Politics aside, I think this is a brilliant speech. Very concise, short, and creative. And silent! Yes, silent. The lesson learned here is to think outside the box with your presentations or speeches, and take chances.
Too often, we start our presentations by directing the audience’s gaze at our Powerpoint presentation, and reading a litany of numbers, forgetting thatwe are the presentation, and that a great presenter should interpret the numbers in an entertaining way, and if appropriate, have a call to action.
What do you think? Inspired or Inane?
Click here for my May “Language of Leadership” seminar co-hosted with Colleen Culley from Move into Greatness!
Laurie Santos, head of the Comparative Cognition Lab at Yale University, gives a great speech here on the roots of human irrationality. The study itself is inspired and creative (she compares human economic behavior to monkey behavior), so a lot of the work for the speech has been done before she steps on stage. That being said, I think Ms. Santos excels at conveying passion and enthusiasm for her subject. I can hear you now: “But Jeff, that can’t be taught”. Au Contraire, yes it can. It’s quite simple if you follow an important guideline: Only speak about topics you enjoy speaking about, and add interest to a speech (quotes, stories, comparisons, contrasts) when your subject is boring you. Ambivalence about your topic is to be avoided at all costs. In this speech, Ms. Santos uses a great quote from Hamlet to humorous effect, and adds interest to an already engrossing topic.
There are two other things Ms. Santos does well; she does not over rely on her Power Point presentation, and she ends her speech on a positive note. Going negative is the cardinal sin of public speaking technique, and she avoids it well, coming to a nice, definitive conclusion.
If I were to quibble a bit with her technique, I would suggest that she could slow down, and breathe more. There are moments when she appears to be a little out of breath. Slowing down, and deliberately breathing more will help her calm her nerves, and will allow the audience to catch up with her ideas.
Overall, however, I consider this a job well done.
