Enunciate and Emphasize

Most of us have seen the shows Shark Tank or Dragon's Den.  It's fun to watch other people pitch their ideas for a business and see if they get any bites, or funders.

At a recent conference, MOVE 2017, non-profit leaders were given the opportunity to work on their own pitches to prospective funders and then receive feedback on how effective they were and how to improve. 

Lots of useful advice was given to the non-profit leaders.  But the recurring advice that I kept hearing was that the pitches needed to do a better job enunciating or emphasizing the names of the organizations.

Audience members need help catching and remembering new and unfamiliar names and terms.  And when there's not an accompanying handout or presentation aid, it's even trickier to understand and remember the name.  I noticed that most of the pitches only mentioned the organization's name once.  If the funders didn't catch it then, they were out of luck.  Repetition is good in public speaking.  Find ways to work in the organization's name a couple of times, particularly at the beginning.

One presenter went one better:  before she began speaking, she handed each of the panelists one of her business cards.  The funders loved that and the rest of the presenters quickly followed suit.

Take advantage of the first time you say your organization's name.  Say it distinctly and clearly.  Pause right before you state the name for emphasis.  Find a way to work that name in at least one more time, even in a one to two minute pitch.  And while handouts can be distracting, if you can't use a presentation aid, consider handing out a business card or flier either before you begin or right after.  

Is it ever okay to threaten an audience member?

Yep, if you're Charlie LeDuff.

Metro Detroiters know Charlie from his spots on Fox2 Detroit.  He's a no-nonsense theatrical investigative reporter who is not afraid to get into people's faces and ask difficult questions.  You either love him or hate him.  And so when he spoke recently at a Friends of the Berkley Public Library event, the audience knew what to expect.  And he didn't disappoint.

Charlie was a rambling and spontaneous speaker who definitely became more effective as he got warmed up.  Eager to share his experiences, it was as if he didn't know how to fit it all in.  But what was most remarkable to me was how he interacted with the audience.  Charlie knows how to mind his manners, even when peppering his remarks with profanity.  He has a gift for connecting with every person, always asking people their names.  And so when one particular audience member kept yelling out to to him, Charlie just let him speak and even asked him questions about himself and his background.

The disrupter was seated toward the back, a middle aged man in a wheel chair.  While event organizers were wondering whether they should intervene, Charlie signaled to them to let the man speak.  And he did.  And Charlie improvised.

At one point Charlie asked the man what his physical ailment was that put him in a wheelchair.  I was holding my breath.  It just reminded me too much of when Kanye West ordered an audience member to stand with the rest of the crowd, even though he was in a wheel chair.

But Charlie's a pro and he masterfully managed to engage with the man several different times while continuing on with his points.  And when Charlie had had enough, he finally yelled out, "Stop it or I'll boot your ass out out of here!"  And you know what?  It worked.  The crowd laughed and the man piped down.

Event organizers should always be prepared to step in and quiet a disruptive audience member.  Most presenter need that assistance.  If you are ever interrupted by an audience member, a direct and firm "That's a great question and I'll be happy to address that after my prepared remarks" will usually do the trick.  Sometimes, an additional "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to let me finish my remarks before I can address that" is needed as well.

But if you've built up good will with the audience and have the persona of a Charlie LeDuff, you can veer away from the textbook advice and have a little fun. 

Ever heard of Harvey Weinstein?

On October 5, 2017 the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke and it remains in the news as of the publishing of this blog posting.  A timeline of the events can be found here and related scandals can be found here.  So imagine my surprise when I attended an event just last week and heard a man at the podium use the following line as an ice breaker:

"A man's speech is like a woman's dress.  The shorter the better."

When I heard this I exchanged a concerned look with my dining companion but I'm not sure how many people noticed the inappropriateness of this remark.  A few minutes later, another speaker took the podium, this time a woman,  and she jokingly referred to the length of her own skirt in an apparent nod to the earlier speaker's comment. 

I get it.  Sometimes we search the web for a throwaway line or icebreaker to begin our remarks.  If it's related to public speaking or self deprecating, all the better.  But for heaven's sake, take a second look at something before you include it in your next presentation.  Even though this particular quote is a variation of Winston Churchill's, it doesn't make it right.