If you open PowerPoint to prepare your speech, you might already be in trouble. Here’s a short audio on how to prepare and deliver a speech the right way.
Public Speaking
It’s happened to anyone who must do any modicum of public speaking. The person who schedules the talk says, “Send me over a bio and I will give it to the person who will introduce you.” Simple enough, at least it’s supposed to be! But when the time comes the introduction is usually botched, boring or both.
How one does the introduction determines how quickly the speaker gets his or her ideas off of the launch pad and to their destination.
It’s true of any introduction really. Introducing someone to another creates a connection between two people (or 200).
Proper introductions bring context. And context provides a backdrop to the communication which is about to occur. As such, it infuses it with meaning and emphasizes its importance. Context helps to bring what was in the background of the listener’s mind to the forefront.
More importantly, a good introduction gives credibility. Credibility shouldn’t be assumed, ever. Especially if the audience of one or more is unfamiliar with the person being introduced. This important credentialing helps to highlight their authority and empathy which in turn, solidifies the connection.
A relationship can’t begin, a sale can’t be made and a speech can’t be given without the right introduction.
Introductions really do matter. And the right introduction, whether in person, from the platform or in writing, can make all the difference.
I hope you watched that. I did and couldn’t get through it without tearing up. This is the last speech Dr. King gave before his life was taken by an assassin’s bullet on April 4th, 1968. I was four years old.
He is only one of four men, outside of Jesus Christ, who have shaped my perspective on Leadership and Communication. The other three are Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.
But Dr. King is at the top of that list.
He taught me that words matter and that one person’s words can have an extraordinary impact on future generations.
He taught me that God uses flawed humans to accomplish great things. And that one person, working for a cause greater than himself/herself can silence their critics and create lasting change.
He taught me to look at people from the inside out and not from the outside in.
He taught me that it’s not about you, it’s about the greater good.
I’m better, we’re better because he lived.
It’s up to each of us to leave this world better than we found it and we can start today.
It’s up to us to “Let freedom ring.” Each of us can do our part.
Political conventions for those of us who are in the Communications field are like the Olympics for sports enthusiasts! And no matter what your political affiliation or bent, there is something to learn from many of the speakers.
At the time of writing, we are only one day into the DNC convention. While it started out a bit raucous, one person rocked the first evening and perhaps will go down as the most memorable speaker. That speaker was First Lady, Michelle Obama. Her speech was a study in “how it’s done.” From the moment she walked onto the stage to the moment she exited, she got her message across with poise and professionalism. No doubt, she like Ivanka Trump last week, was the star of the evening and may have been the cornerstone for the remainder of the convention.
There are a lot of takeaways for anyone that is a speaker or speechwriter from her talk. There are three lessons that stand out above all the rest.
Lesson #1, make your speech memorable. This speech was one for the record books from the moment she opened her mouth. In classic (and a classy) manner, she outlined the problems of where we still are today by stating some of the obstacles that she and the President have faced over the past eight years. While you may disagree with the statements, one cannot disagree with how she made them.
Your listeners are bombarded with thousands of messages on a daily basis. And that makes being memorable a challenge. One thing that her speechwriter(s) did well was pepper the speech with personal anecdotes. Her 15-minute speech was replete with picturesque stories that got her point across in a memorable way.
How can you make your speech memorable like Michelle’s?
Tell stories. As Pastor and Author Rick Warren says, “Never make a point without a picture.” People may not remember your points but they will remember the stories and how those stories made them feel. People remember stories and our brains are wired for them.
Lesson #2, make your speech personal. Stories also help you connect at a deep, personal level with your audience, two illustrate this lesson.
She talked about that first day her daughters went to school after moving into the White House. She recounted them getting into the “big black SUV’s” “accompanied by big men with big guns.” She remembered how their faces were pressed up against the glass as they waved goodbye and she thought to herself “what have we done!” She identified with us as human beings because we have all been there and asked ourselves that question, “What have I done?”
A second powerful moment that made it personal was when she made the statement “Every day I wake up in a house that was built by slaves.” Because her husband is the first African-American president and she the first African-American First Lady, this was personal and poignant. A little fact check reveals that there were indeed slaves owned by certain Americans that were paid a wage to help build the White House.
