Monthly Archives: November 2011

The Gaffe: A Trap Waiting for All Speakers

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The word "gaffe" seems to be in print in increasing numbers. When you participate in political campaigns or when any person speaks frequently and is followed by the press, the possibility for gaffes is great. A gaffe is an embarrassing mistake you make in public. Another definition is a blatant mistake or misjudgment, or a social or diplomatic blunder.

History has a litany of gaffes. George Romney, father of Mitt, was a leading contender for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination until September 4, 1967, when he told a Detroit reporter that he had been "brainwashed" by American generals into supporting the Vietnam War effort. His candidacy never recovered.

On the campaign trail in Beaverton, Oregon, in May, 2008, then Senator Obama said, "Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states?  I think one left to go." This definitely fit the "blatant mistake" definition of gaffe.

Most recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, debating in Rochester, Michigan, on November 9 declared that he planned to eliminate three government agencies in Washington. But when he began to explain, he could only think of two and after nearly a minute went by he had to say, "Sorry. Oops."  This lapse on national television did not help his candidacy.

What can you do to avoid the gaffe? Certainly you could just not speak in public. But that is not a practical solution. The key is appropriate preparation of what you plan to say—even if you do not know the questions or context you might be in.

Prepare yourself physically. Get enough sleep the night before you speak and eat healthy foods. The campaign trail, for example, is exhausting and can hinder the ability to think clearly. In the l952 gubernatorial campaign of Frank Clement of Tennessee, he spoke as many as 16 times a day in the last days of the campaign. Exhaustion was inevitable. JFK in the 1960 campaign spoke so often he had chronic laryngitis and had to seek speech therapy help and skip a few crucial campaign days to recover.

Think about questions that may be asked of you and how you will answer them. If you know your subject well and how it relates to current situations, you can anticipate many of the questions so you won't be caught off guard. According to a book by Dan Rather, The Camera Never Blinks, prior to a press conference President Kennedy would call in his White House staff to grill him on questions the press would probably ask. Thus he was rarely blindsided when speaking to the public.

Don't be afraid to pause a moment or two when asked a question. Those 2 or 3 seconds give you valuable time to consider your response. Don't just blurt out anything that comes to mind as soon as the question is asked. What you say cannot be taken back, so the few seconds to think can save you embarrassment and a loss of credibility.

Finally, don't talk too much. Keep your comments short and concise. Don't take a minute to give an opinion when you could say the same information is ten seconds. The longer you elaborate the more possibilities you have for committing a gaffe. As my mother-in-law used to say, "Don't tell all you know." 

The gaffe is inevitable if you speak frequently and over a long period of time. Whatever technique you incorporate, at the foundation of our approach should be the reminder from Robert Benchley, "Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing."

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 and coaches local executives. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

Hyperbole: Making a Point Memorable

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            A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration to make a point. For example, my father was very quiet and rarely joined family conversations. My mother would get frustrated with his behavior and would often say, "Paul never opens his head!"  When I think of someone speaking little, I think of this hyperbole. That is why the hyperbole is so powerful in a speech. You want to have lines that make people remember your point.

            In a speech to the Nobel Prize winners in 1962, President Kennedy said, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of human talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House—with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."  As you can determine from this example, hyperbole is often humorous as well, which adds to the impact of the point.

            Watching Alan Alda in the movie, "Tower Heist," reminded me of his autobiography, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, when he was describing a movie flop he made. Note the hyperbole: "We finished the picture, and it was released directly into obscurity. I heard that it played on an airplane over Pittsburgh, and I imagined people strapping on parachutes and jumping to get away from it."

            You can certainly find examples on the internet that you might borrow, but developing your own hyperboles is a great way to show your uniqueness in a speech

            The hyperbole is especially valuable to show how important an idea is, or, in the Alan Alda example, how bad something was. To show extremes and to add punch to your next presentation, think about using the hyperbole. I’ve acquired millions of fans just by using a clever hyperbole!

