Five things to stop doing to become a more articulate executive

Executive overview

New executives often feel pressure to communicate like senior leaders and default to fixing the wrong things — vocabulary drills, accent reduction, speech clubs. These surface-level fixes don't transfer to boardroom conversations.

Articulation is about expressing what you already know, not improving the mechanics of how you say it.

The five mistakes to avoid

• Rote vocabulary expansion (dictionary reading) lacks workplace context; instead, note words peers use in meetings and learn industry-specific business and leadership terms
• Fixing pronunciation or reducing accents is hard, slow work — and accent is not the barrier; expressing ideas clearly is
• Practicing the mechanics of speaking (volume, pace, intonation) addresses the wrong layer; strategy — how you craft and package your message — matters more
• Rehearsing scripted speeches builds habits that don't transfer; executive communication is impromptu, responsive, and case-based
• Trying to fix everything simultaneously diffuses effort; personal growth in self-governance drives communication growth more than any single tactic

What to focus on instead

• Build communication strategy: how you craft, package, and deliver your knowledge to a specific audience
• Develop self-governance: managing inner anxiety, self-perception, and intimidation in high-stakes settings
• Move ideas from intuitive understanding to conscious, expressible language — first to yourself, then to others
• When you show up with a clear, motivating message, the audience stops noticing accent or filler words