Episode #346: Should I Be A Bit Dramatic In My Presentation Or Play It Safe?

Why do leaders in Japan get such mixed feedback on their presentation style?

If you are a manager or executive in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) or 外資系企業 (multinational companies) in 東京 (Tokyo), you’ve probably experienced this:
after a big internal speech, some people say, “Loved your passion and energy,” while others say, “Too loud, too strong.”

This divergence is normal—especially in post-Covid Japan. After three difficult years, many teams need to be re-energized. At the same time, audiences here often include:

• Different cultures (Japanese and non-Japanese)

• Different divisions and seniority levels

• Different personality types (some extroverted, some extremely reserved)

So when you deliver a high-energy, motivating talk, you will almost always get mixed feedback. The question is not, “How do I please everyone?” but, “Did I achieve the real purpose of this presentation?”

Mini-summary: Mixed feedback usually reflects different personality types and expectations—not failure. Leaders should judge success by the purpose of the talk, not by 100% consensus.

In leadership, sales, and プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), we generally see four purposes for business talks:

1. Inform
   Share project updates, results, new policies, and strategic direction. The goal is clarity and accuracy.

2. Impress
   Showcase your organization’s capabilities and credibility—often in 営業研修 (sales training) or investor meetings. You’re building brand and trust.

3. Entertain
   Set a positive mood at celebrations, offsites, or after-dinner events. The goal is goodwill and connection.

4. Motivate
   Move people to take action. You speak with belief, urgency, and conviction—like someone who has “the cure for cancer” and feels morally obligated to share it.

The story behind this article is a classic Motivate case: a room of managers whose energy and commitment had dropped after Covid. The mission was not to calmly “inform” them, but to reignite their passion.

Mini-summary: Before you worry about style, get clear on purpose. Motivate, Inform, Impress, and Entertain each demand a different energy level from the speaker.

When is a high-energy style the right choice in Japan?

In a motivational talk, especially for leaders, energy is not optional—it’s the main delivery vehicle. To restore commitment and drive, executives often need:

• Strong voice and clear modulation

• Visible conviction in gestures and posture

• Movement that signals urgency and direction

However, your audience will include many personality types. For example:

• Amiable personalities tend to be muted, reserved, and self-contained.
  They may feel “overwhelmed” by a powerful style and describe it as “too strong.”

• Driver or expressive personalities are often grateful someone finally “woke up the room.”

If your goal is to rebuild motivation across the organization, aligning only with the most reserved segment can actually undercut your mission. Leaders must decide: “Am I here to keep everyone comfortable, or to help the majority move forward?”

Mini-summary: For motivational talks, passion and dynamism are essential. It’s impossible to please everyone—prioritize the purpose and the majority impact.

Not automatically.

If your talk is designed to motivate and inspire, it is rational to use:

• Bigger gestures to signal importance

• Stronger voice for key moments

• Clear, confident movement to command attention

Toning everything down to satisfy the most cautious listeners risks creating yet another bland, forgettable internal speech. Leaders must ask:

• Did I break through the mental clutter in their heads?

• Did I stir renewed commitment in those who wanted to be re-energized?

• Did I serve the long-term interests of the organization?

In many cases, the answer will be “yes”—even if a minority felt it was “too much.”

Mini-summary: Adjusting for culture is important, but over-correcting leads to weak impact. In motivational contexts, dial back only if your intensity blocks understanding—not just because a few people prefer lower volume.

In effective プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), one principle is fundamental: not all words are equal.

Yet most business speakers deliver sentences in a flat, monotone rhythm, as if every word carries the same weight. Instead, you should:

• Identify keywords and phrases that carry the core meaning.

• Hit those words harder or softer, slower or faster than the others.

For example, in the sentence:

“Each word has a different value and the way we deliver the talk should correspond to that different value.”

You would highlight phrases like:

• “Each word”

• “the way we deliver”

• “different value”

You can do this by:

• Slowing down just before and during these phrases

• Pausing briefly after them

• Softening or strengthening your voice to create contrast

This is how your message cuts through the noise in busy executives’ minds.

Mini-summary: Treat your voice like a high-precision tool. Emphasize only the truly important words through contrast in speed, volume, and timing.

How can body language and movement make your message unforgettable?

Voice is only one dimension. To fully motivate teams in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies), leaders also need:

• Gestures that match the size of the idea (bigger concepts, bigger but controlled gestures)

• Facial expressions that reflect genuine emotion, not a neutral “mask”

• Movement that marks transitions or highlights key points

When words + voice + body language all point in the same direction, your message becomes dramatically more powerful and more memorable.

Think of it as building a “triple emphasis”:

1. The right words

2. Delivered with intentional voice

3. Supported by congruent body language

This is exactly the kind of integrated approach we reinforce in プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) and エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) for leaders in Tokyo.

Mini-summary: Align your words, voice, and body language. When all three support the same idea, your message sticks and your leadership presence grows.

The biggest enemy of modern presentations is sameness:

• All strong, all the time → exhausting

• All soft, all the time → sleep-inducing

Both patterns push people toward their phones and the “magnetic force field” of the internet.

Instead, aim for variation, like classical music:

• Ebbs and flows — some sections calm, some intense

• Crescendos and lulls — not all slides or points at maximum volume

• Micro-moments of flair — short bursts of drama, not a constant performance

You don’t need to be theatrical from start to finish. Simply identify micro areas where a bit of extra energy, a strong gesture, or a powerful pause can bring the content to life.

This approach works extremely well in リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), and DEI研修 (DEI training), where sustained attention and emotional engagement are critical.

Mini-summary: Avoid “Johnny One Note” delivery. Use controlled bursts of drama and contrast to keep audiences engaged without exhausting them.

• Purpose first, style second: Decide whether your talk is to Inform, Impress, Entertain, or Motivate—and design your energy level accordingly.

• Accept mixed feedback: In diverse Japanese and multinational teams, some will always say “too strong” while others say “finally, some energy.” That’s normal.

• Use contrast, not chaos: Highlight only the most important words and ideas with changes in voice, gesture, and movement.

• Avoid monotony: Blend calm explanation with bursts of passion so your teams listen, remember, and act.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has spent more than a century helping individuals and organizations worldwide build stronger leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI capabilities. Our Tokyo operation, launched in 1963, continues to support both Japanese and multinational corporate clients with world-class リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching), and DEI研修 (DEI training)