Nick Morgan, Public Words

Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Speech

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brough forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 

At just under 250 words, Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address' packs more greatness in two minutes than any other speech.  Why is it so powerful?

The phrasing is biblical, and elegiac, as befits the dedication of a battlefield to the fallen.  The cause was great, and the suffering enormous.  Lincoln captures the sense that we all have, before so much death and destruction, of feeling inadequate to fully comprehend and honor what happened. 

But what made the speech truly great was that the President took his audience on a journey, from the founding of the nation, to the onset of civil war, to the uncertain future they all faced.  The point of his speech was thus not solely to mourn the fallen, but also to remind the living that there was a great war still to win and a cause to support.  This great speech looks to the future.   

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 

And buried in the biblical phrasing, there's a further device that works unconsciously on the audience, and the reader, to weave some incantatory magic.  I've discussed this speech many times with students, with clients, and with colleagues, and I always ask them what simple little word is repeated most unusually in the speech.  No one ever spots it.  Even Gary Wills, in his otherwise brilliant book on the speech, Lincoln at Gettysburg, doesn't spot it. 

When they look, people notice that the word 'we' is repeated 10 times.  But that's not unusual, or surprising, given that Lincoln was trying to rally the nation.  The speech was all about 'we'.  No, what is unusual is the repetition of the word 'here'.  ...as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives....the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here....the world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.  It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here....It is rather for us to be here dedicated....that we here highly resolve....

Eight times in 250 words -- two minutes -- Lincoln invokes the place by repeating the word 'here'.  As a result, he weaves some kind of spell on listeners, then and afterward, that is not consciously noticed, but unconsciously seems to have a powerful effect. 

Repetition is an essential aspect of great public speaking.  The trick is knowing what and how to repeat.  Take a lesson from Lincoln.  Sometimes its the little words that have the most power. 

The Wonderful Exception to the Power Point Rule

I've finally found the exception to the rule that Power Point is a bad tool for preparing speeches, delivering speeches, and reading them afterwards.  Most speakers misuse PP as speaker notes, to the detriment of their speaking style, and to the horror of the audience.  But Garr Reynolds proves that PP (or its equivalent) can be used by an artist to create something very special:  http://www.publicspeakingforgeeks.com/2008/07/18/the-brain-rules-for-presentations/. 

Amazingly, this presentation is 131 slides and yet I guarantee that you'll tear through them all right to the end.  All hail Garr!

Reynolds presents a very engaging, witty slide show on John Medina's new book, Brain Rules.  The book consists of 12 rules your brain runs by, and it's stuff you need to know, especially if you're a student of the craft of presenting. 

Of course, Garr focuses on one rule primarily, the one that says that your brain learns best visually, so indulge it.  But another one that caught my eye is equally important for speakers and their audiences.  Medina says that audiences don't like to be passive -- they find it boring. 

Amen, brother.  So, what do you do?  How do you engage your audience? 

Following are 7 ways to engage audiences that I have found gets them active and using their own energy to take what you say and make it their own.

1.  Get them to tell stories about who they are (in relation to your topic). 

2.  Ask them to brainstorm a problem or a solution.

3.  Get them to play games (and award prizes).

4.  Ask them to report to the group (on something you've asked them to think about, or discover, or learn).

5.  Ask them to teach others (the fastest way to ensure that an audience learns something well).

6.  Get them to design responses (to some challenge or problem you've set for them).

7.  Ask them to design a path forward (imagine what you'd want them to be doing back at their offices once the speech is over, and get them to start that activity now). 

If you're not already doing any of these things in your speeches, you're not allowing the audience to be anything but passive.  That's bad.  Turn them loose!  Get active with your audience.  The burst of energy will at first alarm you, then thrill you once you learn how to channel it successfully.  And your audiences will reward you with a vastly better reception. 

John McCain's hand, redux....

