Communication¶

Professor: David Sagrista | Credits: 2 ECTS | Sessions: 31 (plenaries + practice workrooms) | Format: Performance-based -- every session involves delivering or refining a three-minute speech

Communication is the only course in the MBA that is graded entirely on your body. There is no exam, no case write-up, no group project. You prepare speeches, you stand up and deliver them in front of your workroom, you are filmed, and you watch yourself back. The self-evaluation form you fill out after each filmed delivery is the assessment mechanism. The course teaches five distinct speech structures -- Logos, Problem-Solution, Storytelling, Ethos, and Pathos -- and layers non-verbal communication exercises on top of each one. By the end, you should be able to walk into any room and persuade anyone to do something specific, not merely "think differently."

Why This Matters¶

Every other course in the MBA gives you frameworks for deciding what to do. Communication is the course that determines whether anyone actually does it. The best strategy deck in the world is worthless if you cannot stand in front of a board and make them feel the urgency. The most elegant financial model fails if you mumble through the assumptions. Aristotle's triad -- Logos (reason), Ethos (credibility), Pathos (emotion) -- is the organizing spine of this course, and it is also the organizing spine of every leadership moment you will ever face. A town hall after layoffs demands Pathos. A pitch to investors demands Logos with Ethos seasoning. A turnaround speech to a demoralized team demands all three, and this course teaches you how to dose each one.

The course also addresses a reality that most MBA students avoid: non-verbal communication outweighs your words. Research consistently shows that when words, body language, and voice are out of sync, audiences trust the body. You can have a perfect Logos structure, but if your hands are in your pockets and your eyes are on the floor, the audience reads "I don't believe what I'm saying." This course forces you to confront that gap by making you watch your own recordings.

How It All Connects¶

Communication is the execution layer for nearly every other Year 1 course.

Leadership is the most direct link. The Ethos speech is essentially a leadership speech -- it answers the audience's unspoken question: "Why should I trust you?" Every concept from Leadership about building credibility, exercising authority, and inspiring followership is tested in real time when you stand up and deliver an Ethos or Pathos speech. If you cannot embody what you preach, your team will notice.

Analysis of Business Problems (ABP) teaches structured argumentation -- defining problems, generating alternatives, recommending solutions. The Logos and Problem-Solution speech structures mirror this perfectly. A Logos speech is essentially a verbal version of an ABP recommendation: state your message, support it with three arguments backed by evidence, and call the audience to action. The Problem-Solution speech maps directly to the ABP framework of problem definition, alternative evaluation, and final recommendation.

Entrepreneurship 1 lives and dies on pitching. Whether you are presenting to investors, recruiting co-founders, or selling a vision to early customers, you are running some combination of Logos (the business case), Ethos (why you are the person to build this), and Storytelling (the origin story of the problem you are solving). The three-minute constraint in Communication is excellent training for the elevator pitch.

Financial Accounting may seem distant, but every earnings call, every budget defense, every capital request is a speech. The discipline of being "on message" -- essential, direct, brief -- is exactly what a CFO needs when facing analysts.

Lesson 1: The Rational Speech (Logos)¶

Logos is where the course begins because it is the most structured and the most forgiving. You are speaking to an audience that is already willing to listen -- they do not have strong opposing opinions, and they recognize you as someone worth hearing on the topic. Your job is to convince them with logic, reason, and evidence.

When to Use It¶

Use a Logos speech when your audience is open-minded, when the topic is relatively new to them, and when the strength of your argument matters more than your personal credentials or emotional connection. Classic Logos situations: recommending a new technology to management, persuading colleagues to adopt a new practice, presenting research findings.

The Structure¶

1. Grabber. A quote, question, or startling fact that earns the audience's attention in the first ten seconds. Examples from the course: "Did you know that by the end of your career you will have spent a total of 18 years at your desk? Are you spending this time well?" Or: "As Wayne Gretzky said: 'You miss 100% of shots you don't take.' Is your company taking the shots that could help it succeed?"
2. Message. State your clear, single-sentence theme. This is the one thing you want the audience to remember if they forget everything else.
3. Three arguments. At least three supporting pillars, each backed by facts, data, expert testimony, or concrete examples (personal or from others). Three is the minimum because fewer feels thin and more starts to blur.
4. Action plan. Ask the audience for a specific action. Not "think about this" -- a behavioral change. "Sign up by Friday." "Cut your sugar to X grams per week." "Visit my hometown next break." If your speech does not change what the listeners do, it was fruitless.