Connecting your speech in personal ways allows your audience to empathize with you and you with them. Get to know your audience and remember that your message is to a person, not a crowd.
Lesson #3, make your speech graceful. Mrs. Obama’s body language was open, she smiled throughout was never shrill and refrained from personal attacks. As a matter of fact, one line will go down in history. While one may argue its merits from a political perspective, it will never be forgotten. No doubt she was seeking to combat the personal attacks against her husband regarding his birthplace, faith, and even patriotism. And her comeback to those attacks was the rock from which legends are hewn. She told her daughters, “When they go low, we go high!”
Sure there are times when the occasion calls for one to speak bluntly and forthrightly but it’s not every time. Taking the high road in one’s speech while contrasting yourself with another is both art and skill, and the First Lady did all three. She exhibited grace under pressure and stayed focused on her message.
No matter which side of the aisle you come from, this is a speech for the ages and one from which all of us can learn.
Today is set aside to honor a man who made an extraordinary difference in our country as an advocate for equal rights for all people. As a part of that tribute people will attend special church services, march in parades and gather together to remember “The Dream” and “The Dreamer,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
No doubt, Dr. King’s speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 made a lasting impact and has stood the test of time. It has been studied for its rhetorical devices, singular construction and targeted punch. There are, however, some things that strike me about it that all of us could learn from. They are reflections if you will on King’s speech.
The first observation of the speech is its authenticity. Dr. King truly believed in what he was saying. There was no doubt that he lived the message of peace. He knew that he could change the way things were by calling others to peacefully demonstrate all around the country.
Before his historic speech, he wanted to march through a small town in the Midwest where my Father-in-Law served as Police Chief. He told me that during his meeting with Dr. King he asked him if he would avoid coming through the town at that particular time because of the major issues that they could face. My Father-in-law said King agreed without exception or argument. He said he found him to be “real.” He was a real man with a real message that he truly believed.
The second observation that really resonated with me was his humanity. There has been a lot of discussion about the human side of Dr. King. Whether all or some of it is true, or it is nothing more than the petty jealousy of others, it doesn’t negate the message. Phillips Brooks once defined preaching as the communication of “truth through personality.” That’s what Dr. King did on that historic day. He had persona that was larger than life and he delivered the truth of equality for all through that filter.
It’s important for us to remember that whatever the message, the messenger will always be flawed. He or she will be plagued by hypocrisy, imperfection and yes, humanity but that shouldn’t make what is true any less believable or any less palatable. I’m certainly not saying the messenger isn’t important but rather I’m cautioning us to view the messenger as secondary and truth as primary. Either way, that message will come via a human being that is imperfect at best.
The third observation that really strikes me about his speech his is delivery. If you watch the entire speech, Dr. King reads it, staying with the script and looking down as much as he looks up at the audience. That is until the 7th paragraph of the speech. According to Clarence B. Jones, Author of the book “Behind the Dream” and the one who helped pen the remarks for that historic day, King strayed from the script. In fact, the last part of the speech and the one we remember, was delivered extemporaneously.
Reports of those who were close to Dr. King that day said that Mahalia Jackson, a gospel singer and good friend of King’s, shouted “tell ‘em about the ‘dream.’ Jones said with that, he pushed his prepared text aside. And what happened next is all we can talk about. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2013/08/27/public-speaking-how-mlk-improvised-second-half-of-dream-speech/)
What made it so effective? How was he able to hold almost one million people spellbound and have his words resonate fifty-one years later? He believed what he said and he delivered it with passion. Perhaps at that moment he pictured family members sitting on the back of the bus, not being welcome at a restaurant or having to drink from a separate water fountain. Whatever happened, something touched his soul and he delivered his talk from that place.
We need more people like him. Flawed people, human beings who believe what they say, say what they believe and stand for something bigger than themselves. He was a great communicator because he had purpose and passion. That’s what made all the difference then and what makes all the difference now.
You can watch all of Dr. King’s historic speech here.