Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, Testifies

Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase's chairman and chief executive, testified before the Senate Banking Committee regarding losses that could balloon to $5 billion. Questions focused on whether the bank should have done more to stem risky derivative trades by the chief investment office. As a strong opponent of federal banking regulation, Dimon was on the hot seat about this perspective.

In advance of the testimony, BloombergBusinessWeek compiled this "Timeline of Risk," under the article title, "House of Dimon Marred by CEO Complacency Over Unit's Risk."

During the testimony, Dimon made several comments of particular interest to business communication students:

• He referred to the bank as having an "open kimono" with regulators. Dimon used this same odd, but common business expression on Meet the Press. Here's an interesting discussion of the phrase.
• "The American business machine is the best in the world." The New York Times DealBook calls this a "little burst of patriotism." It's a admirable attempt at emotional appeal.
• Jeff Merkley, a senator from Oregon, said that JPMorgan Chase was saved by the 2008 bailouts. According to DealBook, this was the first time Dimon got "testy." He replied, "You're factually wrong," to which Merkley said, "Let's agree to disagree." Business communication students may question what constitutes a "fact" in this disagreement. 

Discussion Starters:

• What the entire video testimony. At what points is Jamie Dimon most and least convincing?
• What are the strongest and weakest lines of questioning by the senators?
• Overall, did Dimon's testimony strengthen or weaken JPMorgan Chase's credibility regarding the losses?

Apple Keynote at the Worldwide Developer's Conference

Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, was the keynote speaker at the 23rd Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco. Apple showcases its new products and software at this annual event for developers.

Siri, Apple's intelligent assistant, was the opening act for Cook's keynote (watch here). After a few jokes and Garage Band drum strokes to warm up the crowd, Cook took the stage. He focused on the scope of Apple's business and the developers' role, for example, creating 650,000 apps now available.

Cook emphasized his pride in seeing developers work on Apple technologies to make a difference in people's lives, and he showed a video to highlight a few apps used by blind people and teachers.

Mashable assessed Cook's performance in this way:

"It wasn't as if Cook lacked presence; if anything, he seems more comfortable on stage. He grinned broadly. He spoke with far more passion than at his previous two events as CEO, the iPhone 4S and new iPad launches. There were a few moments where, hands steepled, gaze fixed, Cook seemed almost to choke up when praising Apple developers as employees."

Other executives then introduced a new line of Macbooks and new features on operating systems. No new iPads or iPhones were introduced.

Discussion Starters:

• Watch the first 15 minutes of the keynote here. If you were Cook's speech coach, how would you summarize his strengths? What suggestions would you have for his future speeches?
• Consider the audience's perspective: in what ways did the first 15 minutes appeal to developers?

Let the Commencement Speeches Begin!

Politicians, CEOs, actors, comedians, and others are taking flight to speak at colleges throughout the States. A partial list of 2012 speakers is at Graduation Wisdom, a site that also lists one view of the "Top Ten Speeches" from years past.

President Obama delivered the commencement speech at Barnard College today. Of course, he focused on equality for women, encouraging the 600 Barnard graduates to "fight for a seat at the head of the table."

Mitt Romney, the President's likely Republican competitor, delivered the commencement speech at Liberty University. Romney's conservative views, according to the Huffington Post, were "well received at the Christian university."

Discussion Starters:

• Compare these two speeches. Other than the political messages, how do you assess the delivery of each? Which do you think is more effective?
• What do you expect from a commencement speech? Who is delivering the speech at your university this year?

Facebook's IPO Video Focuses on Emotional Appeals

This is not your grandmother's IPO video. Facebook has taken a unique approach in luring investors to buy a stake in the company's initial public offering. 

Staff members tell the Facebook story through a 30-minute video that the CFO says is consistent with their "focus on authentic, engaging communications." Mashable agrees that the video is a different approach to IPO communications:

"It's an interesting take on the normal business investment pitch video-instead of a heavy emphasis on dry finance numbers, Facebook plays to the heartstrings.

"Soft lighting, multiple interview angles and background music fit for sunrise in a nature show combine to make a clear emotional pitch to potential investors."

A theme throughout the video, as you might expect, is connecting people and "changing within a generation, the fabric" of how people communicate. In simple language, Facebook executives explain their platform and how their product functionality makes the web social. They compare Facebook to a game.