I've had a number of comments on my recent posts on commencement speeches and John McCain's wandering hand.  So I'd thought I'd continue the discussion here. 

People have sent me some great commencement speeches, analyses of them, and links to video.  It prompts a comment right from the start:  being a member of the audience and reading a speech are two very different things.  An audience member is part of the performance art that is a speech.  Readers come after the sparks have flown; they're late to the discussion. 

The reason is, of course, that delivery is just as important to speechmaking as content.  The non-verbal conversation, as I've talked about before, is just as crucial to comprehension and success as the verbal.  You have to get both right.

And the non-verbal conversation is what everyone was bloviating about when John McCain's hand went wandering.  What did he mean?  Why did he pause so long?  What was up with that hand?

The crucial point here is that it's a mistake to try to read specific meanings into hand gestures, or body language in general, as if it were a secret code.  We are all unconscious experts in understanding body language at the emotional level, but most of us are poor at consciously decoding non-verbal communication.

Hence, I labeled my analysis of what John meant as speculation.  Only someone very close to John, and used to his gestures, would be a good analyst of what he meant.  Perhaps his wife understood immediately, but the rest of us are much better off just reading the emotion he was conveying, not intellectually trying to decode something more specific.  Let your gut tell you what the other person is feeling, and don't try to analyze gesture too consciously, and you'll be more accurate more of the time.  McCain was flummoxed, clearly, but more than that is difficult to be precise about.

We are already expert readers of body language, as long as we let that part of the brain that's good at it do its work.  It's when we try to consciously decode gesture as if it were a system of precise signals that we get into trouble.

 

John McCain's Hand

You take your eyes off the political scene and go on vacation and what happens?  John McCain's hand becomes news -- a gift to those who study non-verbal communications, and a lesson in the limits of body language 'reading'. 

What was the fuss about?  McCain was asked an embarrassing question about why many health insurance policies cover Viagra and not contraceptives.  He hesitated for 8 seconds before giving a fumbling answer.  While he was hesitating, his hand shot up to his mouth and covered it.

What did the hand signify?  Not, as the commentary has suggested, that he was trying to keep himself from lying.  Children do that, not adults, and especially not adults as comfortable with evasion as seasoned politicians.  And that's the wrong way to think about hand gestures.  They usually don't convey specific meanings like that; rather, they spring from emotion. 

What happened in that moment was that John McCain had a strong emotional reaction to the question.  We put our hands to our faces when we are thinking, and to cover our mouths when we're shocked or appalled.  John was shocked or appalled by the question, and then he started thinking.  The whole process took 8 seconds, which suggests he was quite flummoxed. 

Why was he appalled?  That's where it gets interesting, and body language along can't tell us.  We need to know something about the man.  Was he appalled because he's a prude?  Unlikely; he's a former Marine.  Was he shocked because he was afraid his use of Viagra was going to become news?  Possible, but that's sheer speculation.  Was he appalled because it was a 'gotcha' question and there was no good answer immediately in sight?  Most likely. 

All body language can tell us is that McCain had an emotional reaction strong enough to last 8 seconds.  That's significant, because 6 seconds is the average length of time people in conversation or discussion will let a silence lapse (try it yourself).  That means that his emotions were stronger than average.  Or perhaps that he was just tired and slow on the draw.  It's a great lesson in the insights and limitations of reading body language.   

Commencement Speeches

Tis the season to be wary -- of commencement speeches.  We're almost through the danger period for another year, but it doesn't pay to relax your guard too early.

I had to write a dozen (that's 12) commencement speeches -- on different topics -- over 2 summers for the Governor of Virginia when I started my career as a speechwriter 20 years ago.  That experience left me wary of the genre and easily spooked by the thought of hearing another one delivered. 

It almost goes without saying that the majority of commencement speeches are terrible -- vacuous, platitudinous, and ponderous.  And too long. 

