Bill Gates was all over the news last week in the UK talking about his charitable programs, taxes, and eradicating disease.  Here’s a brief sample clip of the billionaire in action on the BBC. 

Bill's public persona presents a fascinating dilemma for communications coaches like myself, because he’s doing one important thing wrong – but it doesn’t really matter.  What’s up? 

When we’re in front of an audience, either standing up or sitting down, the way in which we stand (or sit) has an essential effect on how we’re perceived.  There are 3 possible ways for humans to stand (teenagers can manage a fourth, but more about that in a minute).  First, seen from the side, we can pitch our head forward, and slump our shoulders, adopting the head posture.  This is the posture typically adopted by intellectuals, professors, and people who are discouraged, dominated, defeated, or dismayed.  I have demonstrated this posture many times for audiences, and they always react in a very specific way.  Audiences read the posture as subservient, timid, unhappy to be there, and shy. 

Second, again witnessed from the side, we can lead with our pelvis, adopting the pelvic posture.  This is the posture typically adopted by fashion models on catwalks, slinky actresses playing vamps, and flirtatious secretaries in ‘Fifties sitcoms.  I have demonstrated this posture for audiences, to general hilarity, and they always react, again, in a very specific way.  Depending on how ‘PC’ they are, they’ll say “a come-on” or “Don Juan!” or just “creepy!”  Audiences read the posture as flirtatious, sleazy, or, in the words of one young, enthusiastic audience member,  “You’re trying to hook up!”

Third, we can stand straight, like a soldier, only without quite so much tension in the shoulders.  This posture is the one your mother wanted you to adopt on the first day of school, or that first job interview.  When I demonstrate this posture to audiences, they will say words like “trustworthy,” “honest,” “professional,” and “normal.”  They read the posture as someone who is in charge, competent, and friendly (in a good way). 

Thinking about your posture is important because it signals an intent to the people that you meet – whether in one-to-one conversations, meetings, or in front of audiences.  That audience will read your posture unconsciously as who you are – at least in relation to them – regardless of what you’re actually thinking. 

Bill Gates adopts a clear head posture, most probably because he is a very smart man who spends a lot of time thinking.  But head postures tend to get ‘read’ by others as subservient.  But in Bill’s case, it doesn’t matter.  He can get away with it, because all the world knows that he’s a successful billionaire, and we’re ready to defer to him anyway, in most situations, because his reputation precedes him. 

For the rest of us, though, it doesn’t usually work to go through life with a head posture unless we want the world to take us as read – and think we mean to be subservient. 

And those teenagers?  Some can simultaneously adopt a head and pelvic posture, forming a kind of question mark.  Certain rock stars do the same.  The result is self-consciously focused on the sexual, something that describes those two groups of people quite well. 

 

 

A generation ago it was easy:  public figures didn’t cry in front of the cameras, or in any sort of public setting.  When Ed Muskie cried on the 1972 campaign trail, his candidacy more or less collapsed afterward.  He was widely deemed too emotional to be president.  Fast forward to 2008, and candidate Hilary Clinton’s near-crying moment in January in New Hampshire.  That episode was said by some to be a calculated effort to make her appear more human, whereas others said it was a genuine moment that made her appear more human.  Finally, in the present day, we have the new Speaker of the House – in the line of succession – blubbering at every opportunity whenever free enterprise is mentioned. 

What’s the right emotional tenor for a leader to strike?  Why do we make such a fuss about tears and other emotional outbursts?  What does an emotional outburst say about the public figure in question?  The following are a few rules for emotional behavior in public. 

(1) What’s appropriate changes constantly; part of the test of a modern public figure is how well he or she ‘reads’ the situation.  The reason the public reacted so strongly to Muskie’s possible tears was that they were out of the normal range of behavior for politicians of the day.   The issue is not really one of emotion per se, but how well the public figure reads the situation and reacts.  It’s a test, in this sense, of emotional intelligence.  If you push the envelope too far, you’ll get a strong public reaction, either good or bad – or more likely both at once.  

(2) Emotional outbursts are ‘hot’ TV; they will get covered.  There’s no hiding if the cameras are rolling at the same time as the tears.  TV is a cool medium, and it craves ‘hot’ emotions.  In other words, we love to watch people get angry, sad, happy, or whatever.  As long as it’s emotional and extreme it will play well on TV and get lots of coverage. 

