Whether you like his politics or not, it’s hard to argue that Bill Clinton knows how to give a speech. While Ronald Reagan has been touted as the Great Communicator, Bill Clinton was his equal on stage and with a microphone. They’ve met their match! Joe Biden brought the house down. In comparison, he even made Bill Clinton seem like an average speaker. Joe did everything right: • Opening that was real—not histrionic. • Meaningful stories and quotes from his mother: “Joey, God sends no cross you cannot bear.” • A glimpse into his nightly ride home, thinking about the people whose homes he passed. o Almost every night, I take the train home to Wilmington, sometimes very late. As I look out the window at the homes we pass, I can almost hear what they’re talking about at the kitchen table after they put the kids to bed. • Instead of reciting a list of issues that they might be discussing, he used the words they might be saying around the kitchen table: o “Should mom move in with us now that dad is gone?” o “Fifty, sixty, seventy dollars to fill up the car?” o “Winter’s coming. How we gonna pay the heating bills?” o “Another year and no raise?” o “Did you hear the company may be cutting our health care?” o “Now, we owe more on the house than it’s worth. How are we going to send the kids to college?” o “How are we gonna […]
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If you love Hillary, she gave a great speech and you’d give her an A +. If you really dislike Hillary, she gave a horrible speech and you’d give her an F. If you are an executive speech coach and can approach her dispassionately and ignore the content of her speech, you’d say she was an average politician. This blog is non-political. It is based on my experiences with speakers from around the world. To keep this an assessment of style—not substance—I look at the overall stage presence, voice quality, variety of vocal pacing and projection, and techniques to make it memorable (such as humor, repetitive phrases, call backs, visuals, analogies, examples, stories.) So here’s my grade for her tonight: C. Here are the notes on various style points that all speakers can learn from: 1. She started out by shouting her words. The pitch was the same. It is very difficult for a woman to pull that off. Hillary can’t. 2. When she did quit shouting and softened her voice, it was much more interesting to listen to, because it allowed her to use a variety of pitches and sound more natural. 3. She spoke too slowly. And the sentences were often the same length, making it often too patterned. 4. Great memories of the people she met along the campaign trail. Quick 1 or 2 sentences summaries that got to the heart of the story. “I remember….” is a great technique. It allowed her to list all the […]
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After a magnificent example of great speaking last night (see yesterday’s blog about Michelle Obama), the presentations at the afternoon and early evening sessions of the Democratic National Convention leave much to be desired. Most were average at best. A few were a little better than average and had some good techniques I’ll talk about. But there were some ones that did nothing to add to their political cause. I’ll grade the speakers below, but first here are some hints that you can use in your business presentations: 1. When the crowd is noisy, don’t shout. It won’t help them or you. Use your normal voice and let the microphone do the work. Shrill voices turn people off. 2. Watch what you wear. You don’t have to wear designer clothes, but you should make sure your clothes aren’t wrinkled. And small flowers are not flattering when you’re up in front of a crowd. 3. Tell stories. They grab the attention of everyone, especially if they’re well written. Write them out and edit them. Then practice so you are comfortable. 4. Use pauses. Your listeners need a break. It helps recapture their attention if your voice or words (or their pressing needs) have made them drift away. 5. Blink. It’s unnerving to watch someone stare at a TelePrompTer without blinking. It’s the deer in the headlights look. Creepy and very unnatural. Here are a few critiques: The announcer needs to learn how to pronounce “commemorative.” When she asked people to turn […]
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Michelle Obama Speech Expert Grade: A+ WOW! Warmth, brains, beauty, substance, storytelling, repetitive phrasing, good use of Teleprompters. You name it, Michelle Obama displayed it. None of the shouting, trying to get the crowd into a false frenzy, staring at the Prompter….or any of the common mistakes that will be shown over and over at these conventions. HINT: Notice how Michelle used details to make her stories come alive. She told of her dad using 2 canes to walk cross the room to kiss her mom. Can’t you just picture that? It’s the details that make you feel as if you are in the same place, living the experience. My Dad was our rock. Although he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion, our hero. As he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, it took him longer to get dressed in the morning. But if he was in pain, he never let on. He never stopped smiling and laughing – even while struggling to button his shirt, even while using two canes to get himself across the room to give my Mom a kiss. He just woke up a little earlier, and worked a little harder. HINT: Notice how she subtly closed her eyes at one point, as if to think and imagine what she was going to say. This was a technique, because it was already written out. But she used this so naturally, I almost thought she […]
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Business people can learn a lot about speaking in front of large crowds this week and next. The Democratic and Republican national conventions show the best…and the worst…techniques that speakers use. As an executive speech coach, I will be analyzing the speeches from the perspective of WHAT BUSINESS PEOPLE CAN APPLY to their own presentations at work. This is a non-political blog. There will be good and bad examples from each side of the political fence. My purpose is to point out the mistakes that you won’t want to make when you get up to speak. I’ll also point out some of the techniques that are good to use in the business world. Please feel free to comment. If you’d like an expert assessment of your speaking style, drop me an email at Jean@Real-Impact.com.
Continue reading "Speaking to Large Crowds: Lessons Learned by Watching the Political Conventions"
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When the Democratic National Convention began, it got off to a good start–speech wise. In most years, the speakers that go on during the afternoon are usually the weaker ones–while the stars are on in prime time. But the good start was quickly shown to be a tease and the speakers for several hours reverted to speaking styles that tempt you to turn off the TV or walk out of the room. Here are a few comments on things we can learn. I’ll try to attach the videos of these segments when they become available. John Hickenlooper Mayor of Denver, Colorado Speech Expert Assessment: Grade: C Like many people, he started off his speech like a racehorse, speaking quickly. The result–he got tongue tied several times and flubbed his lines. It happens to us all. HINT: To overcome messing up your words, slow down your pace. When he did slow down, he had no problems. HINT: To ensure you don’t start your speech like a racehorse, write “S_L_O_W” at the top of your 1st page…and later, if this is an issue for you. Joe Baca, Member of US House of Representatives, California Speech Expert Assessment: Grade: D – Anyone who gets this big a stage needs to learn to pronounce the words—especially the candidate’s name. 3 times he called him Barack Barama. He also became very patterned in his delivery. Say 5 words and pause. Say 5 words and pause. Say 5 words and pause. HINT: To ensure you are […]
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