I heard a contemporary example recently at Columbia University.  It was a proud day for me; my daughter was getting a degree.  Like so many others in the audience, I was thrilled to be there, and disposed to be charitable to all and sundry.  In fact, there was a great vibe in the crowd -- lots of joshing of neighbors and jolly comments about the day, the giant TV screens we were watching (because the crowd was so vast) and how proud we all were.

Then the President of Columbia stood up to speak.  It's always a danger sign when the head of an organization gives his/her own speech.  Ego, arrogance, stinginess -- I found myself wondering -- which was it gonna be?  Those are the only 3 reasons not to hire someone from the outside. 

I don't know about the stinginess, but ego and arrogance were certainly on display as the President droned on for far too long about far too little.  This was the guy who had brought the President of Iran to campus only to browbeat him like a naughty student in a public exchange, leading many to question his political savvy and his general acumen.  I mean, why bother if you're just going to insult the guy?  You can do that from a distance and save the air fare. 

I guess that's why the Prez went on so long about freedom of speech.  But it wasn't convincing, the prose was pompous and in love with itself, and the speech was only too typical of the sickly genre.

Contrast that one with the one J. K. Rowling delivered to the Harvard graduation.  (I didn't attend, just read it on line.)  I don't know how it sounded, but it read beautifully.  It was a moving tribute to Amnesty International and the power of the human imagination.  Timely, important, and worthy of her enormous talent.  I hope she got a standing ovation.  The good commencement speeches are rare, and deserve accolades.

So if you're going to give a commencement speech, please remember three things.  One, keep it short.  Twenty-two minutes is the absolute top, since that's the average attention span of an adult who doesn't have ADD.  Twelve minutes is better.  Two, make it about something you care about.  You're there on the dais because of who you are.  Speak from your passion.  And three, don't give advice.  Ever.  That's taking advantage of a captive audience and (usually) a beautiful day.   

How to give a short speech

I often get asked about short speeches, and off-the-cuff remarks.  How do you do them well?  What are the pitfalls to avoid?  It can be surprisingly hard to say something interesting in a very short time, and to avoid running on at the mouth and saying too much.  What's the happy medium, and how do you think about it?

First, I would distinguish between responding to a question, or making a statement of less than a minute or two, and making a short speech of, say, 5 to 7 minutes.  Time constraints necessarily make them two different genres.

The minute speech is best handled as follows.  Decide what you're going to say, take a deep breath, and then give the headline.  "I don't think that mice should be allowed in the Vatican."  Then go on to give up to 3 supporting reasons, depending on your thinking and the time allowed.  Hygiene, worry about the destruction of precious manuscripts, and the eek factor during prayers.  Finally, finish off with a repetition of the headline:  "So that's why I think that mice should be banned from the Vatican."

When you've got more than 3 but less than 7 minutes, think in terms of problem-solution.  If you have a great story to begin the problem section, then do so, but don't allow it to take over the problem section entirely.  You need to spend half of your allotted time discussing the problem in as much detail as you can (which is not much).  Heretical mice are running amok throughout the Vatican.  This deplorable plague has led to illness, destruction of some of the Vatican's most precious artifacts, and the discomfort of many visitors and residents....About half way through your total time, switch to the solution and buttress that with as much logic and passion as you can muster.  I recommend beginning with an excommunication, followed by mice traps, poison, and the playing of Barry Manilow recordings in the basement.... 

That's really all there is to it.  Keep it simple.  If you want to conclude by describing the benefits of your solution, then go ahead, in a sentence or two. 

Repetition and simplicity will help you keep your remarks organized and under control, and will help your listeners follow you. 

How to write a great speech -- 9

Wrapping up this series of blogs on writing a speech, let's talk about visual aids.  I've ranted about Power Point before, but here's yet another reason to use PP with care, and only after you've prepared the speech content. 

