The Elephant in the Room

I love it when popular magazines discuss the techniques of effective presenters.  Inc. recently did a quick analysis of a Sheryl Sandberg presentation that has been making its way around the internet.  You can view the actual presentation by going to The Wall Street Journal's clip here and then read the analysis.

Deborah Grayson Riegel does a great job breaking down some of the basics of public speaking for Inc. readers. She points out how Sandberg ties her remarks to what's on the audience's mind:  the Harvey Weinstein scandal.  It seems like an obvious thing to do, but my undergraduate students at Wayne State University often struggle with this.  I often tell them:  if you're giving a presentation on thunderstorms and you find yourself presenting to a group while a thunderstorm is raging outside, it's going to seem odd if you don't reference it.

Saturday Night Live used to have a recurring skit in which Bar Mitzvah Boy was so intent on sticking to his prepared script that he couldn't even answer simple questions that Seth Myers asked.  Rather, Bar Mitzvah Boy would nervously return to his prepared remarks, leaving the obvious question hanging in the air.

Try having the flexibility and confidence to be in the moment and improvise ever so slightly to tie your message to the obvious, the unavoidable, and the now.

Better Without the Sound

I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a video playing, without the sound.  At first I thought it was a late night host doing a monologue. It looked like Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel standing in front of one of their brightly colored sets.  The hand gestures and body mannerisms were confident and casual.  Like a performer. 

I did a double take.  It was actually Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in front of the crowd gathered at the opening of the 2017 Invictus Games.

I clicked on it so that I could hear the sound.  And I didn't like what I heard.  He was speaking in English when the sound came on and his voice sounded high pitched and thin.  Or maybe it just sounded artificial to me - like he was trying to rev up the crowd by speaking more loudly.  I'm used to listening to Trudeau speak to either a smaller gathering or in a recorded video message while seated and speaking to a camera.  It was my first time hearing Trudeau as he tried to rally a crowd of thousands in a large arena.

When he switched to French, the timber of his voice didn't appear as high but I admit it was probably my own bias since I couldn't understand the French.  You can listen to his remarks here.

It's not advisable to try to lower your voice by projecting from the lower part of your throat.  This can be damaging to your vocal cords.  Rather, by practicing on breathing from your diaphragm (and not your chest), you can ever so slightly lower your pitch.  Aside from that, it is always best to use your natural voice and to make sure you are injecting your words with expression and warmth.

Yes, I'm probably being overly critical, but I think I prefer his voice when he's not trying to shout. But I would still give him a passing grade.

Is A Speech Ever Just A Speech?

First Lady Melania Trump spoke at a UN event last week.  I haven't listened to the whole speech yet, but it's widely available.  Clocking in at 7 minutes, it's probably too long for the average person to view in its entirety.  Our attention spans are just not that long as we multitask and try to glean information quickly from our phones.  Instead, in this age of social media, people tend to prefer to look at memes and think they know the whole story.  You can view the speech here and also read about the latest pseudo-scandal:  Did Melania Trump plagiarize Michele Obama yet again?

No, she didn't.  Snopes, as usual, does an excellent job debunking this.

So why can't we just leave Melania Trump alone?  Will she ever be able to just give a speech and have it stand on its own merits?  Probably not.  Viewers will always bring with them the context with which they view the speaker.  And most people have already formed their opinions of the Trumps.  And the fact that many feel President Trump is a bully will interfere with their ability to hear Melania's message on the topic of online bullying.  Many will conclude that Melania does not have the credibility to speak on this topic and will dismiss her remarks out of hand.

Giving a speech isn't a magic act.  It can't erase context, impressions, actions or history.  Remember that the next time you are crafting a speech that you hope will allow you to change your image.  One speech is probably not enough.

Melania Trump, like any one of us, is a complex person.  I don't think she is all good or all evil.  Don't be surprised if she is the topic of future blog posts.