The President, Public Speaking, Presence, and uhhh….
President Obama’s Press Conference has just concluded and a lot of questions have been asked and answered. There are a number of public speaking and communications lessons that can be learned from watching both the President and those questioning him.
Among the lessons is one that every corporate, non profit and political leader can, and should, implement immediately.
The President is a talented communicator. His appearance, choice of attire, and posture reflected his confidence, and he certainly looked “Presidential,” as he usually does. There were tough questions and by and large he remained not only composed but in command — there was no questioning his presence throughout the event. Only one thing stood out more than the President’s presence, and that is, uhhh….
It stood out from the first question, and continued throughout the press conference. During one 10 minute stretch I counted the President use ”uhhh” 47 times. Nearly 5 “uhhh’s” a minute. I raised the issue of verbal “noise” or ”filler” - the use of uhhh, ahhh, ummm, etc., and the damage that does to one’s ability to deliver a message.
Unfortunately, this occurs every minute of every day in every meeting room, conference room, board room, press conference and trial, and the damage it does to the ability to get a point across or accomplish what you are trying to accomplish is staggering. This week alone I sat through both legislative testimony and a major presentation where every other word seemed to be “filler” and what I witnessed was no surprise. Eyes were focused on blackberries, cell phones, the floor and in one case, the back of eyelids — everywhere but where the presenter wanted the focus.
Why does this matter?
If you are requesting funding from a VC for $15 million do you want the conversation that follows when you leave the room to be about your presentation or your repeated use of “ahhh?” If you need to focus your employees on the challenges that must be addressed immediately, do you want them to listen? If you are testifying before a Legislative body, or are a Legislator speaking on the floor of a legislative body, do you want to get your point across?
Of course you do, and verbal filler prevents that from occurring. Unfortunately, in most instances you won’t know why until it is to late, if you find out at all, and you rarely get a second chance. So how can you prevent it?
The President is a perfect example. In nearly EVERY instance, the”uhhh” came as he was beginning a sentence or thought. This was the President’s way of gathering his thoughts prior to speaking, and the “uhhh” served as a placeholder until he was ready to respond. If instead of beginning to speak he would have acknowledged the question, either verbally or through eye contact, and then taken a SILENT few seconds prior to responding (a brief pause), the difference in his delivery would have been dramatic.
In my experience, everyone, myself included, would benefit dramatically from pausing more and taking a second or two to gather thoughts silently. Caroline Kennedy had a week of bad press due to her constant use of “like, you know” in an interview, and that may have cost her a Senate seat.
If you present, you owe it to your audience and yourself to pause more. A message is a terrible thing to waste.
5 Trackback(s)