What does speaking well in public have to do with leadership? Everything! This weekend I was interviewed by leadership coach Judy Nelson about good and bad speeches and things that leaders can learn to make their communications better. Here’s the link. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/CoachJudyNelson/2009/05/16/Jean-Palmer-Heck-
What makes a good sound-bite? A short concise phrase or sentence that is repeatable. John Lechleiter, CEO of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), used this very good sound-bite in a speech today to the U S Chamber of Commerce : “Encouraging innovation needs to be the purpose of U.S. health care reform – not its victim.” In one sentence, he summed up what his concern is about President Obama’s health care reform principles. The words “innovation,” “purpose,” and “victim” are particularly powerful. He explained the result of innovation in simple to understand statistics: that innovation has helped boost the average American’s life expectancy from 47 to 78 years, a rise of 66 percent over the past century. He called that “unprecedented in human history.” HINT: When you give a speech, make sure you create sound-bites that are repeatable. Can your audiences retell your main point? Give them a sound-bite and they’ll be able to propagate your message. Need help crafting your sound-bites? Drop me an email: Jean@Real-Impact.com.
I heard a very good speaker at a luncheon a few weeks ago, who gave us insights into the economy. CNBC pundit, Joe Battipaglia, was the speaker. A large man with a large personality, his energetic approach, even with the grim news, kept the audience interested. Despite that positive assessment of his speaking style, I still have some comments that could improve his presentation … tips that you can put into use in your speeches, also. He started his presentation with a joke. I really don’t like speeches that begin with jokes. They can put an audience ill at ease. You never know whether it will be funny, edgy, offensive, or delivered poorly. And, unlike Jay Leno, David Letterman and Joe Battipaglia, not everyone can deliver jokes well. Your own stories are better than a canned joke. Later in his presentation he told about some interactions he had with his family about the economy. They were much funnier and captured the audience attention better than his opening remarks. The other public speaking tip that applies to everyone relates to the use of audio visuals. He did not use any, but I wished he would have, especially because of the topic. Joe dealt with very heady issues about the economy. Those in the audience with financial backgrounds were fine with his information, but those in the crowd who did not have that expertise got lost a few times. Some visual aids would have helped the audience retain the information […]
There’s been a lot of talk regarding Barack Obama’s use of TelePrompTers. Many are surprised that he actually uses them in places where it seems like he should be speaking off the cuff. I’m not here to debate that. The purpose of this blog is to give you tips for how you can improve your presentations. And there are times when you might use a TelePrompter. So how can you do it with style? Here are some hints: 1. Reading a teleprompter is like reading a book in many ways, but completely different in others. When you read a book, you occasionally laugh or smile at what you’re reading silently, but most often your face has no expression. When you read a TelePrompTer, you must use expression. It will help your voice and your comfort level. You might pretend you are reading something of interest to a friend of yours. That mental image will help. 2. You set the speed at which the TelePrompTer copy is moved. You do, not the operator. It’s a mistake of amateurs to speed up as the copy speeds up. That results in the operator concurring that you want it to go faster, so they speed up even more. It’s a never-ending process. If the copy is moving too quickly for you, slow down. The operator will adjust accordingly. 3. How do you handle it when a podium has 2 or more TelePrompTers? You should keep your eyes on the first one for an adequate amount of time before […]
I heard a speaker at a United Way Tocqueville Society luncheon yesterday, who gave us insights into the economy. CNBC pundit, Joe Battipaglia, was the speaker. A large man with a large personality, his energetic approach, even with the grim news, kept the audience interested. Despite that positive assessment of his speaking style, I still have some comments that could improve his presentation … tips that you can put into use in your speeches, also. He started his presentation with a joke. I really don’t like speeches that begin with jokes. They can put an audience ill at ease. You never know whether it will be funny, edgy, offensive, or delivered poorly. He did deliver it well. But it was too long. It took several minutes to tell. And the punch line dealt with sex, always a no-no in speaking. Your own stories are better than a canned joke. Later in his presentation he told about some interactions he had with his family about the economy. They were much funnier and captured the audience attention better than his opening remarks. The other public speaking tip that applies to everyone relates to the use of audio visuals. He did not use any, but should have. Joe dealt with very heady issues about the economy. Those in the audience with financial backgrounds were fine with his information, but those in the crowd who did not have that expertise got lost a few times. Some visual aids would have helped the audience […]
Fear of speaking is monumental. You’ve probably read the statistics about how public speaking is dreaded more than death and snakes. A professional colleague of mine has written many blogs on the topic. Some of the experiences I’ve had as a speech coach with clients who were afraid of public speaking are discussed in this blog of SpeakAssured, called Fear of Public Speaking. And if you have a problem with getting up before a group and delivering a presentation, maybe a professional speech coach would have some help for you. I’d love to help. Send me an email at jean@real-impact.com.
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? 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. 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 .) 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. 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 […]
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 […]
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.
Continue reading "On television? Here are some hints on how to look good"
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.
Continue reading "What Speakers Say vs. What Listeners Hear"
Indianapolis Star columnist Matthew Tully has an article in today’s newspaper focusing on the oratorical skills of the Indianapolis mayor. Politicians are often the subject of critiques—on everything from policy to polish. For city bosses, and all elected officials, it’s part of the territory. Constituents are vocal. And their comments can be damaging. But there is another group whose communication skills are also critiqued—bosses in the business world. Their constituents (employees) are also vocal. Maybe not voiced in a newspaper with a circulation of 250,000, but critiqued just the same. And these corporate constituent comments can be just as damaging. People judge their bosses on just about everything. And that includes the way they communicate. Employee comments may come over coffee, during the car pool ride home, in a discussion over the back yard fence, on Face Book, or in a blog. Business leaders–you MUST pay attention to how well you communicate. If you want your company to succeed, you must know how to deliver your message with transparency, polish, honesty & inspiration. Just because no one has dared to tell you to your face what they think of your communication skills, it doesn’t mean you don’t need help in this arena. Matt Tulley recommended that the mayor hire a speech coach. I think business executives would do well to follow the same advice.
