Lisa Wentz on Building Executive Communication in the Room

Executive communication is frequently approached as an individual pursuit: a leader works privately with a coach, refines a message and prepares for an important moment. That focused work can be valuable. It offers room to identify habits, clarify intent and develop greater confidence before a presentation, meeting or high-stakes conversation.

Lisa Wentz’s approach begins with the value of that private preparation while making a case for what must come next. Leaders do not communicate in isolation. They communicate with teams, peers, stakeholders and audiences. Their ideas are received in real time, often in rooms where attention shifts quickly, questions emerge and pressure is part of the environment. For Wentz, coaching should prepare leaders for those conditions rather than treating communication as a skill perfected behind closed doors.

Her executive public speaking coaching is designed to take place in group settings because those settings create an opportunity to practice communication as it is actually experienced. A leader may have a clear message, but clarity alone is not the same as connection. Speaking to a group introduces the practical realities of presence, pacing, responsiveness and audience attention. It also asks a speaker to stay grounded while being observed.

That distinction matters for executives whose communication responsibilities extend beyond a single prepared speech. Leadership can require explaining a decision, setting a direction, guiding a discussion or responding when the conversation takes an unexpected turn. These moments call for more than polished language. They require the ability to remain engaged with the people in the room.

Group coaching creates a setting in which that ability can be explored through practice. Participants have an audience, and they also become part of one. They can see how messages land, notice the difference between intention and impact, and learn from the approaches of other leaders. The experience shifts communication from a private performance goal into an active leadership practice.

For Wentz, this audience component is not an optional addition to the work. It is part of the follow-through that helps turn coaching into usable capability. A leader can understand a technique intellectually, yet still need experience applying it while others are listening. Group work offers a place to test that application, receive feedback and return to the work with greater awareness.

The format can also make the pressure of public speaking feel more concrete and more manageable. Pressure is not limited to a stage or formal presentation. It can show up in a meeting where a leader must offer a point of view, in a discussion where colleagues disagree, or in a moment when a message must be delivered with both authority and care. Practicing with others creates an environment where those demands can be addressed directly.

At the same time, the group setting emphasizes that communication is relational. An executive’s message is not complete when it is delivered; it continues in how listeners interpret it, respond to it and carry it forward. Learning to observe those responses can help leaders become more deliberate communicators. It can encourage them to consider not only what they want to say, but also what an audience needs in order to hear it.

Wentz’s perspective challenges the idea that executive communication is solely a private skill. Individual coaching remains an important part of development, particularly when a leader needs concentrated support. But private preparation and group practice can serve different purposes. One creates room for focused refinement; the other brings that refinement into a shared environment where leadership communication takes place.

This combination reflects a practical view of transformation. It is not simply about sounding more polished. It is about developing the capacity to communicate with presence when the stakes feel real. In a group, leaders can practice showing up with their ideas, adapting to the room and building trust through the way they speak and listen.

For organizations and leaders considering how to strengthen executive communication, Wentz’s approach centers on a straightforward principle: audiences are part of the work. Leaders lead in rooms, across teams and under pressure. Coaching that includes those realities can help make communication practice more connected to the moments that matter.