Section 3, Advertising, begins to cover financial information. The section profiles Ben & Jerry's, who claim that every dollar spent on Facebook returns $3 in incremental sales. Sheryl Sanberg, Facebook's COO, claims that online advertising will increase, in part because of Facebook's value proposition of "reach, relevance, engagement, and social context."

Section 4, Finance, starts 23 minutes into the 30-minute video. In this section, CFO David Ebersman reviews the number of users (including global penetration rates) revenue (advertising and payments), capital expenditures, operating margins, and future investment plans.

The video ends with Mark Zuckerberg claiming that almost every app will be connected to Facebook in some way.

Discussion Starters:

• Watch the entire video. Does it convince you to invest? Which are the most and least convincing arguments?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of Facebook's approach compared to more traditional IPO communications?

Reflections on the White House Correspondence Speeches

As usual, the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner was filled with laughter and high-powered guests. The annual star-studded event hosts celebrities, journalists who cover the White House and president, and other heavy-hitters in the media.

This year, talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at the Secret Service, whose agents where caught with prostitutes during a recent trip to Columbia. Kimmel took frequent shots at the president as well:

"Mr. President, I know you won't be able to laugh at any of my jokes about the Secret Service, so cover your ears, if that's physically possible."

Not to be outdone, the president had the crowd going, too. Here's my favorite line, with the president referring to the recent Secret Service transgressions:

"Four years ago, I was locked in a brutal primary battle with Hillary Clinton. Four years later, she won't stop drunk-texting me from Cartagena."

The dinner has the feel of a roast, and the president insulted Donald Trump, Arianna Huffington, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and others. About Romney, President Obama implied that his life mirrors The Hunger Games:

"I guess Governor Romney is feeling pretty good about things because he took a few hours off the other day to see The Hunger Games. It's a movie about people who court wealthy sponsors and then brutally savage each other until only one contestant is left standing. I'm sure this was a really good change of pace for him. I have not seen The Hunger Games - not enough class warfare for me."

Discussion Starters: 

• Do you find President Obama's speech funny? What, if any, parts were over-the-top? What about Jimmy Kimmel's speech?
• What delivery tactics do the President and Kimmel use? How do they encourage and manage laughter from the audience? 

Marco Rubio Misses the Last Page of His Speech

Florida Senator and potential Romney running mate Marco Rubio forgot the last page of his speech at the Brookings Institution. Fortunately, someone nearby had a copy, and he quickly recovered, but the incident raises other issues about his presentation style. 

One media coach also criticized Senator Rubio for his reading, his lack of passion, and that he just kept going once he found the missing page. Instead, he suggested that Rubio make light of situation: "Well, since this moment will end up on YouTube, it's a great chance to tell people about our vision for the 21st Century."

Others criticized Rubio partly because of a comment he made about President Obama's delivery style in 2010. The New York Times reported that Rubio referred to the president as, "the most articulate and talented teleprompter reader in America." Of course, a teleprompter can go down, too.

Discussion Starters:

• Watch more of Marco Rubio's speech. What does he do well, and what would you suggest he change?
• What advice would you give Rubio to avoid losing a page of his speech? Stapling isn't a great option-anything else?

Duchess of Cambridge Gives Her First Speech

By some accounts, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William's wife), is not a natural speaker. But she was put to the test on Monday and did fairly well.

Speaking to the East Anglian Children's Hospices, one of Princess Diana's charitable causes, the Duchess was visibly nervous, according to sources on site. The audience could see her hands shaking and hear a subtle quaver in her voice. She seems to be compensating for her nervousness by reading slowly and deliberately. 

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Discussion Starters:

• If you were giving Duchess Kate feedback on her speech, what would you say? What are the strengths of the speech, and what areas would you suggest for her development? 
• Now watch a CNN's correspondent's assessment of the speech. Do you agree with his assessment? 

Rick Perry Misses Again

In what The Boston Globe calls "an epic gaffe" during the GOP debate, presidential candidate Rick Perry could not remember the third government agency he would eliminate. Perry has taken a beating following the Republican debates and speeches, with some questioning whether he has been drunk or on drugs. Bill Maher compiled an embarrassing sequence of odd moments during Perry's appearance in New Hampshire.

Perry is in good company. The Guardian has posted several gaffes made by other government officials and political candidates.

