It looks  like we’re in for 4 years of lessons on public speaking from the White House.  President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress last night and once again gave us a lesson on how to give a speech. This one was a tough speech for tough times.  What did he do that made it exceptionally good?

1. He practiced.  His delivery was better than usual, with lots of vocal variety in the tone of his voice, the volume and the pacing. Even the commentators said they could tell he had practiced his speech.
2. The speech was written to be spoken. The sentences were short, just like the President talks. It wasn’t filled with flowery, poetic language like his inaugural address. That was not the purpose of this speech. It was to have a tough conversation with us. And it was meant to motivate. The result of the way it was written made it easy to read off a TelePrompTer. (If you’d like more advice on the use of TelePrompTers, go to my previous blog http://real-impact.com/on-television-here-are-some-hints-on-how-to-look-good .)
3. He wasn’t afraid to share his emotions. Too many business speakers hide behind the facts and put on a dispassionate affect. Your audience wants to know you have a human side.
4. He used many references with scenarios to which we could relate. 

“You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope.”

There will be many more examples I will analyze in the years ahead. These are NOT political comments. They are the assessment of the president’s speaking skills and style. And they are lessons that you can put to use in your business presentations.

Are you better with a scripted speech in front of a large group or in a question and answer session with a small group?  Some people think that the communication skills required are the same.  They are not.  All you have to do is watch two political leaders today to see the difference.

As I write this, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has just finished a live video chat with the editorial board of the Indianapolis Star.  It was a question and answer session that also included questions sent in from participants via the Internet. 

Mayor Ballard’s communication strength is speaking one-on-one or in small group settings.  Unlike others in the political arena, he keeps his answers short and allots time for many different questions and questioners.  He does not drone on and on as we see with many public servants who hold office.  His short answers allow for give and take and follow up questions.

We will see another communication skill set demonstrated tonight when President Barack Obama addresses the nation. He is a brilliant public speaker and is particularly good in front of large crowds or when working from a script.  But his answers in press conferences are too long. They turn into mini speeches, which can turn off audiences as their minds begin to wander.

What is your speaking skill set? Have you perfected what it takes to address a large group? Can you read well from a script? Can you handle question and answer sessions with brevity and clarity?

If you’d like an assessment of your skills, drop me an email.  Jean@Real-Impact.com

If you’re so good at what you do that your peers, bosses, employees or benefactors honor you with a prestigious award, you may want to think about what you’ll say.  The Academy Award winners have been center stage with their Oscars for years…but most still don’t know how to handle the acceptance speech.   Here’s some advice that was in the Washington Post.  Speech 101: Make It a Class Act.  I agree. It applies to all business people as well, whether you’re in the entertainment field or not.

Television is everywhere.  If you are a leader, chances are you will be on TV or the video-pervasive Internet soon.  Here are some hints I’ve put together.  They’re the 5 Golden Rules for Being on Television.  I’ve recorded them so you can download it and listen to them on your iPod.  A video version, naturally, will be coming soon.

As a professional speech coach, my number one piece of advice for all speakers is: It’s about the audience.  Sometimes, no matter how eloquently you put something in spoken or written words, the mindset of an audience member is going down a different path.  There are several techniques speakers can use to ensure their audiences are with them.

This isn’t quite so with written pieces that are published in newspapers or posted on websites.  I wrote an Op Ed piece that was run in the Indianapolis Star on last Friday.  It was about the communication strategies that business people can learn from Obama’s inaugural speech.

The Op Ed piece got quite a bit of reaction on line.  69 comments at last count. While some of the comments were about what I had written–speaking tips for professionals, many of them were political in nature. Never did I address my opinion about President Obama’s agenda.  I only wrote about his speaking skills.  Yet some of the audience didn’t read that.  They only read the name Obama and reacted.

Like my friend and colleague, Dr. Karen Lawson, says—it’s not what you say, it’s what they hear. I guess that applies to editorial writings as well!

If you want to take a look, check out this website http://tinyurl.com/abu4uf. And make a comment.