This blog post introduces the key points and sample phrases for a 3-minute speech a speaker would deliver in front of CEOs.

Word-of-mouth strategy: The most powerful weapon to move consumers’ hearts

When consumers decide to purchase an item, what is the most influential factor? Most people might think of ads, media, or online information, but in reality, a single word from a close acquaintance like a colleague or friend plays a decisive role. ‘Word-of-mouth’ stemming from their experiences influences consumer choices more powerfully than any advertisement.
Even when shopping online, we instinctively check product reviews first. We read feedback from people who actually bought the product and base our decision on their evaluations. For example, suppose a product has 10 positive reviews and 3 negative ones. While the numbers show far more positive feedback, consumers often hesitate to decide. Just three negative reviews can completely shift their perception of the entire product. Consumers frequently tend to accept a small number of negative reviews as the whole truth.
Many online retailers, having keenly experienced the power of word-of-mouth, react sensitively to review management. Some companies hire ‘review part-timers’ to encourage positive feedback or quietly delete negative reviews. Consumers are well aware of this reality too. Even a slightly unnatural review immediately raises suspicion: “Could this be a paid review?” Nevertheless, this approach is considered partially successful because it creates talking points among people. The significance lies in the fact that it sparks conversation and, based on that conversation, influences people’s thinking. Ultimately, the core of word-of-mouth marketing is getting people talking. Simply ‘making people think’ is already a marketing success.
There are actual examples of successful word-of-mouth strategies. Global household goods company P&G promoted its kitchen detergent not just through simple ads, but also through effective word-of-mouth marketing. While TV ads emphasized only the ‘grease-cutting power,’ the word-of-mouth strategy took a much more emotional approach. They sent trial samples of the dish soap to homemakers, enclosing a leaflet with cute illustrations and a message. Included with the phrase “Mom, can I help you?” was a child-shaped sponge, naturally creating the narrative of ‘fun dishwashing with your child’. One homemaker responded, “My child started helping with chores. They said it’s fun to put detergent on the sponge and wash dishes.” This message spread, generating positive word-of-mouth among consumers. Regions where this marketing was implemented recorded sales increases nearly double those of regions without it. This was possible because it offered a story that appealed to emotions, rather than just a simple product description.
Creating topics people want to talk about, and helping them naturally share those stories, is the core of word-of-mouth marketing. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about creating ‘stories’ that circulate among people. If you provide consumers with an experience so interesting and moving that they themselves want to tell someone about it, that experience itself can become the most powerful marketing.
What we need to do now is clear. We must think about how to create conversation starters and how to move people’s hearts. If we find that answer, we will undoubtedly take a step further than we are now.