Common Mistakes¶

• Asking the audience to "think differently" instead of to act. The course is emphatic: every speech must end with a specific behavioral ask. "Raise awareness" is not an action.
• Weak grabber. Starting with "Today I want to talk to you about..." is dead on arrival. You have roughly seven seconds before the audience decides whether to pay attention.
• Too many arguments. Five arguments in three minutes means none of them land. Pick your three strongest and develop them with evidence.
• Reading from notes. You must bring your speech on paper, but the paper is a preparation tool, not a teleprompter. Reading kills eye contact, which kills credibility.

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

Logos is the friendliest speech type for non-native speakers because the structure does the heavy lifting. If your grammar is imperfect but your three arguments are backed by real data and you deliver them with conviction, you will persuade. Focus on simplicity: short sentences, concrete nouns, active verbs. Avoid idioms you are not sure about. The grabber is your highest-risk moment -- rehearse it until you can deliver it without hesitation, because a stumbled opening is hard to recover from.

Cross-references: Analysis of Business Problems (the Logos structure mirrors ABP's problem-alternatives-recommendation framework) | Entrepreneurship 1 (investor pitches are often Logos speeches with Ethos seasoning)

Lesson 2: The Problem-Solution Structure¶

The Problem-Solution speech is the bridge between Logos and Ethos. Like Logos, it relies on strong arguments. But unlike Logos, your audience already has opinions -- and those opinions probably oppose yours. This is the speech you give when people are comfortable with the status quo and you need to show them why it is dangerous.

When to Use It¶

Use it when the audience is knowledgeable, already has preferences, and would rather not change. The classic example from the course: a marketing director whose team just had a record year. Everyone is happy, bonuses are flowing, and nobody wants to hear that last year's strategy is obsolete because a new competitor has entered the market, or a new regulation has changed the rules. The speaker must first convince the audience that a problem exists before any solution will be heard.

The Structure¶

1. Grabber. A shocking statistic, surprising question, or inspiring quote. The grabber must be strong enough to crack open an audience that thinks everything is fine.
2. "We have a problem." Describe the problem, its causes, and its implications. This is the most critical section -- if you fail to convince the audience that the problem is real and urgent, your solution will be dismissed regardless of its quality. Spend time here.
3. Alternative solutions. Briefly acknowledge other possible paths. This shows intellectual honesty and prevents the audience from thinking you have a hidden agenda.
4. My proposal. Explain your solution and why it is superior to the alternatives. Be specific about why it is more effective, more feasible, or less risky.
5. My plan (call to action). Define the concrete action plan the audience should follow.
6. Catchy closing. End memorably. A callback to the grabber often works well.

Common Mistakes¶

• Jumping to the solution before establishing the problem. If you spend 30 seconds on "we have a problem" and 90 seconds on your proposal, the audience will resist because you have not given them time to feel the urgency.
• Skipping alternatives. If you do not acknowledge other options, you look like you are selling, not leading.
• Being too polite about the problem. This is the speech where you need to make people uncomfortable. If the audience leaves feeling relaxed, you failed.

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

The Problem-Solution speech rewards clarity over eloquence. The phrase "we have a problem" does not need to be dressed up. State causes plainly: "The reason is X. The consequence is Y. If we do nothing, Z will happen." This directness is more persuasive than complex subordinate clauses, and it is easier to deliver confidently in a second language. Practice the transition phrases -- "however," "despite this," "what most people don't realize" -- so they flow naturally.

Cross-references: Analysis of Business Problems (the problem-solution structure is ABP in oral form) | Leadership (delivering unwelcome news is a core leadership skill -- see the Ethos lesson for building the credibility to make it land)

Lesson 3: Storytelling¶

Storytelling shifts the persuasion mechanism from argument to emotion. You are no longer proving a point with data; you are anchoring a message through lived experience. A well-told story builds connection because the audience sees themselves in your situation, and it makes your message memorable because humans remember narratives far better than bullet points.

When to Use It¶

Use storytelling when emotional connection matters more than rational proof. When you need to build rapport with a new team. When you want to share a lesson that cannot be reduced to a statistic. When you need to make abstract values concrete. Stories work in town halls, team kickoffs, culture-building moments, and any situation where you need the audience to feel something before they do something.

The course is specific: your story should be about a turning point -- in a company, a community, a nation, or your own life -- that transmits a universal message or personal learning applicable to the audience. Even when you are the protagonist, the aim is not self-promotion (that comes in Career Development). The aim is the change you want to provoke in the listener.