Perry's inability to speak clearly and coherently may undo his candidacy. But for now, he is admitting his mistakes and making light of the error:

I stepped in it, man. Yeah, it was embarrassing. Of course it was.

The candidate also will read the "Top 10 List" on "Late Show with David Letterman" tonight. Should be interesting.

Discussion Starters:

• Is the criticism of Rick Perry fair or overblown? Have we lost sight of what this candidate stands for, or are people right in wanting more clarity from him?
• How, if at all, could a candidate avoid these types of mistakes during a debate? What have you learned about delivering oral presentations that may serve as good advice for Perry?

Meet Ginni Rometty, IBM's New CEO

Virginia Rometty is elected IBM's new president and CEO. As IBM's first female CEO, Rometty joins the list of a small but growing number of women leaders of Fortune 500 companies, including Xerox's Ursula Burns and Hewlett-Packard's Meg Whitman.

At the FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit earlier this month, Rometty spoke of the importance of taking risks in one's career. In these excerpts from the summit, we see a bit of her personality and what drives her.

Discussion Starters:

• What is Rometty's delivery style for this presentation (impromptu, extemporaneous, scripted, or memorized)? Is this style effective for the situation?
• What effective delivery techniques does Rometty demonstrate in these short excerpts?
• What parts of her presentation do you consider most memorable?

RIM CEO Apologizes for BlackBerry Outages

After four days of outages affecting millions of BlackBerry users, Research in Motion (RIM) CEO apologized and tried to explain the situation. In a video "Service Update" message, Mike Lazaridis said little about the technical problems, which elsewhere were described as a hardware failure (a core switch) within its network.

Although the video lacked detail and made no promises about when the service issue would be "fully resolved," Lazaridis delivered an emotional appeal:

"I apologize for the service outages this week. We've let many of you down. But let me assure you that we're working around the clock to fix this. You expect better from us, and I expect better from us."

Lazaridis also acknowledged, "We know that you want to hear more from us."

No surprise, public reaction was vehement. After all, people have been resorting to using the telephone and (horror!) the fax machine. Some of the more than 10,000 Facebook comments compliment BlackBerry's previous service, others bash the iPhone, but many vent their frustration:

In April, Lazaridis was in the news for his emotional reaction during a BBC interview. In July, the company announced layoffs. Clearly, the outages are another challenge for RIM.

Discussion Starters:

• In Lazaridis' video, what examples of persuasive strategies do you see? Which do you find most and least effective?
  
• Lazaridis didn't give a lot of detail in the video. Do you think this is an appropriate strategy? Why or why not? If not, what could he have done differently?
  
• How do you evaluate Lazaridis' delivery skills in the video? What does he do effectively, and where does he fall short?

Steve Jobs and Business Communication

Former co-founder and CEO of Apple and technology pioneer Steve Jobs died at the age of 56. The LA Times reports that "Jobs spoke of his desire to make 'a dent in the universe.'" Well he certainly did. 

For business communicators, Jobs taught us to give "Zen Presentations" and gave us entertaining examples of short emails -- a window into the world of a CEO engaged with his customers.

Apple has created a website, Remembering Steve Jobs, in his memory, and the company is asking people to share "thoughts, memories, and condolences" at rememberingsteve@apple.com.

The Chicago Tribune has catalogued a few videos of Jobs, including this one, dating back to 1984, when Jobs introduced an early Macintosh computer:

New HP CEO Meg Whitman Addresses Criticism

Meg Whitman, former Ebay CEO and candidate for Governor of California, has been appointed Hewlett-Packard's new president and CEO. In an interview with All Things Digital, Whitman and HP Executive Chair Ray Lane addressed the criticism of Whitman's lack of enterprise technology experience:

AllThingsD: Meg, the main criticism of you, since you've been named CEO of HP, is that your main experience before was at eBay, which is a consumer-facing company. The response on yesterday's conference call has been that at eBay you were a purchaser of a lot of enterprise technology and that this gives you some important relevant experience. I get the point, but could you elaborate on it a bit? How does having been an enterprise buyer help you be HP's CEO?