We must reflect customer opinions

Countless brands emerge and vanish every single day. Even brands that enter the market with celebrity endorsements and meticulous marketing strategies often fail to survive, quickly fading away. Market changes are that rapid, and consumer choices are that ruthless. Amidst this trend, many aspiring entrepreneurs prepare thoroughly not only for technology development but also for brand building and marketing strategies before launching. The era when star marketing alone could captivate consumers is long gone. This is undoubtedly an encouraging change.
Yet, in the relentless competitive market, some succeed while others fail. This reality repeats itself time and again. Everyone dreams of success, but turning that dream into reality amid fierce competition is never easy. Some say, “If you work hard, you will succeed someday.” But can success truly be guaranteed by effort alone? We need to look at this question dispassionately.
Many people seek the answer to marketing in ‘benchmarking’. Indeed, benchmarking is undoubtedly an efficient method that reduces the risk of failure because it is based on proven items and strategies. However, there is one more point to consider here: ‘thinking small, even smaller’.
When starting a business, it’s best to define the scope and content of your venture as narrowly as possible. Focusing on a small market allows you to build expertise and become the best in that field. Yet, many entrepreneurs overlook small markets or mistakenly believe success requires dominating a large market. This is a very risky approach.
In reality, there are countless examples of massive success achieved by targeting a single niche. Mobile messenger service ‘KakaoTalk’, nail clipper specialist brand ‘Three Seven’, lunchbox specialist ‘Hansot Dosirak’, braised chicken specialist ‘Bongchu Jjimdak’, plastic container brand ‘Lock&Lock’, motorcycle helmet specialist ‘Hongjin Crown’, samgyetang specialty restaurant ‘Tosokchon’, and travel luggage brand ‘Samsonite’ are all prime examples of success achieved by focusing intently on a single product or service to establish a solid market position.
The common strategy they all demonstrated is ‘selection and concentration’. When consumers need a lunchbox, they naturally think of ‘Hansot Dosirak’. It has essentially become synonymous with lunch boxes. This isn’t merely due to brand recognition, but the result of building expertise in one area over a long period. This is precisely why you shouldn’t target an overly large market from the outset. Instead, wisely targeting a small, clearly defined market where you can excel and feel most confident is the smart strategy.
Never assume a market’s potential is small just because its size is limited. If you find and focus on a niche market where you can become a small but unrivaled presence, that small market can actually lead to great success. Rather than targeting a broad range like a large corporation, occupying the ‘top’ position within a small market is a far more realistic goal and an effective starting point for success.
Ultimately, the success or failure of a business depends on how precisely you capture the customer’s heart. Reflecting customer opinions, accurately identifying what customers want, and building a small but strong brand. That is precisely the most essential startup strategy needed in this era. Success is not far away; it is close to the customer. Start small, but approach deeply. Listening to the customer’s voice—that is the very beginning of success.

Our Sincerity

Transformation comes in many forms, but among them, the worst is probably ‘betrayal’. It’s inevitable that people change. As we age, our faces change, our personalities shift, and our attitudes toward others evolve. Comparing myself ten years ago to who I am now, I feel I’ve undergone significant transformation. I too have been influenced by society, mingled with people, and often wavered, chasing my own interests. However, among all these changes, I believe the worst kind of ‘transformation’ is opportunistically abandoning one’s principles—that is, betraying one’s own convictions.
In this context, there is the concept of ‘conversion’. Whether ideological or political, conversion means abandoning past beliefs and embracing new convictions. Yet, the criterion that distinguishes this from simple betrayal is the sincerity of the person. Several years ago, there was a case of someone deeply immersed in Marxism-Leninism and Juche ideology declaring a conversion to the liberal democratic system. Some say this person even took the lead in identifying pro-North Korean leftists within South Korean society, based on their past experiences. Whether it’s conversion or transformation, if it’s nothing but superficial posturing lacking sincerity, it inevitably feels emptier than any words could express.
Looking back, I seem like someone who was tirelessly filled with bitterness. I reacted sensitively even to quiet advice and reflexively made excuses when faced with mistakes. I always believed I was right, that I spoke the truth, and that I possessed stronger convictions than anyone else. So, I dismissed those with different thoughts as wrong, building walls against them and rejecting them. I lacked the posture of attentive listening to others’ stories, and thus there was no room for authenticity within me.
We often mistake ‘communication skills’ for eloquent speech or persuasive rhetoric. But true communication isn’t the skill of speaking well; it’s the ability to connect sincerely with others. Indeed, some speak very smoothly yet fail to demonstrate proper leadership, while others, despite being tongue-tied, exhibit outstanding leadership. Ultimately, the most crucial element in a leader’s communication is not ‘eloquence,’ but whether they are someone who can give weight to their words.
To give weight to one’s words, thoughts, speech, and actions must align. Of course, as humans, achieving perfect alignment in all three is not easy. That is precisely why we must strive harder. It is in that ‘effort’ that people sense authenticity and come to trust you as a leader. Authenticity is not merely expressed through words; it is a value that must be embodied through consistent attitude and action.
I want to change now. I want to transform into someone who listens to others, respects differing opinions, and communicates sincerely. I aspire to be reborn as a genuine leader, a communicative leader whose words and actions align. The current me is a little softer than my past self, a little less certain, and striving to cultivate a posture that listens more. I believe these small changes will accumulate and pave the way for me to become a genuine leader.