The Structure¶

1. Catchy beginning. Drop the audience into the world of the story immediately.
2. "Normal life" happens. Establish the baseline -- what was the world like before the complication?
3. A complication appears. Something disrupts the status quo.
4. Tension can be felt. The stakes become clear. The audience should be leaning forward.
5. An action brings some results. The protagonist (you or the organization) does something.
6. A learning is landed. Either explicitly stated or implicitly understood. Not every story needs a spelled-out moral -- sometimes the lesson is obvious and saying it out loud makes it heavy-handed.
7. Align to this learning to promote a specific change. Connect the lesson to what you want the audience to do.
8. Memorable ending. Leave the audience with an image, a phrase, or a feeling they will carry with them.

Required Ingredients¶

• Well-defined character archetypes. A generous mentor. An arrogant boss. An angry client. An unprepared colleague. Flat characters make flat stories.
• Specific emotions. Name what you want the audience to feel: despair, joy, rage, confusion. If you do not know the emotional destination, neither will they.
• Sensitive details. Colors, temperatures, fragrances, tastes, heartbeats. "It was a hot day" is forgettable. "The asphalt was soft under my shoes and I could smell the tar" is memorable.

Common Mistakes¶

• Telling the story about yourself for yourself. The protagonist is the vehicle, not the destination. If the audience walks away thinking "what a great person" but without a behavioral takeaway, the story was indulgent.
• No tension. A story without a complication is an anecdote. Anecdotes do not change behavior.
• Explaining the moral too much. If your story is well-told, the learning lands on its own. Over-explaining it makes you sound like a children's TV host.
• Standing still. Storytelling is the speech type that demands the most physical engagement. The non-verbal exercises for this module specifically require you to embody the story: act out opening a door, put your hand on your chest when you say "I fell in love," use direct speech ("my boss told me: 'You are fired'") instead of reported speech, use sound effects and onomatopoeia, move around the room, bring a prop.

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

Storytelling is actually where non-native speakers can shine. Emotional authenticity does not require perfect grammar. An accent can add texture and credibility to a personal story. The key is to rehearse the high-emotion moments so you have the vocabulary ready -- you do not want to be searching for the word "devastated" in the climactic moment. Write out the key emotional beats in advance. Use simple, vivid language: "My heart was pounding" is better than "I was experiencing significant anxiety." And lean into direct speech -- quoting dialogue ("She said: 'We need to talk'") is more engaging than narration and gives you shorter, simpler sentences to deliver.

Cross-references: Entrepreneurship 1 (the founder origin story is a Storytelling speech that builds investor conviction) | Leadership (vulnerability in storytelling connects directly to authentic leadership)

Lesson 4: The Leadership Speech (Ethos)¶

Ethos is the credibility speech. You are persuading the audience not primarily through logic or emotion, but through who you are -- your experience, your expertise, your track record. This speech answers the question the audience rarely asks out loud but always thinks: "Why should I trust you?"

When to Use It¶

Use an Ethos speech when you are suggesting a solution to a difficult problem that has no obvious answer, or when people have different opinions on how to handle it. The audience needs a reason to follow your recommendation over someone else's, and that reason is you. Classic Ethos situations: a new leader addressing a skeptical team, a consultant recommending a strategy to a client who has been burned before, a manager proposing a risky course of action when the safe option is available.

The Structure¶

1. Identify a relevant problem. Choose something that genuinely matters to the audience, ideally something they are currently struggling with.
2. Draw on past experience. This is the core of Ethos. You must demonstrate that you have faced a similar situation, struggled with the implementation, developed expertise, and emerged with practical knowledge. The four credibility questions to ask yourself:
3. Have I faced a problem that required me to apply such a change?
4. Have I struggled with the implementation and developed expertise?
5. Am I observing such a problem now?
6. How would I solve the situation now?
7. Present a solution backed by two solid arguments. Each argument should be an eloquent example -- personal or corporate -- showing either the positive consequences of acting on your recommendation or the negative consequences of ignoring the problem. Two arguments, not three: Ethos is about depth and credibility, not breadth.
8. Promote a specific action. As always, behavioral, not attitudinal.