I can always tell a speech that's been prepared using Power Point.  Each slide is an equal unit of thought, in effect, and thus using PP has a tendency to reduce the speech to a series of concepts with no particular beginning, middle, and end.  But that is exactly what speeches need.  They are not a series of equal concepts.  Speeches need a clear structure that audiences can follow and not all the parts of the structure are created equal.  Use PP as a creative device at your peril.

It's far better to structure a great speech, and then look at it with an eye to what particular visual aids could bring this section or that idea to life in a way that words can't do as well. 

And there are other visual aids as well that can add a lot of interest to your speech.  Video clips are wonderful for creating emotional moments.  Keep them short -- much more than a minute or two feels like an eternity -- and keep them relevant. 

I once saw a conference begun with that amazing You Tube video about China, Did You Know?  It's certainly an arresting video, but it had nothing to do with the conference, and it went on too long.  People watched it for a while, then tuned out, because it wasn't relevant for them at that moment.

And don't forget the lowly white board, flip chart, and so on.  When you're interacting with an audience, these simple tools are great ways to capture their thoughts and make them part of the discussion. 

Finally, don't neglect to think about props.  We live in a virtual world of email, computers, and white noise.  It's astonishing how a simple prop can suddenly bring real life into a room.  I once saw a discussion of mergers and acquisitions enlivened enormously by a discussion of the Mattel-Fisher Price merger.  Here's the kicker.  In a brilliant move to show how difficult the merger was going to be, the speaker had wrapped Mattel and F-P toys under the chairs of the audience.  At the right moment, the audience was told to open the 'presents' and look inside.  It was suddenly a holiday, and you should have seen the excitement in the room.  And it made the point brilliantly:  the Mattel toys were urban, edgy, and in your face, whereas the F-P toys were primary colored barnyard animals.  Everyone suddenly got that the two cultures of the two toy companies were entirely different, with disturbing implications for the merger.

Visual aids can be a powerful way to bring parts of a speech to life.  Just don't think of them as a speech outline.  That's deadly dull for any audience. 

How to write a great speech -- 8

By now you have written a persuasive speech, with a structure that respects the audience's need to hear your message in a certain order that makes sense to them.  All you have to do is hit the print key, grab the pages, and you're off to the podium, right?

Not quite yet.  First of all, never hide behind the podium, but that's another blog for another day. 

Second, there are a couple more things that it would behoove you to think about. 

I like to apply Maslow's hierarchy of needs to a talk to see how viscerally it's going to grab the audience.  Start by turning the hierarchy upside down.  Maslow's whole point was that people work their way up the pyramid by satisfying their needs in the order that he describes.  So, if you're worried about food and shelter -- basic physiological needs -- you're not going to be thinking about whether or not you've got the esteem of the local flower club.  That comes later, after a good meal and the prospect of more to come.

Turned upside down, Maslow's hierarchy becomes a way to gauge whether or not someone will pay attention to your talk.  Most people don't start attending closely until their personal safety or the safety of their business is at stake.  So try to find a way to express your message in safety terms.

Don't make it up or distort things to accomplish this feat.  Make it real.  But do your best, because your audience is probably going to be thinking about the critical issues nagging at them, and to cut through that clutter, you have to be at least as low on the hierarchy as they are. 

The other way I like to think about speeches overall is to apply one of the great stories of our culture to them.  There are only five basic stories -- the quest, rags to riches, the love story, stranger in a strange land, and revenge.  These are powerful stories that we learn from the cradle, and we know them deeply and respond to them powerfully.  So if you can fit your message into a quest for profits, say, or a chance to beat the competition at a new product launch, or a merger that is a love story, then your audience will 'get' what you're saying more powerfully than otherwise.

Don't be obvious about it.  Don't say, "Let's go on a quest."  Instead, say, "Today, I'd like to ask you to begin a journey with me.  We've got difficult terrain ahead, and there will be many obstacles to overcome.  But at the end of the journey, we will achieve something that very few other companies ever get to achieve, a ....."  In other words, tell the story, don't announce it.