I hope to start small

Growing up, I heard the phrase “dream big” countless times. Perhaps because of this, our society seems particularly drawn to words like ‘large-scale,’ ‘massive,‘ and ‘expansion.’ Influenced by this, many people often attempt overly ambitious ventures right from the start when launching a business.
However, successful business requires a shift in thinking. Rather than starting unconditionally large, beginning small and specific may be the right approach. In fact, many people run businesses without even realizing they’ve taken on ventures too large for them to handle.
Now is an era where the saying “Dream big, but start small” has become even more crucial. Without small actions—that is, thorough preparation and focus within a small domain—approaching success is never easy. So how can we truly achieve success?
Park Ji-sung, Park Tae-hwan, Kim Yuna. These three sports stars representing South Korea share a common trait: they clearly understood the field they could excel in most and deeply focused on it. They leveraged their unique strengths to create weapons that could overwhelm competitors, and with those weapons, they achieved brilliant results on the world stage.
The business world is no different. Dunkin’ Donuts focused on a single product: the donut. Rotiboy concentrated on British-style buns. Maxim poured all its capabilities into one product: instant coffee mix. This intense focus on a single, small product ultimately drove the brand’s growth.
If you dream of success, you must first meticulously examine your knowledge, experience, and skills. The first step is to precisely identify which area best aligns with your expertise. To survive fierce competition, you must secure your ‘own domain’. If this area is vague or unclear, you’re already heading toward failure from that moment.
Merely trying something out of curiosity once, or out of simple interest another time, will never lead to success. Ultimately, what matters is finding that ‘small niche’ only you can do and growing it into your ‘best field’. Grand, ambitious goals are fine, but their beginnings always start from something small and concrete. Now, remember that small actions build great success. I encourage you to start diligently with your own small domain.

We must open up more information

Unemployed people are overflowing, yet small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crying out because they can’t find people. SME owners all say the same thing: “Young people these days have such high expectations that it’s hard to find people.” Is this really a correct analysis?
If we interpret “expectations” solely as “desired salary levels,” I believe this diagnosis is half right and half wrong. If all other conditions are identical, or if no other information about the company is provided, it is only natural for job seekers to base their decisions on salary levels. Salary is the most direct and practical means of fulfilling basic human survival needs.
However, the reason they cannot consider factors beyond salary is that little other information is provided. In other words, we must acknowledge that information scarcity could be the fundamental cause of the labor shortage. Job seekers may not be knocking on a company’s door not simply because of their expectations, but due to vague fears stemming from insufficient or entirely absent information about that company.
The information job seekers want to know is more diverse and specific than one might think. For example, they seek details about job security, workplace relationships, organizational culture, compensation systems, the company’s vision, and the actual nature of the work. If such information were provided, job seekers could choose companies based on a variety of criteria aligned with their values and preferences, rather than solely focusing on salary.
But what is the current reality? When many SMEs post job openings, the information they provide is often limited to a brief statement like ‘recruiting X people for Y position with Z qualifications.’ Even when curious job seekers visit the company website, they mostly find only a business overview or product introductions. The very information job seekers want most – ‘information about the people’ – is rarely easy to find.
While companies claim ‘people are the most important,’ aren’t they actually paying the least attention to ‘people’? To solve the labor shortage in SMEs, it’s the employers, not the job seekers, who must change first. They must seriously consider what kind of people management and corporate culture job seekers desire and actually implement systems that match those needs. Immediately implement what can be done now, and present a clear vision for items that are difficult to execute.
If genuine interest and effort are invested in people in this way, people will naturally gather. If the talent attracted in this way further elevates the company’s competitiveness and achieves greater growth, what greater joy could there be?
South Korea’s SMEs have achieved unprecedented growth in world history. Now is the time for our proud entrepreneurial spirit to leap forward again in a new direction: investment and focus on ‘people’. Shifting our gaze from job seekers to people-centered management will be the surest key to solving the talent shortage.