Common Mistakes¶

• Claiming credibility you do not have. If you have never dealt with supply chain issues, do not give an Ethos speech about supply chain restructuring. The audience will sense the gap immediately, and you will lose exactly what you are trying to build.
• Making it a Logos speech with a personal anecdote. The experience is not an add-on; it is the foundation. If you remove the personal credibility and the speech still works, it is a Logos speech, not an Ethos speech.
• Being vague about your experience. "I dealt with something similar" is not credible. "In 2019 at my company, we faced the same regulatory change, and I led the team that adapted our compliance process in three months" is credible.
• Forgetting to connect the experience to the recommendation. The audience needs to see the causal chain: "Because I went through X, I learned Y, which is why I am recommending Z."

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

Ethos is the speech type where your international experience becomes a genuine asset. If you have worked in multiple countries, managed cross-cultural teams, or navigated regulatory environments that your classmates have never encountered, that is credibility that native English speakers may not have. Lead with it. The language challenge in Ethos is projecting authority -- practice the declarative sentences ("I have seen this before." "I know what works.") until they sound natural, not rehearsed. Avoid hedging language ("maybe," "I think," "kind of") because it undermines the very credibility you are trying to build.

Cross-references: Leadership (Ethos is the speech that operationalizes leadership presence -- credibility is built through words and body together) | Analysis of Business Problems (the two-argument structure parallels the recommendation phase of case analysis)

Lesson 5: The Emotional Speech (Pathos)¶

Pathos is the most advanced and the most dangerous speech type. It has no rigid structure. The course describes it as "an emotional journey that you are bringing the audience on where you know both the final destination and the emotions you want them to experience along the way." When done well, Pathos inspires alignment with organizational values, strengthens group cohesion, and moves people to action through shared feeling. When done badly, it is manipulative, melodramatic, or simply awkward.

When to Use It¶

Use Pathos in high-stakes emotional situations -- the moments that define a leader's legacy. The course provides six specific scenarios:

• Grief: The passing of a mentor, role model, or colleague.
• Joy: Celebrating a success, an important anniversary, inaugurating a new facility.
• Fear: Facing strong uncertainty -- a takeover, restructuring, loss of a major client, a change at the top.
• Anger: Reacting to an unpopular decision (office relocations, salary cuts) or resisting injustice regardless of consequences.
• Disgust: Responding to betrayal -- a disloyal colleague, a lawsuit from a former partner, false accusations.
• Remorse and sorrow: When the group made a critical mistake that led to tragic consequences.

These are situations you will face as a leader, often with little or no preparation time. The course encourages you to begin building a collection of personal stories that can be adapted quickly to these scenarios.

The Structure (or Lack of It)¶

Pathos does not have a step-by-step formula like Logos or Problem-Solution. Instead, you must ensure five elements are present:

• A specific, strong opening
• A memorable close
• A clear main message
• A defined objective (what do you want the audience to feel and then do?)
• High relevance to the audience (their emotions, not yours, are the starting point)

The speech works as an emotional arc. You might heighten emotions the audience is already feeling (amplifying joy after a win, deepening grief to honor a loss). Or you might acknowledge their emotions and redirect them (the team failed and feels defeated -- you validate the pain, then redirect toward renewed effort). The goal is to provide meaning to the emotions of the moment and channel them toward a specific direction.

Common Mistakes¶

• Making it about you. Pathos requires vulnerability, but the point is to connect with the audience's emotions, not to showcase yours. If the audience leaves feeling sorry for you rather than motivated to act, you missed the mark.
• Overdoing it. There is a line between authentic emotion and performance. If you cry on cue, the audience will feel manipulated. If you scream with anger, they will feel unsafe. The power of Pathos is in controlled intensity -- you feel deeply, but you channel it purposefully.
• No call to action. Emotional speeches that end without direction leave the audience stirred up but directionless. Even in grief, the leader provides a path: "Let us honor her legacy by continuing the work she started."
• Using Pathos when Logos is needed. If the audience needs data and you give them feelings, you lose credibility. Pathos is for moments when emotions are already running high, not for manufacturing emotions to avoid making a rational case.

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

Pathos is the speech type where sincerity matters more than polish. An imperfect sentence delivered with genuine emotion will always outperform a grammatically perfect sentence delivered flatly. That said, the emotional vocabulary in English can be tricky -- "devastated" and "disappointed" are very different in intensity. Build your emotional vocabulary deliberately: make a list of emotion words at different intensity levels (annoyed/frustrated/furious, sad/heartbroken/devastated) and practice using them. For the opening and closing -- the two moments that matter most -- write them out and rehearse them until the words feel natural in your mouth. And remember: a pause, held with eye contact, communicates more emotion than any word.

