The benefits and limitations of leadership speeches in change initiatives

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a case study in the use of leadership speech to advance a change initiative in a large organization. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is informed by the author's personal experience in designing a public speaking program to infuse a change management campaign in his organization. Findings - The case study concludes with an analysis of the benefits and limitations of leadership speech giving. It highlights how speeches can help inspire and motivate people to adopt change, as well as the limitations of speeches to secure change without additional persuasive tools and techniques. Research limitations/implications - The application of speech giving in organizational leadership programs might inform future research into this important technique. Practical implications -This case will be of benefit to practicing leaders as well as researchers interested in public speaking, dialogue, and negotiation. Originality/value - The value of this paper lies in its examination of a specific case in which speech giving was used to inspire change in an environment in which opposing power dynamics superseded the benefits of the speeches.