One of the best ways to prepare for a media interview or a speech is to bring in an independent person, not for the whole training or rehearsal, but just to listen to one sample speech or interview. Over time, all participants including the speaker, his/her assistants, and even trainers like me develop biases and perspectives on the material under discussion. And if we don’t develop biases, then we are sometimes perceived as biased.
Archive for December, 2006
Outsider’s Perspective
Friday, December 8th, 2006When to Admit Mistakes
Wednesday, December 6th, 2006Most speakers go to one of two extremes when it comes to making mistakes in front of audiences. 1. Instantly calling attention to mistakes by apologizing, wincing, and generally beating yourself up, or 2. Putting on a front of perfection and denying that you have ever made a mistake about anything, ever, under any circumstances.
In the first case, your audience is distracted not by your mistakes, but by your reaction to your own mistakes. You slow down the presentation because audience members are now focusing on your reaction to your own mistakes. You might get points for humility, but you lose points because fewer messages are delivered.
Avoiding Bad Public Speaker Stereotypes
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006No one wants to be the victim of a bad stereotype, but sometimes we bring it on ourselves. No, I don’t mean a racial or ethnic stereotyping; I mean a bad speaker stereotype.
Are you guilty of acting like the Pompous Pontificating Professor?
You are if you have three or more “yes†answers to the following questions:
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Do you start off your presentation by outlining your presentation, as if people were writing down everything you said in preparation for a non-existent final exam?
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Do you like to use big words?
Lost In Translation II
Monday, December 4th, 2006Imagine you are giving a major speech half way across the world to a group of business leaders and experts—but they only speak Japanese, and you only speak English. What do you do?
Obviously, you have to use an interpreter, but how will this affect how you prepare and deliver your presentation? Here is the common reaction:
“I have to read the speech word-for-word from a prepared text; otherwise the interpreter won’t be able to keep up. My hands are tied on this one.â€
Wrong!
Renewing Speech Content
Friday, December 1st, 2006I’ve talked in the past about the problem of speakers who give a great presentation in front of one audience and get a fantastic connection with that audience. Then, the speaker goes to a different audience with the task of communicating the same message. But instead of using the successful pre-tested material, the speaker throws out all of the old stuff and comes up with new material on the spot—and it isn’t very good. In this case, the speaker should have stuck with the proven stories, anecdotes, and content for the audience.