Cross-references: Leadership (Pathos is the speech of crisis leadership -- how you handle grief, fear, and anger defines your leadership brand; understanding group emotions and team dynamics is the analytical foundation for knowing which emotional register to use)

Lesson 6: Non-Verbal Language¶

Non-verbal communication (NVC) is not a separate speech type -- it is the substrate on which every speech type rests. The course integrates NVC exercises into every practice cycle, layering new physical skills onto each speech structure. The progression is deliberate: you start with managing your own anxiety (Logos), then learn to connect with the room (Ethos), then learn to physically embody narrative (Storytelling), and finally integrate everything for maximum impact (Pathos).

The Foundational Principle¶

When words, body language, and voice are out of sync, non-verbal communication prevails every time. Audiences are programmed from infancy to decode non-verbal signals, often unconsciously. You can spend months preparing a pitch (Logos-heavy, data-driven), and a rigid upper body, a tapping finger, or a refusal to make eye contact will undo all of it in sixty seconds.

The Nine Elements¶

The course identifies nine elements of NVC that you must develop awareness of and control over:

1. Eye contact -- the primary mechanism for reading the room and projecting confidence
2. Gestures -- reinforcing or contradicting your words
3. Posture -- open versus closed, grounded versus unsteady
4. Pauses -- the most underused tool in public speaking; silence communicates confidence
5. Voice -- volume, pace, tone, and variation
6. Energy -- your intensity level must match the emotional register of your speech
7. Attitude -- how you carry yourself before you even begin speaking
8. Breathing -- managing anxiety and sustaining vocal power
9. Movement -- purposeful use of space versus nervous pacing

The NVC Progression Across Speech Types¶

"Checking the Landing"¶

The most important NVC skill is not any single element -- it is the ability to read the audience in real time and adapt. If you maintain eye contact, you can see when people are energized (keep going) or losing attention (change something). The "something" you change could be your focus, energy, volume, distance from the audience, or gesture size. All of these options are available to you at any moment, but you need to practice them to feel confident deploying them under pressure.

Three Steps to Build NVC Awareness¶

1. Record yourself. Watch the playback with the sound off. What does your body say without your words?
2. Rehearse in front of others. Give and receive feedback. Your teammates see habits you cannot feel.
3. Set clear personal objectives. Based on recordings and feedback, identify one or two specific NVC elements to improve in each practice session. Do not try to fix everything at once.

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

Non-native speakers often compensate for language insecurity by focusing intensely on their words -- writing out scripts, memorizing sentences, looking down at notes. This creates a paradox: the more you focus on getting the words right, the more you neglect the non-verbal channel that carries most of the persuasive weight. The antidote is to rehearse the content until it is automatic, freeing your attention for eye contact, gestures, and reading the room. Accept that your accent is part of your presence, not a defect to hide. Many of the most powerful speakers in a global MBA classroom are the ones whose physical presence -- stillness, eye contact, purposeful pauses -- compensates for any linguistic roughness.

Cross-references: Leadership (credibility is built as much through body language as through arguments -- a leader who cannot hold eye contact during tough conversations loses trust) | Negotiations (reading non-verbal cues is a core skill in any negotiation setting)

Lesson 7: Connecting and Delivering¶

This lesson covers the "On Message" framework and the integration of all skills into consistent, high-impact delivery.

On Message¶

Structures ensure balance and solidity, but impact comes from quality: the persuasive value of your arguments, your signs of credibility, and your emotional connection. The "On Message" framework is a quality filter that should be applied to every speech you give, regardless of type. Your message should be:

• Essential -- nothing extraneous; every sentence earns its place
• Direct -- say what you mean; do not bury the point in qualifications
• Brief -- three minutes is three minutes; respect the audience's time
• Remarkable -- worth repeating to someone who was not in the room
• Relevant -- speaks to what the audience cares about, not what you care about
• Memorable -- the audience should be able to recall your core message a week later
• Human -- you are a person talking to people, not a presentation deck with legs

This framework is introduced in a single plenary session with exercises where you take draft speeches and make them "sharper, shorter, and more impactful." After that session, these seven qualities should be your editing checklist for every speech in the course -- and, as the professor notes, "hopefully for the rest of your lives."