Whitman: What HP needs now more than anything else is management skills, communication skills, and a commitment to executional excellence, all of which I know well, and are sort of core competencies from my 35-year career in business. I know technology because I ran a company whose very existence would not have been possible without it, and was a very significant buyer of technology products. And so that brings me a unique buyer's perspective. But I have not spent 35 years in the enterprise business. Add so what that means is that I will be relying heavily on Dave Donatelli, on Todd Bradley, on the senior executives at HP, and also, frankly on Ray Lane, who was at Oracle for many years and EDS, and who knows this space well. So I think what customers will get is that one plus one equals three.

In a conference call, Whitman addressed current issues at HP, but investors are skeptical: the stock was down 4% in early trading today.

Discussion Starters:

• How well do you think Whitman addressed the question about her experience?
• Read the full interview with Meg Whitman. How did she handle some of the tougher questions? Which are her best and weakest responses? 
• Research HP's leadership history and recent performance. What, if anything, can the company do to improve its communication to investors and the public?

Murdochs Testify Before British Lawmakers

During three hours of testimony, Rupert and James Murdoch responded to questions by UK parliamentary committee members. Questions focused on the phone-hacking scandal at a subsidiary of News Corp, the Murdochs' media empire. The questioning became tense at times, with lawmakers repeatedly asking the senior Murdoch questions, while his son attempted to respond, saying that he was more familiar with the situation.

At the beginning of the hearing, Mr. Murdoch senior said, "This is the most humble day of my life." Toward the end, the questioning was interrupted by a protester who threw a pie of shaving cream in Mr. Murdoch's face. (His wife sprung into action!) Clearly this is a difficult time for the chief executive.

Discussion Starters:

• After watching a few minutes of the hearings, what is your impression of the Murdochs' responses to questions? Compare and contrast the father's and the son's responses. How do you account for the differences?
• Read one analyst's perspective of the testimony (LA Times). After doing your own analysis, do you agree with this writer's summary?

How Much Do You Hate PowerPoint?

If you're like a political group in Switzerland, you would ban PowerPoint forever. The Anti-PowerPoint Party (APPP) views PowerPoint "as a representative of all presentation software" (and clearly, pure evil). With rough calculations, the group claims that PowerPoint destroys 2.1 billion Swiss Francs each year and potentially 110 billion Euros; however, the group says that "the average number of participants may be umpteen times higher" (whatever "umpteen" is).

Of course, this isn't the first cry for help in the Days of PowerPoint. Many of us have been subjected to "death by PowerPoint" and have welcomed scathing articles such as the New York Times piece, "We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint."

But one might ask: why not just improve how we use the software rather than throw out the tool entirely?

Discussion Starters:

• As a viewer of PowerPoint presentations, what frustrates you? How have you seen people misuse the software?
• What alternatives do you see for PowerPoint? What other ways can you engage an audience and help them visualize information?

Local Chamber of Commerce CEO Hides to Avoid Questions

The Story

Taking a page from former Alberta Health Services CEO's approach to media interviews, Dick Fleming avoided a reporter's questions by hiding in a hallway. Fleming, the president and CEO of a local Chamber of Commerce in St. Louis, refused to respond to repeated questions about his compensation package.  

Discussion Starters

• In this article, we hear only one side of the story -- the reporter's perspective. However, based on this information, do you think the reporter's line of questioning is reasonable or not?
• Now consider the situation from Fleming's perspective. What justification does he have for avoiding this line of questioning?
• What are the consequences of the way Fleming handled the situation? How does this reflect on the Chamber of Commerce and on Fleming personally?

Assignment Ideas

• Write an email to Fleming recommending a different way for him to address similar situations in the future.
• Research possible responses for Fleming about his salary and bonuses. In other words, try to understand his perspective about the reporter's inquiry. With this information, role play a media interview with a partner in class. Try to address the reporter's questions more directly.

RIM CEO Stops Media Interview on Tough Question

The Story

If you don't like the question, just stop the interview. That seems to be the approach taken by Research in Motion (RIM) CEO Mike Lazaridis during a BBC interview. When the interviewer asked Lazaridis about BlackBerry security issues in India, Lazaridis seemed angry and said, "That's just not fair" and "Turn that off." He stopped the interview abruptly.

Discussion Starters

• A Yahoo! News article refers to the incident as "a textbook case on how not to act during an on-camera interview." What is your reaction to the video? Do you think the BBC reporter crossed a line with his questionning? Did Lazaridis act in RIM's best interest? 
• How could Lazaridis have handled the situation differently? 

