The Press and the Presidency

It's not everyday that three award-winning national journalists come to Wayne State University to discuss the role of the media and presidency.  This Tuesday, October 24th, from 1-4 pm, Devin Scillian, WDIV anchor, will be moderating this event on the Wayne State campus.  Try to attend if you can. It's one thing to flip channels and see opposing viewpoints.  It should be more interesting to see the sparring in person.

Public Speaking Lessons from New/Digital Media

Digital Media.  New Media.  I find the terms confusing but I love learning about this concept.

Wayne State University has a minor in New Media and here's a short description of the coursework from their website:

Interested in new/emerging media and technology? The new media minor may be perfect for you. The Department of Communication created the minor in new/emerging media for the consideration of all students at Wayne State. Expertise in new and emerging media enhances any major. Expand your comprehension of contemporary communication practices — including digital, mobile and social media — while learning some of the most effective ways to interact in this continuously evolving environment. Focus on both critical and creative tools across disciplines to build upon your specific goals and interests.

How does this relate to Good 'Ol Public Speaking?  At the very least, it seems that we are much more likely to rely on new media to obtain information than in attending a live public presentation.  On the other hand, new media gives us access to live public presentations from all around the world either live or shortly thereafter.  In turn, if we pull off a smashing public presentation we now have the capabilities to self publish that online and it could even go viral.

So when Jason Kristufek, a digital editor at the Post and Courier in Charleston, was available to speak to my class, I jumped at it.  Yes, he works at a newspaper.   But it seems that when he looks at stories for publication, he looks at them the same way I do when I look at a presentation topic.  He asks himself:  how can we get the audience to interact with this story?  He talked with us about the importance of story telling and of finding a variety of ways for our audience to interact with our stories. In other words, it's all about making the story relevant and compelling to the audience.  While he may consider whether that's through an online documentary or a podcast, I pester my students to find ways to make their live, spoken words come alive for their audiences.

If a digital storyteller is thinking of ways to interact with the audience, shouldn't a live and in person storyteller do the same?  Many times presenters shy away from asking for a show of hands.  Or requesting a volunteer from the audience.  Or inviting someone to offer an example.  But if audiences can have more interaction on a digital platform than in a live setting, do we run the risk that audiences will stop showing up?

Communication is as old as time.  But whether writing on a cave wall, standing on a box in the town square, delivering newspapers door to door,  or scrolling through your Facebook, in many ways it hasn't changed much at all:  the audience wants to be involved and to feel relevant.

Profanity? Know Your Audience!

I'm trying something a little different this semester in my Oral Communications class at Wayne State University.  Students are being asked to attend public speaking events on or around campus so that they can learn from presenters with various communication styles.   Mort Meisner of Mort Meisner Associates was speaking on campus to students majoring in Public Relations and so I alerted my students about this opportunity.  I was even lucky enough to be able to attend his presentation myself.

Mort is a real pro when it comes to delivering presentations.  He is dynamic, conversational and a natural story teller.  He encouraged questions throughout his talk and handled them with skill and honesty.

His message was direct:  be persistent in forging relationships with people in the industry.  He cautioned the students that they needed to be ready to go to any lengths to meet people and ask for career assistance.  He advised them to "do everything but stalk, or else you are being lazy."

Mort has a direct, flamboyant and colorful manner of presenting.  But he didn't use profanity in his colorful stories.  At least not until he did one thing first.

At the most dramatic part of one of his many stories, Mort stopped and asked the audience of college students a question.  He asked if they were bothered by profanity.  Nobody was.  But then Mort asked the audience that question a second time - wanting to make sure that nobody would be offended by the words he was about to say.

Knowing his audience, Mort probably guessed nobody would object.  Profanity is much more prevalent in society today than when I was an undergraduate.  But kudos to him for checking - not once, but twice - before continuing on with the story.

Was the profanity absolutely necessary to understanding the message?  Probably not.  But it did convey to the audience that he was passionate about helping those who are just starting out in the field.  The use of profanity was deliberate and appropriate.  It never hurts to ask first.