The Self-Evaluation Discipline¶

After every filmed practice session, you complete a self-evaluation form that covers six questions. These are not busywork -- they are the primary feedback mechanism in the course and the closest thing to a grade:

1. Structure. Did my speech follow the correct structure? Was it balanced in time and content?
2. Audience awareness. Who was my audience? Did I keep them in mind when preparing? During delivery? What was the purpose?
3. Message and emotion. What is the main message I wanted to transmit? Did I achieve it in the video? What emotions and energy did I want to convey? How can I improve?
4. Non-verbal reinforcement. What NVC elements (volume, gestures, movements, pauses, eye contact) did I use to reinforce my message?
5. Strengths. What am I doing well, based on the filmed speech?
6. New objectives. What am I going to work on to raise the bar further?

The discipline of honest self-assessment, combined with trainer feedback and peer observation, is the engine of improvement. Watch your recordings with the six questions in hand. Be specific: "I need to pause after my grabber" is actionable; "I need to be better" is not.

Putting It All Together¶

By the final cycle (Pathos), you are expected to deploy every skill the course has taught: choosing the right structure for the situation, crafting an on-message narrative, managing your NVC to match the emotional register, reading the room and adapting in real time, and landing a specific call to action. The course builds toward this integration deliberately -- each speech type adds a new layer of complexity, and each NVC exercise adds a new physical skill. The final delivery should feel like a synthesis, not a performance.

Tips for Non-Native English Speakers¶

The biggest advantage of the "On Message" framework for non-native speakers is the mandate to be brief and direct. Complex, flowing English prose is harder to deliver and harder for a diverse audience to follow. Short sentences with strong verbs are easier to prepare, easier to deliver, and more persuasive. "Essential, direct, brief" is your friend. Use it to cut every sentence that does not serve your message. If you are unsure whether a phrase sounds natural in English, it is probably too complex. Simplify.

Cross-references: Analysis of Business Problems (the self-evaluation discipline mirrors the reflective practice that ABP demands after case discussions) | Leadership (integrating multiple communication skills under pressure is what leadership looks like in practice)

Quick Reference¶

The Five Speech Structures at a Glance¶

Universal Rules (Apply to Every Speech)¶

• Three minutes. Not two, not four. Three.
• Specific action. Every speech must ask the audience to do something concrete. "Think differently" is never enough.
• Bring it on paper. Prepare on paper, but do not read from it.
• On Message filter. Essential, direct, brief, remarkable, relevant, memorable, human.
• Record and review. Watch yourself. Fill out the self-evaluation form honestly.

NVC Quick Checklist¶

Before you speak: Breathe. Ground your posture. Set your attitude and energy level.

During your speech: Maintain eye contact (read the room). Use purposeful gestures (not fidgeting). Pause after key points (silence is power). Vary your voice (volume, pace, tone). Move with intention (not pacing).

After you speak: Hold the final moment. Do not rush off stage. Let the message land.

Glossary¶

Logos -- Persuasion through logic and reason. One of Aristotle's three modes of persuasion. In this course, it refers specifically to the rational speech structure: grabber, message, three arguments, action plan.

Ethos -- Persuasion through credibility and character. The speaker's authority on the topic, built through experience and expertise. In the course, the Ethos speech relies on personal or corporate examples that demonstrate why the speaker should be trusted.

Pathos -- Persuasion through emotion. The speaker connects with the audience's feelings to move them toward action. In the course, Pathos is the most advanced speech type, used in high-stakes emotional situations.

Grabber -- The opening device of a speech, designed to capture the audience's attention in the first seconds. Types include shocking statistics, surprising questions, and inspiring quotes.

On Message -- The quality framework for all speeches. A message that is essential, direct, brief, remarkable, relevant, memorable, and human.

NVC (Non-Verbal Communication) -- The non-linguistic transmission of information through visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic channels. Includes eye contact, gestures, posture, pauses, voice, energy, attitude, breathing, and movement.

Call to Action -- The specific behavioral request at the end of every speech. The course insists on concrete actions ("sign up by Friday") rather than attitudinal shifts ("think about this").

Self-Evaluation Form -- The six-question assessment instrument used after every filmed practice session. Covers structure, audience awareness, message delivery, NVC usage, strengths, and improvement objectives.

Checking the Landing -- The practice of reading the audience's non-verbal cues during your speech to determine whether your message is connecting, and adapting your delivery in real time if it is not.

Problem-Solution Structure -- A speech framework positioned between Logos and Ethos, used when the audience resists change. Follows the sequence: grabber, problem description, alternatives, proposal, action plan, closing.

Embodying the Story -- The NVC technique specific to storytelling, requiring the speaker to physically act out elements of the narrative: miming actions, using direct speech, incorporating sound effects, using the room's space, and bringing props.