Assignment Ideas

• In small groups, analyze the BBC interviewer's line of questionning. Given Lazaridis' reaction, how well do you think he handled the situation? 
• In pairs, role play the interview. As Lazaridis, try to address the interviewer's questions differently. What can you say that might show RIM in a better light?

Steve Jobs Makes a Surprise Appearance to Unveil the iPad2

The Story

Although on medical leave, Steve Jobs impressed audiences with a surprise presentation about the new iPad2. With his usual engaging, conversational style, Jobs unveils the second-generation iPad, which is thinner than the iPhone 4.

Discussion Starters

• Watch the (edited) video of Jobs, above. What principles of oral presentation does he use effectively? What, if anything, would you improve about the presentation?
• James Post, a management professor at Boston University, referred to Jobs' appearance as an important "symbolic endorsement." However, he also believes, "His appearance takes the story away from the product... It's exactly the wrong thing in terms of introducing something new." What do you think about Post's assessment?

Assignment Ideas

• Practice an upcoming presentation using a conversational style. Try to mimick Jobs' style, and then adapt it to your own.
• Change Jobs' presentation to a more formal one. Imagine that you are unveiling the iPad2 to a different audience, who prefers more traditional visuals, such as a PowerPoint presentation. Create presentation slides to complement Jobs' main points.
  

Nokia and Microsoft Announce Partnership

The Story

Following Stephen Elop's communication to Nokia employees earlier in the week, he and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced a strategic alliance between Nokia and Microsoft.  Analysts say the deal is bad news for Nokia, which will likely face job losses.  Nokia's stock fell 14% following the news.

 Discussion Starters

• In the press conference video, whose presentation style do you prefer: Elop's (Nokia) or Ballmer's (Microsoft)?  Why?  What principles from Chapter 11 does each speaker use?
• How do both speakers signal new topics?  This is particularly challenging without visuals to cue the audience.  

Assignment Ideas

• Watch the Q&A video.  Write 2-3 additional questions you would like to ask either Elop or Ballmer. 
• Create presentation slides or other visuals for one of the speakers.  How can you complement their presentations with visuals?
• Analyze Elop and Ballmer's Open Letter.  In a memo to your instructor, identify communication strategies used effectively and ineffectively in the letter.  What works well, and what could be improved?

Starbucks Reveals New Logo

The Story

Starbucks has a new logo, its fourth in the company's 40-year history.  The logo drops the name and reflects a simplified design. 

 

Discussion Starters

• How do you like the new logo compared with the previous logos? 
• Read a post by CEO Schultz about the change.  What does he say are the reasons for the new logo?  What other reasons could the company have?
• In what way does the logo accomplish its purpose?  How does it miss?  Watch the video, below, about the logo.  Evaluate this video according to principles in the book about oral presentations.  What works well, and what would you have changed?

Video source.

 Assignment Ideas

• Imagine that you work for Starbucks as a graphic designer.  Create a presentation template in PowerPoint, Prezi, or Google Docs Presentations.  If you're using slides, include at least a title slide, master slide, and one page for the main slides that shows off the new logo. 
• Create a handout that explains the new logo.  Imagine that you're giving a presentation to store managers to explain the change.  You'll give the managers the handout at the end of your presentation to them.

Jets Coach Rex Ryan, "Great Orator"

The Story

The New York Times reports that Rex Ryan, coach for the Jets, is lauded by the team as a "great orator -- part general, part politician, part football coach, a toastmaster at heart." 

WARNING: LOTS OF CURSING! This video isn't for everyone.

Video source.

Discussion Starters

• After watching one of Ryan's speeches, do you agree with the assessment that he is a great orator?  Why or why not? 
• What was the most inspiring speech you have heard?  What did the speaker do or say to motivate you?  In what ways was the speech meaningful for you?

Assignment Ideas

• Watch one of Ryan's speeches.  What from his approach -- other than the cursing! -- could you incorporate into your business presentations?  Identify 3-5 aspects that could work in more professional speeches. 
• Imagine that you're trying to motivate a team of athletes to win an important game.  Identify a scenario (the sport and why the win is important), and then prepare your extemporaneous speech by writing an outline.  Deliver your speech to the class.  After the speech, discuss how you could include some aspects of a motivational speech for athletes into your business presentations.