“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, ‘I hear you spoke here tonight.’ ‘Oh, it was nothing,’ I replied modestly. ‘Yes,’ the little old lady nodded, ‘That’s what I heard.’”
President Gerald Ford
Greetings once again. No, Jerry Ford wasn’t a great orator. But he was gracious and self-confident enough to be candid about it. Sadly, though, when it comes to public presentations otherwise clever and intelligent people fall flat on their faces – and never get the point. Instead, they just keep plodding along, hoping that somehow the content of what they have to say will
penetrate their listeners’ consciousness.
I recently saw a prime example of embarrassing ineptitude before about 12 citizens gathered in a small New England town to talk about possible long-range zoning changes. The presenter was a professional planner and he sat at one of four or five tables arranged in a rough circle. It was the first meeting of several to come, and the volunteers were eager to be engaged.
Here’s how he started out: Head down, eyes focused on the table in front of him, one leg (then the other, then both when he crossed his ankles) bouncing spasmodically, he began by telling us why this process was going to cost the town some money. His tone was negative and almost apologetic as he described an arcane bureaucratic process involving insidey details about what the state once required of towns and what it requires now. A couple middle-aged men nodded wearily – a sort of “That’s the government for you” attitude – and others started glancing around the room.
Unbelievably, I found myself wishing for a PowerPoint, which, in the hands of most presenters I’ve witnessed, is a technological crutch that gets in the way of genuine face-to-face communication. But at least PowerPoint would have forced some structure on him.
So what was missing? How about an opening? Why were they there? What did he hope to accomplish? How could he help us? How could we help him?
He eventually caught up when someone interrupted to ask, “Why are we doing this?” That brought his head up, and fairly continuous eye contact followed. The rest was genuinely educational, and I’m sure most if not all of the citizens were primed for the next step.
But just think about the wasted opportunity at the beginning to establish a conversational tone, a sense of authority, a willingness to listen, a personality. That’s what the opening is all about – getting and keeping the attention of an audience that wants to be drawn in.
The point here is to AIM straight and true. In this case:
• Audience – As they introduced themselves, it was clear that all but two or three of his listeners had minimal or no experience with town planning. Knowing that before he started, the presenter should have gotten right to the point and explained how the state wanted to bring everyday residents together to discuss the future of their communities. That answers the “what’s in it for me/us?” question and heightens the participants’ sense of involvement.
But you can’t reach them if you talk as if you’re chatting with a colleague. In other words, banish professional jargon for such an audience. That’s not condescending; it is respect for your listeners.
• Intent – Once he finally got their attention, the presenter set the stage for edifying his listeners and adding some sophistication to their understanding of municipal planning. Over several meetings, that makes his job easier as they converse in a relatively common language about what are often arcane matters.
• Message – “I can’t do this without you.” Not only does the state mandate public participation, but the presenter doesm’t know the town that well, and can’t help them fashion a long-range plan if the locals don’t contribute. What’s more, of course, is this unstated, but spot-on message: “If you help craft this plan, you’ll be persuasive local voices when it’s time to sell the blueprint to the voters.”
What I’m saying here applies well beyond small group settings to speeches before larger crowds as well as press conferences: You don’t have to be slick. Just get to the point, keep it simple, answer the 5Ws and 1 H (who, what, when, where, why and how), and you’re on your way.
Dave Griffiths, a former national security correspondent for Business Week, does freelance writing and freelance editing, as well as media training and instruction in marketing messages, business writing, communications skills, presentation skills and business communication. His website is http://www.davegriffithscommunications.com
