“I would lead with the specific thing she already does well, because that is the only door into the hard part. I have seen people hear feedback only after they first felt seen for what is working.”
“I would lead with the impact, not the flaw: tie a specific presentation moment to how it landed in the room, because she can argue style but she can’t argue impact. Then make it clear you are telling her because she is a star, not despite it.”
“I’ve had CEOs tell me their staff always says you were awesome, while everyone else in the room is thinking the opposite. The person who most needs the truth is usually the one least likely to hear it, so I’d tell her plainly, in private, that she’s talented and that her presentations are now the ceiling on her next promotion.”
“I would tell her the truth fast, then hand her a path forward. In my coaching, the people who improve quickest are the ones who learn that clarity and connection matter more than polish, and that a star who can't land an idea is a star with a ceiling.”
“I would frame it around impact, not talent: her content is strong, but the way it lands in the room is costing her visibility. Then I would offer concrete help, because presentation skills are learnable and she deserves the investment.”
“I would lead with her star power, not the problem. I’ve seen brilliant women get labeled not leadership material because they apologized at the start, rushed the close, or let someone else talk over their point. Tell her the specific habit, not that she’s bad at presenting, and offer a coach or a course because this is fixable fast.”
“I once had to tell Patti, a brilliant nonprofit founder, that her speeches were leaving money on the table. I led with the one thing I knew she cared about: the families she was failing to reach. Then I gave her one clear fix, a repeatable story structure, and rehearsed it with her until it felt like her own. Within months her talks had raised over $1 million.”
“I’d open with what she already does well, then name the one thing audiences aren’t getting from her, because feedback lands when people feel seen before they feel judged. My coach Carol Lempert would call it separating the script from the performance: the work is great, the delivery is the adjustable part.”
“I’d sit her down and tell her straight that her technical brilliance is being buried by how she delivers it, then show her the Three V’s: verbal, vocal, visual. Most stars over-invest in content and under-invest on voice and presence, and once she sees it’s a fixable craft, not a personality flaw, she’ll thank you for being the first person brave enough to say it.”
“I would lead with the specific thing she already does well, because that is the only door into the hard part. I have seen people hear feedback only after they first felt seen for what is working.”
“I would lead with the impact, not the flaw: tie a specific presentation moment to how it landed in the room, because she can argue style but she can’t argue impact. Then make it clear you are telling her because she is a star, not despite it.”
“I’ve had CEOs tell me their staff always says you were awesome, while everyone else in the room is thinking the opposite. The person who most needs the truth is usually the one least likely to hear it, so I’d tell her plainly, in private, that she’s talented and that her presentations are now the ceiling on her next promotion.”
“I would tell her the truth fast, then hand her a path forward. In my coaching, the people who improve quickest are the ones who learn that clarity and connection matter more than polish, and that a star who can't land an idea is a star with a ceiling.”
“I would frame it around impact, not talent: her content is strong, but the way it lands in the room is costing her visibility. Then I would offer concrete help, because presentation skills are learnable and she deserves the investment.”
“I would lead with her star power, not the problem. I’ve seen brilliant women get labeled not leadership material because they apologized at the start, rushed the close, or let someone else talk over their point. Tell her the specific habit, not that she’s bad at presenting, and offer a coach or a course because this is fixable fast.”
“I once had to tell Patti, a brilliant nonprofit founder, that her speeches were leaving money on the table. I led with the one thing I knew she cared about: the families she was failing to reach. Then I gave her one clear fix, a repeatable story structure, and rehearsed it with her until it felt like her own. Within months her talks had raised over $1 million.”
“I’d open with what she already does well, then name the one thing audiences aren’t getting from her, because feedback lands when people feel seen before they feel judged. My coach Carol Lempert would call it separating the script from the performance: the work is great, the delivery is the adjustable part.”
“I’d sit her down and tell her straight that her technical brilliance is being buried by how she delivers it, then show her the Three V’s: verbal, vocal, visual. Most stars over-invest in content and under-invest on voice and presence, and once she sees it’s a fixable craft, not a personality flaw, she’ll thank you for being the first person brave enough to say it.”