. When leaders are cognizant of the communications experience they create, their ability to connect deeply with employees at moments of truth has far greater influence and impact. 

Back to the leaders who opt out of seeing themselves on video: Did you know that video recording is an educational standard for training surgeons? How would you feel if before a major operation, your surgeon shared, “I’ve avoided being video recorded in my training – I hate seeing myself operate.” They’d be telling you that they’ve been intentionally negligent. No doubt a sense of impending doom would settle in. The truth is there’s a sense of doom that people feel when their leaders and managers speak. When the top of the organization is flying blind everyone who must listen suffers the consequences. The sooner that videotaping and coaching begins, the quicker the suffering ends and the blind spot disappears.