Hearts & Minds: How to speak to audiences at once

How do you make a speech like JD Vance? If replicating the VP seems fanciful, think about it for a second. His hard-hitting address at the Munich Security Conference last week was typical of a scenario familiar to CEOs and their comms teams.

He was aiming at reaching two sets of listeners, the Europeans in the room and the American supporters back home. In that sense it was no different from the CEO who, say, must announce job cuts internally, knowing they will resonate externally with stakeholders and the market. It's a tricky balancing act, serving a dual audience. Yet common in the political and corporate spheres.

It requires careful consideration of both the immediate and long-term consequences. You’re delivering bad news that may be life-changing to some, while providing a boost to others. First, be clear as to what your core message really is. You’ve got to save on costs, the company cannot go on like this, cuts must be made and unfortunately that means shutting branches and losing jobs.

Put the folks you’re addressing directly first; they’re the ones who are being told the tough stuff; the others, who may stand to benefit and will be pleased, they can interpret what is being said. Mixing negativity and positivity don’t work.

This is where Vance’s delivery differed from the usual CEO statement. He was too hostile to the former and referenced too much how America would gain. He did that because he could. A CEO in announcing redundancies does not usually have the same option. The affected staff matter, they’re not to be traduced and discounted.

It's vital you realise the consequences of what you’re saying. In imparting a blow to some, do not get blind-sided by the applause from others. That’s about managing the tone, so soft and sensitive with regret, not loud and boastful and triumphalist.

Do though, weigh up the meaning and repercussions for either crowd. Over-stating why the reductions are necessary may send alarm signals elsewhere. It could make those who are unaffected fear for their posts and worry, their motivation may disappear and they could begin looking around; equally it might encourage shareholders, would-be shareholders, partners and would-be partners, to lose faith.

It requires crafting, going backwards and forwards over every phrase, exploring all the nuances. Ideally, the CEO wants to emerge understood and appreciated by both audiences, credibility with each of them enhanced not weakened. It’s difficult but manageable.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.