Archive for January, 2012
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Tuesday, January 31st, 2012Great Speech, Poor Nonverbal Communication
Thursday, January 19th, 2012Ric Elias gives a nearly great speech here, he has a strong attention-getter, a lot of wonderful stories, and a strong call to action, but, unfortunately, that work is undercut by lackluster non-verbal communication; a downward vocal inflection style (especially toward the end of the speech), and uninspired movement.
Ric starts with a rousing attention-getter, he tells the audience about the sensory experience of being on the plane that crashed in the Hudson River. There are many great details here, the sound of “no sound” as the plane’s engines are cut, the look of terror in the eyes of a stewardess, the thoughts that flashed through his mind as he braces for impact. There is also an excellent call to action at the end of the speech, a detail that many speakers leave out. All speeches should strive to create some change in the audience and here Ric challenges the audience to imagine as if they had only moments to live, and to think about what they might change. This is wonderfully creative.
But, alas, Ric appears a little bit out-of-gas. He shuffles somewhat listlessly, and gestures without much intention. He allows his pitch to descend at the end of some sentences.
If you are feeling a little lethargic before a speech, try something simple…like push-ups! Sound crazy? It’s not. Even a few push ups will get the blood flowing, and perhaps enliven your body. If you have a downward inflection style, work with a coach or colleague on your presentation and make sure to lift the last syllable in each sentence.
Keep in mind 80% of our impression of a speaker is nonverbal! If you feel your presentation style could use some work, give me a buzz, and let’s set up a free 20 minute consultation.
Video Blog Tips for Spanish, Russian and Indian ESL Students
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
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Q and A Technique and The Republican Presidential Debates
Friday, January 6th, 2012Let’s look at the Republican presidential contenders from a public speaking perspective; how did they do as speakers during the debates?
As the video above shows, there was a wide variety of talent on display. Politics aside, I think Gingrich is far and away the best speaker of the bunch. Gary Johnson had perhaps the best punch line of the debates (“My next door neighbor’s two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than the current administration.”), but Gingrich can pull together stories, quotes, statistics, comparisons and contrasts effortlessly, and convey his point with conviction with almost every question he answers. Herman Cain, on the other hand, was often vague during the debates, offering up platitudes instead of meaningful details.
In the video above, watch the way Gingrich uses the Carter administration as a metaphor for the current administration, and slips in a witty, sly quote from Ronald Reagan to make his point about the need for reform.
Say what you will about him politically (full disclosure, his politics aren’t mine), but Newt Gingrich is perhaps one of the world’s best debaters.