It is time to present a vision

Thank you, everyone.
These days, TV frequently discusses youth unemployment. Yet, on the ground, the real problem is a severe lack of people. Most young talents fiercely compete to join large corporations, paying little to no attention to SMEs. Naturally, SMEs constantly struggle with talent shortages.
Ultimately, a select few join large corporations, while those not chosen choose to retry for entry into large companies. In this cycle of competition, how can our SMEs appeal to talent?
The most crucial element in business management is ‘people’. People make work happen, keep the organization alive and moving, and enable us to envision the future. Therefore, to be chosen by talent, a company must first be prepared. The first step is ‘vision’.
Vision is not merely a goal or direction. It is the compass that shares the company’s reason for existence and the path forward. Even for an SME, possessing a clear and achievable vision will make talent see its potential and turn their steps toward us. They choose us not just based on current conditions, but when they see a ‘future where we can grow together’. And within that journey, they will feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing they have grown and that their contributions have helped the company.
Today’s business environment changes at an overwhelming pace. If a company merely gets swept along by this change, it will inevitably lose its direction and become unstable. For SMEs especially, change is synonymous with crisis. Yet, to maintain stability and pursue sustainable management even in such an environment, a vision is absolutely essential.
Vision is the company’s core values and aspirations, serving as the central axis that keeps it steady amidst external uncertainties and crises. A clear vision instills trust in employees and guides the company’s direction like a compass. It also reduces unnecessary waste in executing strategies and utilizing resources, channeling the entire organization’s energy toward a single purpose.
We are living in an era of uncertainty. You may sit at your desk today, but no one can guarantee your position will remain next month. That’s why many people consider side gigs or seek additional means of livelihood. At the root of all this anxiety lies a shared fear: the inability to see what lies ahead.
In such times, organizational leaders must be able to present an even clearer path. To prevent employees from feeling anxious, we must clearly communicate where we are headed and what we are working towards. That is the vision, and it becomes the force that sustains the organization.
Vision is not merely a slogan to be displayed. It is a living direction and a story that every member can resonate with. Only when that story touches the heart of each individual employee can we truly move forward together, looking in the same direction.
Thank you for listening.

Practice acknowledging your employees

A leader from an organization that climbed Antarctica shared this story.

“An organization is a relative entity. Some move fast, others move slow. Some aren’t just slow—they’re so sluggish they cause frustration. Inevitably, someone ends up being seen as the ‘idiot’ in the team. We actually had such a member on our team. He nearly caused a major accident by sloppily tying the lifeline.”

The lifeline tied by that fool(?) wasn’t properly secured, and a teammate climbing with him fell into a crevasse (a deep crack in the glacier surface). Luckily, the cliff narrowed 20 meters below, catching the body and saving them. But the returning member was furious, brandishing an ice axe and shouting, “I’ll kill you!” Yet the leader didn’t kick that incompetent member off the team. The reason was simple. He couldn’t. They were a team that had to climb together, and in the extreme environment of Antarctica, the entire team was a survival unit.
So the leader tried to focus on that member’s strengths instead of their weaknesses. He chose to see potential rather than incompetence. Then one day, in the midst of a fierce wind, they needed to securely fasten a rubber boat outside. While everyone hesitated, that supposedly incompetent member suddenly appeared, dressed in his special suit, goggles on, looking overly eager. He ended up being the last one to go outside, but the leader praised him in front of the team like this.

“When everyone else was dawdling, you were the first to put on your special suit!”