Coaching for a Specific Presentation

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Last week an article in the Wall Street Journal, "Improving Your, Um, You Know, Public Speaking,”  caught my eye. Several speech coaches/consultants were interviewed on how to improve one's presentation skills, making excellent suggestions. One method not mentioned is coaching for a specific presentation.

            In my thirty years of coaching/consulting one-on-one, one of the most effective and challenging situations is the executive who comes to me for help on a specific presentation he/she is delivering within a few weeks or days. This session is effective because with the presentation so close at hand the client has great motivation to practice. The coaching is challenging because of the urgency to be excellent both in delivery and content. Usually a part of the content does not fit or sound right; if so, I can give an objective reaction to the speaking situation since I am responding for the first time. I put myself in the audience and provide input that can be implemented immediately.

            One executive whom I have met with several times over the past decade is an excellent speaker, but he feels that one coaching session a couple of weeks ahead of a specific speaking occasion gives him an edge. He realizes that one tip or an addition or omission of one sentence can make the difference in a good presentation and an excellent one.

            Today's technology allows high-quality filming and minimal equipment for the one-on-one session. I use a flip camera and a small tripod and then play it back on my laptop. I often email the piece to the client to watch the clips several times before the speaking engagement.

            This coaching session just prior to the engagement gives realism to the situation that allows me to suggest a current event that might give the content more relevance. The speaker is often aware of a less than interesting section that must be included and seeks help on a story or one liner to give the point a little "oomph."

            Sometimes we may go over one section several times and play back each time to see places to improve or change content. The client is very willing to do this because of the importance of the material and the upcoming event.

            Usually by this time the client knows what proceeds or follows his/her presentation so we can work on ways to transition to the presentation or to have a stronger ending because of what follows the presentation. For example, if the speech is just before lunch, you might have an ending that easily transitions into lunch. If the speech is first on the agenda after lunch, you might want to have more punch in the opening ten minutes because the audience may be a little lethargic after eating a full meal.

            Any coaching session is going to be useful. However, a coaching session in preparation for a specific occasion gives the coach and client opportunities to improve that are not afforded when you are working on presentation skills in general.

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 and coaches local executives. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

Choose the BEST Word!

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Earl Nightingale said, "If our vocabulary is limited, then our thinking will be limited." One way that we can continually become better presenters is to increase the amount and quality of our vocabulary. Words can cause problems.

In a rural part of my home state of Indiana there is the story of Ida Sue who passed away, so her husband Johnny called 911. The 911 operator told Johnny that she would send someone out right away. “Where do you live?" asked the operator. Johnny replied, "At the end of Eucalyptus Drive." The operator asked, "Can you spell that for me?"

There was a long pause and finally Johnny said, "How 'bout if I drag her over to Oak Street and you pick her up there?"

Johnny's problem was spelling the word, but we may need a different word because we can't pronounce easily the word that first comes to mind. An expanded vocabulary can help get around that problem. I've always found the word "statistics" difficult to pronounce, so I will usually say "numbers" instead.

Ideas can be clearer and more vivid when you pay more attention to your vocabulary. Instead of saying "I was confused," you might instead use words like "bewildered," "mystified," or "flummoxed."   Use thesaurus.com or some similar resource to add to the quality of your vocabulary.

Practice new words in conversation and you will more likely start to use them in your presentations. I remember a friend who would try to use a new word in morning staff meetings and in office conversations. He would write the word on a Post-It and then try to use it several times that day. I'm sure his staff picked up on that and would guess what his new word for the day was.

You can subscribe to  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day  and learn the definition of the word for that day. Think about how you might incorporate the word in your message. Today's word is "onomatopoeia." In telling a story during a presentation, you might use onomatopoeia, as in words such as “hiss” and “dazzle.” If you want to use the word itself, you might stress that onomatopoeia draws the listener in when the word reflects the sound it refers to.

Work on your next presentation or conversation by developing your vocabulary. As Joseph Conrad wrote, "Words have set whole nations in motion…Give me the right word and the right accent and I will move the world.”