It's all in your hands

I don't like it when presenters hold an electronic device when they are speaking. There.  I said it.  Call me old fashioned.  Call me old. Ostensibly speakers who are doing this are using the device as a note card.  I think what they're actually doing is sending a message to their audience to check their phones.

A laundry detergent brand had this great commercial a few years ago in which someone went for a job interview with a stain on his shirt.  The interviewer was so distracted by the stain, that she could barely maintain attention to what the interviewee was saying.  The commercial turned the stain into a talking stain because just the appearance of the stain created a lot of interference or noise for the interviewer.

Cell phones are ubiquitous.  Every public speaker is in competition with the cell phones that their audience members hold in their hands or have in their pockets, their purses, or on their laps.   Why send an unintentional message to your audience reminding them of their cell phones?  I don't think there's any reason good enough to do so.

Studies show that the act of writing things down can help you remember them.  Writing or typing out note cards with key words will aid in your retention of the information.  Presenters do not spend enough time preparing or rehearsing as it is so taking the time to write out note cards is the least they should aim to do.

In addition, too many things can and do go wrong when giving a presentation.  Batteries can die.  Items can be dropped and damaged.  Take the time to create legible note cards on sturdy paper and be sure to number them in case they get shuffled up.

My undergraduate students will often tell me that they hope they will become such proficient presenters that they will no longer need note cards.  I disagree with that goal.  Key words can help you stay on track and your thoughts in order and yet you will still be able to maintain eye contact with your audience.

Consider going back to paper note cards if you haven't in a while.  The next time you take the podium, the audience doesn't need one more reminder that something interesting might be happening on their phone. 
 

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.

Breaking the Ice

I recently talked about Oral Communication with Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University.

The Department Chair, Dr. George Corcoran, did a wonderful job making me feel welcome.  We did a kind of impromptu warm-up act for the students as they made their way into the classroom.  I was trying to learn the students' names but was having difficulty since they were unfamiliar names to me.  I shared with them how difficult it is to retain information that is completely foreign and that it took me quite a few times of being exposed to my own son's name (Nadim) until I could remember it easily.

We joked around with the students about whether Dr. Corcoran should introduce me or not, since it is common for introductions to be bungled.  So instead, he asked if he could share a tie story with the students.  I took a seat and gladly agreed.  It's always a treat to see how other speakers handle a room.

He launched right into a short description of the tie he was wearing - it was a Jerry Garcia tie and he explained who Jerry Garcia is and then even talked about whether or not the tie even coordinated with his outfit.  It seems that Dr. Corcoran has an impressive tie collection and that he makes a point of beginning his classes by talking about the uniqueness or origin of the tie he is wearing that day.

It's a great idea to have a fall-back plan on how to begin a class or presentation.  One of my colleagues in Communication at Wayne State University opens his classes by asking the students what they have been following in the news that week.  I frequently ask an attendance question, a simple question that can be answered easily by the students as I call their names and take attendance.

When you are ready to get down to the business of talking about your topic, a speaker should launch right in and begin with a compelling attention getting device.  But before that, it's a great idea to break the ice a bit with the audience, set the tone, or give them a chance to participate in some small way.  You may not have an exhaustive collection of ties, but a few go-to questions or anecdotes come in handy when you are establishing rapport with an audience.

Is a fear of public speaking hold you back?

I was making small talk with someone recently and when she found that I teach public speaking, she told me about her 8th grade daughter who wanted to run for student council but wouldn't if it meant she had to give a speech in front of the whole school.

I frequently draw analogies between public speaking and swimming.  A fear of water can be psychologically devastating, inconvenient and even dangerous.   A fear of public speaking can mean that you are opting out of important personal and professional opportunities because you will do anything not to speak in front of a group.

Take a few minutes to watch this video about how a young man overcame his fear of water.  He made a significant investment of time and money to obtain private instruction over a three week period but it did pay off.  He can now go in the water and even float and swim.

There is no substitute for repeated exposure, practice, constructive feedback and more practice if you want to overcome a fear of speaking in public. Doing so will allow you to embrace opportunities that you have been avoiding.  What do you have to lose?