(3) When the emotion runs counter to the dominant story about you, it will make news.  Hilary’s slight choking up on the campaign trail was big news because the dominant story about her was that she was a controlled, unemotional campaigner.  There was a gender-based narrative about her as well:  was she being ‘tough’ in order to put questions to rest about her ability to dominate on the world stage because she is a woman?  The tears might have been calculated, or they might have been real, but either way they were news because of the perception of Hilary’s character.  Did the tears support or undercut the narrative?  That was the argument. 

(4) An established public figure can push the boundaries of currently acceptable behavior.  John Boehner’s teary speeches have become commonplace; he has pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable in a public emotional outburst.  After a little ridicule and a few stories, the press will move on to other things, because it absorbs this story into the main Boehner narrative.  The main story on Boehner is that he is a cigarette-smoking, golf-playing, orange-faced member of the classic (male) Republican country club set.  Tears therefore are a surprise, but they don’t really interrupt the basic flow of the Boehner saga.  In other words, because Boehner is already well-known on the national stage, and his story well-established, that his crying jags only add a plot point; they don’t really undercut the main story. 

(5) Even as the emotional boundaries change, what stays the same is the importance of tact.  We expect some emotional intelligence from our leaders, and some strength.  Thus restrained emotions will always play better than full-bore outbursts.  Boehner is ridiculed not because he cries, but because he cries in big, slobbery gasps of tears.  The issue is that emotions are charismatic; we pay attention to, and ultimately respect leaders who show anger, compassion, excitement, and the rest of the range of human emotions at the appropriate moment and at the appropriate pitch.  The world has become far more accepting of public emotions in general, but we still expect our leaders to be tactful about them. 

What are your favorite public emotional moments?  What, in your view, are the current rules of the road?  If President Obama cried, for example, would that – and should that – make news? 

I often get asked about virtual communications -- webinars, audio conferences, and so on.  How do you keep people engaged in that form of communication?  In this final podcast in the series, I offer some tips, as well as a surprising fact about virtual trust.  The podcast lasts about 4 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

 

Nick Morgan Interview-6- Oct 2010

 

For my blog today, I'm posting an interview I did for a superlative marketer (and Internet radio show host), Mary van de Weil.  I talk about how to create your own charisma, how to align the two conversations, what's going on when politicians look and sound fake, why the unconscious brain is so much more powerful than the conscious brain -- and what to do about that when giving a speech or running a meeting.  The interview lasts about 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Download Show_1328066

To wrap up this series of podcasts with Maureen Anderson of the Career Clinic, we talk about:

1.  David Meerman Scott's new book, as well as what Pam Slim and Steve Farber spoke about at the Public Words Speaker Forum 2010. 

2.  The secret to always being interesting in front of an audience

3.  The two things you need to do to be successful as a speaker

Thanks again to Maureen for a fun interview and series.  Monday, I'll take on Seth Godin. 

The Career Clinic Sept 2010 -5

 

I continue my podcast with Maureen Anderson of the Career Clinic, covering the following points:

1.  How to interact with audiences

2.  What NOT to do the night before you're giving a speech

3.  Why we still need public speaking in this virtual age

Enjoy!

The Career Clinic Sept 2010 - 4

 

In chapter 3 of the Career Clinic Podcast with Maureen Anderson, we cover:

1.  The secret of charisma

2. How to structure a speech to make it interesting

3.  How to connect with your passion in speaking

4.  Why you should involve your audience

5.  How to be an authentic speaker

The Career Clinic Sept 2010 -3

 

Enjoy!

For this second installment of my podcast with Maureen Anderson of the Career Clinic, I cover:

1.  How to take your audience on a journey that keeps it engaged

2.  How long attention spans are today and what to do about them

3.  Connecting with your audience

4.  How the 80-20 rule applies to public speaking.

Enjoy!  

The Career Clinic Sept 2010 -2

 

Saturday morning, when I should have been working on my to-do list, I was interviewed by Maureen Anderson of The Career Clinic.  Maureen and her husband Darrell create this consistently interesting show from deep in the Midwest.  Maureen also speaks on the subject of finding the right job, and she's written a book, The Career Clinic:  Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love.  I'll post sections from the program throughout the week.  Thanks to Maureen and Darrell for making the show fun and the podcast available.   In this segment, I talk about the importance of passion, how to begin a speech, and what to do about introductions.

