It’s that time of year again! What time? you ask. It’s the time of year I celebrate my birthday by doing the same number of push ups that equal the year I’m celebrating. It seemed like a good idea when I turned 30, but I’m guessing I’m going to have to look for a new way to celebrate sometime soon. The challenge this year is to do 40 consecutive push ups. The outlook is bleak.
I don’t want to repeat last year’s list, so I’ve come up with a new list … 40 Fatal Public Speaking Mistakes. It’s not that the mistakes will kill you, but they will definitely hurt your presentation. Read more »
On my most recent trip to Whole Foods, I came face to face with a huge display of free, organic orange samples. I used the tongs on the display to get a piece of orange and bit into it. It was the sweetest orange I had ever tasted. It was so good I couldn’t help myself and I quickly took another sample. After a couple more “samples”, I pulled myself away from the display and went about my shopping.
Every time I looked back, I would see someone else try a piece of the orange. I would try to catch their eyes and let them know that I had shared in the same sweetness they were now experiencing. The orange was that good!
After picking up what I had originally gone to the store for, I went back, grabbed an orange and put it in my cart. The little samples were so good, I couldn’t possibly leave without buying one. As it turns out, I should have bought a few, because I gulped down the orange before I even made it back to my car.
What does this have to do with giving a speech? Read more »
With so many things to do and so little time to do them, we’re always looking for good time-saving tips and techniques. But there are times when saving time can cost you in the long run. I’m not saying that the long way is the best way, but shortcuts aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. This is especially true when you’re talking about being effective in the areas of life that matter most. Read more »
When you look back at 2009, what will you remember most?
Will it be an amazing vacation?
A mind-numbing move?
The purchase of your first house?
The birth of your first child?
The death of a loved one?
The start of a promising relationship?
2009 was a transitional year for me. I moved from my place of birth (Toronto) to the unfamiliar, sunny state of Florida. For the most part, the year has been a blur, but there are moments that will always stand out in my mind. Those moments were significant to me, but they probably wouldn’t mean much to others.
I think the same can be said for the speeches we deliver. Even though we craft a speech that would make Abraham Lincoln proud, everyone in the audience will walk away remembering what is most significant to them personally or professionally.
Maybe it will be your signature story.
Maybe it will be the statistic they weren’t aware of.
Maybe it will be the metaphor that painted the perfect picture.
Maybe it will be a pearl of wisdom that helps them see their challenge from a different perspective.
For every person who listens to your speeches, they will walk away remembering the points that are most significant to them. You may not know the impact you’re making, but every time you give a speech, you have an opportunity to say something that will be exactly what someone in your audience needed to hear … something they will remember most when they look back.
If you don’t know what your audience thinks and feels about your subject, then you only know your subject ‘inside’. Knowing your subject ‘inside out’ means understanding the subject from both points of view.
This short video from Ragan.com is priceless. If speechwriters work for you, please watch this. If you’re a speechwriter, I know you’ll be able to identify with the others in this video.
Let’s put politics aside for a moment, shall we? I know it’s hard to objectively view a speech when the stakes are high, but the purpose of my post isn’t to debate whether President Obama’s decision is right or wrong. Instead, I would prefer to examine the speech from the perspective of an evaluator to determine what worked and didn’t work in the speech. Fair enough? Read more »
In yesterday’s post, I said that Obama’s speech at Fort Hood was not his best ever, but I didn’t say which speech I thought was his best.
Most of Obama’s speeches are good, but his best speeches, in my opinion, were the most difficult to deliver. Back in March of 2008, I wrote a blog post about his speech on race in America. I would rank that as his second best speech.
I think the best speech he ever delivered was his speech in Cairo. If you ignore your feelings about politics, religion etc … and examine the speech strictly from a rhetorical point of view, it was a masterpiece.
I wrote an opinion piece for Ragan.com, but I didn’t share it on my blog. So forgive me for being late. The principles of this speech are timeless. Here’s the article: Read more »
Yes, I’m having a Chris Matthews-chill-running-up-my-leg moment, but sometimes, the man, the moment and the words come together and meet the challenge.
ummm … yeah.
The “Time” article, written by David Von Drehle, painted a more accurate picture of the speech. It also raised some valid points about the difficulty that comes with delivering a speech in this media-heavy generation.
Obama did an excellent job of delivering a difficult speech during difficult circumstances, but I would not say it was his best speech ever.
That’s just my opinion. Watch the speech and tell me what you think.
