The FIFA president gave a fascinating resignation speech after 17 years in the job, thanks to the recent indictments on corruption charges and no doubt some other things going on behind the scenes.

Sepp Blatter was sorrowful, defiant, and unwilling to relinquish control – in the midst of his resignation he was talking about how FIFA needed to be re-organized as if he was the one to do it – but he did get a couple things right. He mercifully didn’t bring any relatives on stage with him. And he showed a little passion around the “beautiful sport” of football (soccer to Americans).

Too often executives in the spotlight make it all about them, confusing themselves and the role, and sacrificing anyone else as needed in service to the Great Me. Blatter did some of that, of course, but also managed to give a nod to the “supporters, clubs and players” who give life to the game. His performance suggests some tips on how to handle your high-profile resignation.

Let’s hope that you never have to do it, but if you do, how should you handle the resignation-because-of-probable-malfeasance speech?

1.Make it less about you and more about the institution. What Blatter and the rest of the world who care about football have in common is a love of the game, so he’s right to talk about that. He should have focused on it more. To do so, of course, is a terrible challenge for a narcissistic executive in the spotlight. The urge to talk about – and defend – yourself is well-nigh irresistible.

2.Talk about the emotions more than the facts. The facts are presumably in dispute, and your lawyers are going to make it very hard for you to tell anything but very narrowly defined and carefully parsed misleading-but-true statements, so you’re better off talking about emotions. Tell us how you feel. It works in marital disputes, and it will work in front of the press.

3.Apologize for something. Public resignations are a blood sport and we, the public, want blood. You have to give us something. Apologize for something, and don’t make it too irritatingly small. We need to see you contrite about – at least – the mess you caused.

4.Take responsibility for everything. You’ve been in charge. That means you’re responsible. The worst thing you can do is not take responsibility for the chain of events that led to your demotion. If you can’t say, “the buck stops here,” as Harry Truman famously did (he even had a sign to that effect on his desk in the White House) then you shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place.   I’m sure the lawyers have a different view, but since everyone knows you’re responsible, you might as well say it. The harm has already been done, right?

5.Don’t bring your family into it. Male politicians are not particularly known for spending lots of high-quality family time, so it looks insultingly fake when they drag their spouses into the picture on their worst day. Don’t make your spouse stand there and suffer with you. Take it on the chin, on your own. It’s bad enough to have to give a press conference and talk about your failings, but even worse is just to have to stand there. Where do you look? What expression do you adopt? Don’t make someone you love (and who once loved you) go through that.

Blatter’s body language was downcast and sorrowful – good – but also defiant and unrepentant – bad. As such, his performance was half of what we needed. In fact, he gave very little away. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned up again in a few years – once the hoopla has died down – as a force to be reckoned with in football. Perhaps as an owner? Now that speech I want to watch! Blatter would have benefitted from taking our new online course, Presentation Prep: Ten Steps to Persuasive Storytelling, before he gave his (unpersuasive) resignation speech. You can sign up here.