All the world's a stage.

Gray and Robertson's article "Effective Internal Communication Starts at the Top" [CW, July-August 2005] is generally accurate. As a senior practitioner, I applaud and support their points about authenticity, walking the talk, advocating and coaching.

However, the article might lead people astray in two important areas. First, the short story about the importance of the CEO employing natural gesturing might be confusing. Yes, gestures should be natural, and some CEOs benefit from coaching suggestions specific to gestures. Some CEOs' natural gestures get in the way of the message. Imagine a CEO whose principal gesture is hand-wringing. Employees go away wondering what he was worried about, not thinking about what he said.

Second, while any thoughtful person would agree that big road shows and town halls are not the answer, all stagecraft sends a message. A mismanaged meeting seeking to impress people with the importance of operational excellence is not likely to achieve its goal. Proper stagecraft wordlessly communicates competence, teamwork and respect for the audience. These are attributes that people everywhere appreciate.

Drew Suss, Deerfield, Illinois 

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