This remark might have sounded less like genuine praise and more like forced flattery, but it was something only the leader could say. What was surprising was the team member’s reaction. He began to change after that day. The edge disappeared from his eyes, and the constant thudding and dragging sound of his slippers became quiet and smooth. It was a sign his body had relaxed.
“Our boss finally recognized me,” he might have thought. Humans have a strong desire to be acknowledged. When someone recognizes your worth, it goes beyond simple joy; it restores confidence and can even change your attitude and behavior.
Of course, giving praise isn’t easy in reality. We may receive leadership training, but applying it in the field is no simple task. With mountains of work on my plate and days that feel too short, moments when irritation flares up first—let alone finding the space to praise others—happen more than once or twice. It’s only natural to think, “I’m so frustrated, how can I praise anyone?”
But there’s something we must remember. ‘Recognition’ isn’t an emotion; it’s a ‘practice.’ With repeated practice, you’ll eventually feel its effects firsthand. Just as the Antarctic leader sensed changes in his team members through the sound of their boots, we too can detect significant shifts through feedback.
Praise isn’t a skill; it’s a habit. Make a conscious decision twice a day to ‘praise someone,’ and start your morning commute with that intention. Please remember: looking for others’ strengths without resolve is very difficult. A small, awkward compliment can lighten someone’s step and even shift a team’s atmosphere. So start this small practice today. Something distinctly different will come to both your employees and yourself.

The Speech of Silence

Long ago, on January 12, 2011, President Obama’s speech at the memorial service for the victims of the Arizona shooting moved many hearts. Notably, while mentioning the young victims, he paused, unable to continue, and stood in silence for a moment. He stood nearly a full minute without speaking before carefully resuming his speech. The New York Times described this moment as “a time when President Obama emotionally connected with the entire nation,” assessing it as one of the most dramatic scenes of his presidency.
At concerts, sometimes it’s the person who speaks awkwardly and haltingly who draws the audience in more than the singer who speaks fluently. The audience tends to listen more intently to their sincere, unadorned words. Once, a singer quietly asked the audience from the stage, “What will you do after you turn sixty?” The auditorium fell silent, as if holding its breath. It seemed each person was picturing their life after sixty. That stillness wasn’t mere silence; it was a moment when the singer connected with each audience member through thought. After a while, one person spoke up. “I think I’ll build a house in the country and tend a vegetable garden.” Another added, “I want to build a house on Jeju Island and live there with friends.” After listening to each person’s story, the singer hesitated briefly, then smiled and said, “As for me… when I turn sixty… I plan to… start dating.” The audience erupted in laughter at those words. That single, hesitantly uttered phrase wrapped the moment’s silence in warmth. The ‘silent time’ he created wasn’t merely a time without words, but a time when hearts connected.
Not long ago, I visited the dentist because my gums bled and felt sensitive every time I brushed my teeth. The dentist said gum treatment was needed and that the first step was to extract my wisdom teeth. After the extraction, the dentist placed a gauze pad in my mouth and advised me not to speak for about four or five hours. During that time, I communicated my needs through gestures, notes, and expressions. Strangely enough, people often understood my meaning just from my hand signals and eye contact. Left alone in the silence, a thought suddenly struck me. Could all the countless words I’d poured out until now have been unnecessary? Could they have been veils, hiding the truth?
If you go to Dongsung-dong’s Marronnier Park, you might occasionally encounter performance art. One day, a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties suddenly stripped off her clothes and dashed out among the people. Though people were startled and flustered, she paid no heed, tying her own hands and feet and hanging upside down. It was a performance binding herself rather than the sin-stained world. She said nothing, yet her silent movements resonated deeply. By baring her naked body, she revealed the human frailty and sin hidden beneath layers of clothing, conveying a wordless cry. That scene opened our ears and gave us time for self-reflection.
The dentist advised avoiding spicy foods, alcohol, and baths for the time being. It sounded like a reminder that to regain a normal, vibrant voice, one must also refrain from harsh words, temptations, and crude language. And if it hurts, take medicine. There are prescribed painkillers for physical pain, but where can one find medicine to heal the wounds caused by thoughtless words? The prescription to recall carelessly spoken words might be the hardest to find.
President Obama soothed his nation’s wounded hearts through his ‘speech of silence,’ bridging even the deepest political divides. If such a world where words and silence harmonize were to come, how much sincerity and resonance could I imbue in my own voice? Just as gauze is carefully removed and gums return to their place, I too wish to renew my words and heart. Like a baby beginning to babble, with a fresh heart.
Thank you for listening.