Helping Others Tell Their Stories
Mark Busse has spent nearly 25 years helping leaders find the words to connect with their most important audiences.
He has worked alongside senior government and corporate leaders — from first drafts to final delivery and just about everything in between.
Over time, his role changed. Mark moved from helping leaders behind the scenes to standing in front of the room himself.
That journey became What’s Your Point
Communications™.
Speechwriter
Mark began his career helping elected leaders show their audiences why their leadership mattered.
He served as a senior director for speechwriting at the White House, chief speechwriter and deputy policy director for a state governor, and speechwriter and senior advisor for a U.S. senator.
For more than a decade, he worked behind the scenes — learning how to translate complex policies into clear messages that could resonate with multiple audiences.
It was where Mark learned how to find the right words for the moment.
Executive Communicator
Mark’s next chapter took him from public service to corporate America — from communicating policy to communicating strategy.
For more than 10 years, he led executive communications at a Fortune 500 energy company, developing presentations for three CEOs and helping dozens of other leaders engage investors, customers, employees and policymakers.
Mark helped leaders communicate about the decisions that drive a business — driving operational excellence, deploying capital and inspiring talent.
It was where Mark learned how to find the right words to move the needle.
Offstage to Center Stage
Meeting leaders where they are.
In 2015, a group of leaders approached Mark with a different kind of challenge. Their presentation was already in good shape. What they wanted was help delivering it.
They asked:
“Do you know anyone who can help us win the room?”
After years of helping senior leaders find the right words or build the right slides, Mark realized he could help leaders bring their presentations to life.
Mark said yes to those leaders — and to other opportunities that followed.
Word of mouth spread. Mark found himself helping leaders read the room, practice their delivery and handle tough questions.
He was making a difference and having fun. But these engagements were mostly one-offs — a lunch-and-learn here, a dry run there.
Mark wondered what it would take to lead a more intensive experience.
Transition to Training
The What’s Your Point philosophy
In 2016, Mark raised his hand to attend a workshop led by longtime presentation trainer Bob Boylan.
Bob captured the attention of 10 people for 2½ days — with a philosophy that was a paradigm shift for Mark.
Bob didn't spend much time on nervous behaviors like filler words or repetitive movements. He believed those would improve naturally if we spent most of our time improving the content. As he put it:
“If you say the right things, you will say things right.”
Bob became Mark's mentor, encouraging him to combine these methods with his own stories and experience.
Mark has since trained hundreds of leaders through What’s Your Point workshops.
Coached to be a Coach
By 2024, Mark's alumni and partners were encouraging him to offer private coaching for senior leaders.
Once again, Mark sought out mentors willing to share their experience and methods. So he became a Speak by Design Certified Leadership Communications Coach.
Mark applies proven Speak by Design models to his own private coaching practice.
He also embraces the Speak by Design coaching mindset because it closely aligns with his own. He encourages every client to truly care about their audience, focus on a problem worth solving and have confidence in what they bring to the table. Above all, Mark makes every session action-oriented:
“We are making progress today.”
Mark's Mission and Yours
Every chapter in Mark’s story has reinforced the same lesson:
Leadership is communication.
Today, his mission is to help leaders become better communicators in whatever format works best for them — by drawing on all his skills and experience.
Deliver training that takes.
Offer coaching that connects.
Create engagements that inspire.
That’s Mark’s mission.
What’s yours?