Barack Obama once again used his words and poetic style to inspire, motivate and bring together the nation and world as he gave his inaugural address just minutes ago. While it lacked repeatable sound-bites, like Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” there was no mistake that it was time all Americans take a role and imitate the dedicated members of the military in a spirit of service. Positive Things to Glean About Speaking from Obama’s Inaugural Address 1. It was about the audience. (My number one rule of writing speeches.) He used the word “I” only 3 times, while using “we” more than 50. He reminded us of our genetic characteristics, by referring to our ancestors. “For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.” And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today … know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.” 2. It had strong visual imagery. “Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands […]
Continue reading "Obama Delivers Somber, Yet Uplifting Address"
There have been many important speeches from presidents of the United States throughout my career as an executive speech coach. But I’ve never watched one like tonight’s speech by President Bush. It was one of the only presidential speeches that I would categorize as a speech which needed to educate us. Only by educating us, could the president PERSUADE us that his plan was the right one for these dire economic circumstances. Our individual and collective financial futures are at stake and most of us couldn’t tell what a mortgage backed security was if it was Fed Ex-ed to our front door. But mortgage-backed securities, as well as other complex financial terms and issues, needed to be explained to us in simple terms. It could have been done much better. Let’s analyze the speech from the 3 questions I always use with my clients: 1. Has the speaker given us a good road map, so we know where the speech is going? On the whole, Bush’s speech was well organized. He began with a brief overview of the problem and then acknowledged that we citizens wanted to know the answers to 3 questions: How did the US reach this point? How will the proposed financial bailout work? What does it mean to my financial future? Good questions that were repeated each time he got to that section. 2. Are there appropriate “speech landmarks” along the road, so that we can comprehend the information in a way that is memorable? In […]
Continue reading "Bush Needs Visual Aids to Sell Bailout Plan"
Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, took the stage Wednesday night and wowed everyone in her audience, including many watching her on TV—like me. Her speech ranked up there with those of Joe Biden, Fred Thompson and Michele (yes, Michele, not Barack) Obama. Just as Joe Biden set the stakes high for his “boss,” Barack Obama, to overwhelm the audience with substance and style, Palin has set the stakes high for John McCain to take the crowd on a trip into the future of our country. I don’t think Obama’s speech lived up to that. Will McCain’s? Palin showed strength, warmth, and humor in a wonderfully worded speech. Her comments were naturally spoken, not shouted like way too many political speakers. I give her an A++ . HINT: Watch how she uses the teleprompter. Some speakers say a sentence and then turn to the next prompter, say another sentence and turn again. Their patterned action makes them look like robots. Palin gracefully slides between the 3 prompters. HINT: When you write you speech, for the TelePrompTer, put it in 16 point font or 14 point bold font, in upper and lower case letters. The old broadcast standard of writing in all caps is too difficult to read. (I’ll never know why that became a standard.) Also observe Palin’s great facial expression. It adds to the warmth and variety in her voice. As good as she was, her show was stolen by 7-year-old Piper, who, while holding her baby brother […]
Continue reading "Another VP Candidate Hits a Home Run with Speech"
Disclaimer: This is a NON-partisan blog. Its purpose is to point out the good, the bad and the ugly of giving speeches. Day 1 of GOP convention Best speaker: Fred Thompson. Worst speaker: Bill Gross If you have any uncommitted time, google “Fred Thompson’s GOP Convention Speech” and watch it. He is a master, as you might expect from this senator-turned-actor-turned-presidential-candidate-turned-supporting-politician. He gets an A ++. Here are the positives you need to think about in your speeches before large crowds. And some of these pointers might surprise you. 1. He used “but,” “uh,” and “and” throughout his speech. While there are speech coaches worldwide who will tell you to eliminate those words from your speech persona (and I do, too, if they’re an annoying habit) … his speech sounded so conversational with these 3 tiny words included. Reason: There are very few people who never use these words in every day conversation. Surprised? These little touches show humanity. I’d guess that the But’s & And’s were added to the text of his speech. HINT: Very easy to add “but,” “and,” “well,” “so,” & “therefore” to your speech text at the beginning of sentences. The Uh’s were probably a part of his own “acting” technique to make it sound like he was speaking extemporaneously. HINT: It takes practice to be able to use “uh” and “um” effectively to give that effect. 2. He coughed and wiped his lips with his hand. This was good. Surprised? In its analysis, MSNBC made […]
Continue reading "GOP Thompson Demonstrates 9 Speaking Tips"
He was his usual confident, well-spoken, forceful self, but Barack Obama’s speech on tonight did not compare with others he has given before (2004 Democratic Convention), nor was it as memorable as this historic day required. Barack Obama had the 84,000 people at Invesco Field and millions more watching TV or surfing the web in the palm of his hand. And although he is a great speaker, he didn’t do anything memorable or repeatable. The first 15 minutes of Obama’s speech was delivered in the usual political style, a little too strident for my taste. He went on the attack right off the bat. After that long opening rally (tirade if you’re a Republican), he finally allowed the conversational Obama to emerge. He lowered his voice and reminisced about his past and his interaction with people he’s met over 20 years. Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton’s Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of […]
Continue reading "Obama’s Historic Speech Doesn’t Match MLK’s"
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 […]
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 […]
Continue reading "Hillary Clinton Uses Typical Politician Style"
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 […]
Continue reading "Day 2 Speakers Demonstrate How-NOT-to Speak"
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