Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Turtle on the Fence Post

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Alex Haley, author of Roots, kept on the wall of his office a picture of a turtle sitting on a fence. To him, the image held a powerful lesson. His explanation: "If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had some help." 

I think that is especially true of the effective presenter. Becoming a competent presenter requires help. To become effective, you need others to give you feedback and advice on how to improve. This is important because you are not in the audience to hear yourself speak; you have to rely on the feedback of those who listen. Certainly, there is benefit in watching yourself on video, but this is not the same as getting actual audience members telling you what they saw and felt as you were speaking.

If there is not an organized method of audience feedback, then choose someone you know who will be in the audience to critique your speech. If there is a person in the audience who has heard other speakers in the past, ask how you compare to previous ones.

Choose a coach to give you suggestions. This can be a presentations trainer or someone who has heard you speak several times and knows your style and topic well. My wife is an invaluable resource for me. She is willing to give me honest and specific feedback since she has heard me speak a few hundred times. She is especially helpful in vocabulary selection. She can revise the structure and word choice of an idea that usually makes me think, "Why couldn't I have thought of that?"  Your person might be a member of Toastmasters who has had a lot of experience in critiquing speakers.

When you hear an excellent presenter, ask that person who has helped him or her along the way. I guarantee the response will not be, "Oh, I just kept trying different ways until I thought it worked."  Instead there will be a particular person or an audience he or she addressed where the feedback “made me change the way I spoke,” or a name of someone “who made me aware of a few things I had not been doing.”

For example, one of the greatest regional speakers in the 20th century was Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee. His speaking was the subject of my doctoral dissertation many years ago. A major influence on his speaking was his sister, Annabelle.

In addition, a major speechwriter for Ronald Reagan who influenced the content of his speeches was Peggy Noonan, now an author and Wall Street Journal columnist.

Outstanding speakers must have help to achieve excellence. Don't become too caught up in your ability to speak. Remember the turtle on the fence post.Turtle on a post

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

The End of an Era

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            Not many people have a life on network television news at age 92, and yet that is what Andy Rooney has been able to do. Curmudgeon that he is, his ideas were always thought-provoking. He has a communication style that basically says, "Here is my opinion and I don't care how the chips fall."  In addition, he looked at issues in a way no one else had thought about. He was willing to poke holes in our sacred cows.

            One I remember well was shortly after the inauguration of President George W. Bush in 2000. His criticism then was why Presidents always include in their speeches, "God bless America." Not only did President Bush do it in his inaugural address, but Rooney showed  short clips from Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and the Democratic  presidential nominee  that year, Al Gore,  where each had invoked God's blessings. His question was, "Does that mean that God does not bless other countries? Or does that mean He should not bless other countries?”  This was a unique way of saying maybe we use  this phrase  as a trite throw-away line instead of actually thinking of a spiritual experience  that probably does not  fit most  major speech  situations.

            An important point for communicators from Andy is not to speak unless we have a specific point to make. His listeners who heard his commentaries never thought, "I wonder what his point was."  And Andy Rooney never rehashed old stuff. His other lesson for talkers is to speak only when you can add something new or different on the topic.

Strengthening Your Speech by Quoting Others

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When someone says or writes something powerful or memorable, you might think, “Why couldn’t I say it like that?”  Well, you can!  Jot down the quotation and the author. When you want to include that thought, say it exactly as the person expressed the idea so powerfully—and give that person credit for the statement.

          Strengthen your speech by quoting others. As Michel de Montaigne said, “I quote others only the better to express myself.”

            I have found great quotations from all kinds of sources:  from books and speeches to tour guides and my daughter-in-law. Gina has a knack for saying things in unique and memorable ways. One of her great lines is “Never mess with a happy baby.”  Tour guides repeat the same speech several times a day and have learned to hone their spiels. One New Zealand tour guide said as we got off the bus for our first break, “Remember, the difference between a passenger and a hitchhiker is about two minutes.” 

          Beth Vogt posts a daily blog, "In Others' Words," that can supply you with interesting quotations and thoughts to accompany them.

          Always relate the statement to the point you are making. The point should not be the quotation, but rather the quotation should support the point. When I stress the importance of reading books, I quote Descartes, who wrote, “The reading of all good books is like conversations with the finest men and women of past centuries.” 

          Your credibility is critical in speaking. Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing is more confusing than people who give good advice but set bad examples.”  In seeking to help people understand the importance of humor and the lighter side of life, Alan Alda in his autobiographical Never Have Your Dog Stuffed wrote, “The difference between comedy and tragedy is that in a comedy, people usually get what they want; in a tragedy, they get what they deserve.”

          Use a quotation to begin or end a presentation. Use a special statement to help the audience visualize better. Use a line as a change of pace from your own content.

          You may think as you read this, “Well, Steve, this is pretty much just common sense.”  However, as Stephen Covey wrote, “Just because something is common sense does not make it common practice.”