By Mike Fruciano, Founder of Effective Presentations
At Oracle AI World, Ellison’s answer to a simple question about healthcare showed how a short, honest story can carry a complex business message.
Larry Ellison’s keynotes rarely lack big ideas, and this year’s Oracle AI World was no exception. He talked about AI changing cancer diagnosis, a new tax model for an economy full of robots and the future of enterprise software.
The moment many people will remember, though, came early in his Q&A with Seema Verma, Oracle’s executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Health and Life Sciences. She asked why healthcare is such a priority for him and for Oracle. Ellison said he would give the most honest answer. He described losing his mother to cancer while he was in college at the University of Illinois. He knew she was sick and in the hospital, he said, but he was in denial, and her death came as an enormous shock.
It was a short answer. It also gave everything that followed a reason to matter.
Prepare for the Obvious Question
Here is the part executives tend to miss. “Why does this matter to you?” is one of the most predictable questions a leader will ever face. Investors ask it. Boards ask it. Employees ask it during a reorganization, and customers ask it before they sign. Most leaders answer with strategy: market size, timing, competitive position. Those answers are accurate, and audiences forget them almost immediately.
Ellison could have answered that way. Oracle paid $28 billion for Cerner, and he has plenty of business reasons to care about healthcare. He chose to explain his motivation with a specific memory instead, and suddenly the business case had a person behind it.
If you lead anything, you already know which questions are coming. Take the time to find the true story that answers them, and practice telling it in under a minute. Preparing for those moments is one of the most overlooked business presentation skills.
What Made the Story Work
Ellison’s answer had three qualities worth borrowing. It was relevant, because it answered the exact question he was asked and never felt like a detour. It was specific. He named the school, the stage of his life and his own reaction, which gave listeners something to picture. And it was short. He told it, connected it to Oracle’s work and moved on.
Executives usually get stories wrong in one of two directions. Some avoid them because business communication is supposed to be analytical. Others tell long, loosely connected anecdotes that bury the point. A strong business story sits between those extremes: one situation, one telling detail and a clear link to the message.
In our presentation skills training, we put it this way: data proves your point, and a story gives people a reason to listen to the proof.
Candor Earns Attention
Ellison has spent decades known as one of the most aggressive competitors in technology, which made his candor stand out even more. In public speaking, audiences are quick to spot a story that has been inserted for effect. They respond very differently when a leader shares something real that explains why the work matters to them.
Most presentations need no personal confession at all. Leaders should still know which of their own experiences explain their convictions, and be ready to share one when the moment calls for it.
Try This Before Your Next Presentation
Before your next board meeting, town hall or client pitch, write down the question you are most likely to be asked about why your work matters. Then find the moment in your own experience that answers it. Keep it brief, include one specific detail and connect it directly to your message. Expertise earns you the room. A story like that helps you keep it.
About the Author
Mike Fruciano is the founder of Effective Presentations Inc. Lakewood, Colorado, communication training company. Since 2004, the firm has helped professionals at organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies build presentation, public speaking and executive communication skills.
