Have a look at this clip of Steve Jobs. Technically, he is not the most natural public speaker – his body language isn’t brilliant, he looks at the floor too much, the tone of his voice is a little ‘flat’ and he has a slight tendency to fidget with his hands.
And yet, he has an audience absolutely in the palm of his hand. The reason? The total clarity in his mind of what he wants to say. Now, of course, being the boss of such a strong brand as Apple would help anyone retain an audience’s attention. But, despite that, Jobs is a good example of how you don’t need to be the most technically gifted public speaker in order to hold an audience.
Too many public speaking coaches teach a ‘style’ of public speaking – you must stand in a certain way, gesture in a certain way, speak in a certain way. This leads to many people just doing a bad impression of a good public speaker. But if you don’t possess the natural skills then an hour or two with a public speaking coach won’t get you very far.
The trick is to ensure the message is clear – however the speaker is able to deliver it. Obsessing over body language, gestures or vocal traits and tricks leads only to a speaker becoming hyper-aware of his or her deficiencies in those areas. It can take years to correct body language and posture on a technical and fundamental level. No good if the speech is next week.
But if the speaker focusses on the message, the audience will too. Think of it this way – is it theoretically possible for someone with appalling posture, two broken arms and a stutter to speak effectively in public? Of course it is. Style is not important – it’s the content that counts. And more often than not if you get the content right then, at worst, no one notices the style or, at best, style just drops into place.
Don’t get me wrong, technically Jobs isn’t terrible – on the positive side he is incredibly relaxed and speaks at a perfect pace with terrific use of pauses. And overall he is extremely successful. And part of his success (and charm) is his natural and unfussy delivery. But he can be an inspiration for anyone who doesn’t feel like the most natural public speaker. Content is king. Focus on content, not style, and you’ll be absolutely fine – even if you don’t have a new range of Apple products to announce to an eager and expectant public.
James,
A great post on many levels. Delivery and body language are important in a speech, but they must be natural. I tell people that it is imperative that they develop a speaking style that feels right for them. We cannot all be Martin Luther King. But we can each be unique.
As you rightly point out, content is a huge factor. We need to prepare rigorously for our speeches. That entails asking (1) What is my key message? and (2) Why should the audience care? Addressing these two issue early in the preparation stage will go a long way to ensuring that you have something meaningful to say.
I wrote a post on the importance of taking a balanced approach to public speaking and working on content and delivery provided that the latter is natural. You and your readers might find it interesting: http://wp.me/pwfa1-1C
And Steve Jobs is a great example. Not the flashiest guy, but someone who speaks from the heart and has the credibility to back it up. And he also tells stories, which is a profoundly important technique for public speakers. If you have not seen his address at Stanford University, it is a must: http://wp.me/pwfa1-9t
Looking forward to reading more of your blog.
Cheers!
John Zimmer
http://mannerofspeaking.wordpress.com/
Thanks John. I enjoyed your blog on the verbal-visual-content mix. Interesting statistics!
And the Jobs address at Stanford is terrific. Thanks. Simple and highly effective.
James