By William Chen

Can you remember the last time you were impressed by a speech given by a Chinese official or a business executive?

Some time ago I accompanied a Chinese business delegation to a forum in Europe. The opening speech was by the head of an industry association. It was a disaster. He almost buried his head in the papers and had little eye contact with the audience. Even worse, the content of the speech was filled up with empty-sounding Chinese terms that were meaningless in translation. The eyes of the audience said “Does he know what he’s talking about?”

He must have given innumerable speeches before, but I can hardly imagine they could draw attention and interest from the audience. Unfortunately, the same thing must have happened to many Chinese officials and business executives. Inspirational speeches are difficult to come by, while banal, tedious ones are the norm. The dearth of public speech capability shows the lack of charisma among officials and executives.

There are many reasons to it. First, public speech and presentations aren’t taught in Chinese schools. Second, the “official” way of giving speeches – sitting tight and square and sounding lofty and serious – has become a nationwide speech technique by default that everyone switches to automatically. Third, good speakers are not well accepted. Chinese people tend to discredit those good at talking by saying “he talks as though he’s singing” – in other words, he tries to sound beautiful because he has a hidden agenda.

As a result, the consensus is that speeches should be given in a safe way, and in a serious way. This means the content has to be so safe that little substance is left, and the speakers tend to take themselves too seriously, to the extent that rigidity and coldness take over. You can forgive the audience if their minds drift!

And unfortunately, such safe and serious speech technique has become so prevalent that even primary school pupils have been affected. Kids who are heads of class or clubs can sound like seasoned officials. I can hear the parents encouraging the kids to “behave like an official!” This way of talking is without a doubt one of the most noticeable symptoms of officialdom.

The situation has been getting better, but government officials as a group may not be able to improve as fast as business execs or entrepreneurs. Government officials are not elected, so public debate is not a part of their duties. For them, following the conventions is much more important than being creative and outspoken. Inviting attention is not a good tactic in their circle anyway, and they don’t want to be held accountable for their talks either. Many officials are much more approachable and humorous in their private lives. I always wonder how much they could improve their work – not to mention their speeches – if their human side came out.

Business execs and entrepreneurs also have a long way to go, but there are MBA and EMBA programs to help them hone their skills. With ever intensifying competition, speech capabilities have never been more important than now, and will only get even more important in the future – from lobbying for investments, to talking the managers and employees into concerted and effective actions, to working with the media and other partners.

Some good speakers are harvesting accolades these days. For example, Ma Yun, founder of alibaba.com, has a cult following. His eloquence, transmitted through his speeches and his exposure as a commentator on a TV program, fleshes out his success stories. People are starting to realize that you can be successful and still be a charismatic speaker.

The future is a mixed one. On one hand, the education system will lumber ahead in the same way, in which presentation and speech making by the kids rarely has a place. On the other hand, speech making can be taught, and given the right conditions, the Chinese people are incredibly good at organizing and conveying their viewpoints.

Take the blogs, whose variety and depth are surprisingly sophisticated and keep growing. Officials and business execs alike need to put their best to work if they are to lead public opinion.

The author is a freelance writer based in Beijing