I say a lot more about these stories and how to use them in my first book.  Next time I'll conclude this series of blogs on writing a great speech with some thoughts about Power Point and other visual aids. 

How to write a great speech -- 7

Your audience is chattering away amongst themselves because you've given them permission to become active, in some step that is designed to help cement your message into their minds.  It's chaotic, but the audience is happy, and cementing, and those are good things.  You're tempted to leave now, but you know you have to finish the speech off in some style.  And anyway, you're the one they came to see.   

Here's where you need to expend some energy to get them back.  They will come back, but you have to insist, politely and firmly, that they do.  You're asking them to sit down and become passive again, and that's asking a lot, so don't hold them for long and don't try to do much.

Your goal at this point is to remind the audience, in a stirring and powerful way, of the central theme of the talk.  Great closes are inspirational, and aspirational.  Remind the audience of the big reason they're all there, or point the way up the path to greatness, or quote some great words by some other orator if none will come to you. 

Keep it short (under 3 minutes, closer to 1 minute is better), keep it inspirational, and then NEVER FORGET to say 'thank you'.  That's the universally understood signal that a speech is done and the audience should applaud.  If you've done well, they'll leap to their feet. 

By the way, if you're going to take questions, then save this ending segment until the very end.  If you end with Q and A, then you're at the mercy of the last question.  Often, the last question is not the best one, and it may even be asked by a crank who has been waiting, and fuming, for some time.  So deal with the questions, but then close with your own statement.  Audiences tend to remember best the last thing they hear, so make it yours.

Next time I'll talk about thematic ways to think about the whole speech. 

How to write a great speech -- 6

You're close to the finish line.  It's time to end with a bang.  The best way to do that is to give your audience something to do.  Now, this step is hard for some to contemplate, because it feels like you're about to lose control of the audience.

That's because you are about to lose control of the audience.  But only for a short time, and it's a good thing.  Why?  Because you've just forced normally active people to be passive for the better part of an hour, and it's time to let them absorb your message actively.  In this way, they'll better remember -- and even act on -- what you've been persuading them of for the hour.

What should you get them to do?  Ask them to do something that is the next (tiny) step toward buying into your message.  If you're a consultant, for example, and you've just been talking up the advantages of your 5-point system for transforming the supply chain, then get them to take a quick diagnostic (that you hand out) that will let them know how much work their own supply chain needs. 

Or, if you're saving the environment, ask people in the audience for a pledge to change one habit tomorrow that will improve their carbon footprints.

The best action step I ever saw was at a charitable event, where the speaker asked everyone to reach into their pockets and grab their loose change.  He said, "Now hold it out at arm's length."  Once everyone was doing so, he added, "Now, throw it on the floor." 

There were 5,000 people or more in the audience, and the sound was amazing.  What's more, the speaker had runners collect the money, and that audience raised literally thousands of dollars for world hunger in one or two moments.

It was a wonderful, vivid lesson in the power of abundant thinking, the message the speaker had just finished talking about. 

Do you get the idea?  Find something relevant, and connected closely to your message.  Ask yourself, what's the next thing I would want my audience to do, after the speech is over, say back at the office on the next working day?  Then, get them to do that, or a step toward that.  The point is that what people do they believe.  So if you get them to act, that will reinforce their belief in your message.

The step should be simple, it should only take a few minutes, and it must be relevant to your message. Beyond that, there aren't many rules.  You need to be prepared to put out the energy to make it happen, and to get people moving.  Especially if you haven't been interactive before in the presentation, it may take a few moments to get your audience up and moving.  You have to persuade them that you mean it, and it's for real.  If you do that with sufficient energy, the audience will respond.

You will see a huge burst of energy from the audience if you do this right.  Don't be frightened.  It's a good thing.  It's active people doing what they do best.

Then, you have to get their attention back, and close the speech, but I'll save that for next time.