 

 

The Career Clinic Sept 2010-1

 

 

 

For my blog today I'm linking to a piece I did for HBR.org on Steve Jobs' Friday press conference.  The post has attracted a good deal of commentary already, because Jobs and Apple have their defenders no matter what.  Heck, I'm an Apple consumer too -- I have an iMac, a MacBook, 3 ipods, an iPhone (which doesn't drop calls) and an iPad.  But I still say Steve was out of control.  Here's the link -- enjoy:  http://bit.ly/9iLa2l

For my blog today, I'm linking to an interview I did this week with Thomas Clifford, filmmaker and Fast Company expert blogger on how to use the principles I talk about in creating and appearing in film and video:  http://tinyurl.com/mehdhr

Enjoy!

The transformation of public discourse into something haiku-esque has been brought about by the advent of television and the 24-hour news cycle.  News stations like CNN are so desperately afraid of losing you to the channel-changer that they pack "the most news" into shorter and shorter time frames.  That puts a premium on talking heads who are able to deliver 8 - 12 second sound 'bites' that don't sound completely idiotic about the very complex issues of the day. 

Example.  What to do about Iraq?  The Republicans dominated that debate for far too long by persuading the country that the Democrats were talking about 'cutting and running' -- something no honorable person easily sees themselves doing.  As a result, we stayed and stayed, and created a situation that commentators in the Arab world can now say with a straight face is worse than Saddam.  We became the villains, worldwide.  We spent a trillion dollars and hocked our country to the Chinese.  We created a generation of Arab youth dedicated to wiping us out.  But we didn't cut and run. 

See the power of sound bites?

But if you're going to be on television, you need to practice reducing the complex issues you think about every day to these hopelessly inadequate 8-second bites.  Otherwise, you risk looking pompous or irrelevant.  Television has reduced our attention spans to that of the goldfish, and as a result, our policies are about as subtle as fish bait.

Ok, enough complaining.  How do you work with sound bites?  You can say something in 8 seconds.  It needs to be colorful, pithy, and present clear opposites.  It's best if you draw on widely current images or expressions to help people get quickly what you're talking about:  "George Bush's foreign policy team has all the brain power of Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears combined."  "In Iraq, we've lurched from one disaster to another.  The current government is the gang that couldn't shoot straight."

If you know you've got a TV appearance coming up, distill what you want to say into 5 phrases or sentences, none longer than 8 seconds.  Then, practice working them into any question you're asked.  Get a colleague to pepper you with questions so you get used to the practice of "bridging" from the question to your bite.  It's all about the practice.  For how to do it, watch the political candidates change the subject as they're asked question after question.   

It's not real discourse, or policy discussion.  It's black and white.  But it catches your attention.  And, unfortunately, it is the way the media runs the world today.   

So you've got a TV appearance coming up.  Don't panic.  You'll live through it.  More people will see you than ever before in your life, but not the whole planet.  There will be people -- even in your home town -- who won't see you.  You will live through it.

Lots of books have been written on prepping for TV, so rather than try to be exhaustive, I'll just go over a couple of things that you MUST remember.

First, the press is not your friend.  That's so important, I'll repeat it:  the press is not your friend.  Don't confide in the press unless you want to see it on page one, or on the evening news.  Assume nothing is off the record or off camera. 

Second, know what you want to say, practice it, and then say it when the camera's rolling.  Think in terms of 8-second sound bites.  It's not a time to go into a lot of detail.  You'll just look like you're evading the question.  The TV camera is the most impatient medium going.  You've got to be quick.  Even on PBS.  Have about 5 points to make and then make them no matter what the questions.  'Bridge' from the question to your answer. 

Third, get someone with fashion sense to advise you.  The visuals are all-important on TV.  Dress like you mean it, at the level to which you're aspiring.  The person interviewing you will most likely be wearing a smart suit, and have had a haircut recently.  Don't look worse than him or her. 

Fourth, watch newscasters with the sound off to see how they talk.  What you'll see may surprise you.  They move their heads around a lot, because typically they're shot from the shoulders up, or sitting at a table from the waist up.  That means that all the interest normally provided by human motion has to be compressed into the head, shoulders, and perhaps hands.  Don't go crazy; don't make yourself look foolish.  But put a little more energy into your conversation than you normally might.  As Marshall McLuhan famously observed, television is a cool medium.  It craves heat -- and it's up to you to provide it. 

People still listen to the radio, and as such you shouldn't underestimate it as a medium for getting your ideas out to a waiting world.  Nor should you overestimate its importance.

Mostly, people listen while commuting, and as background at work and home.  Your best opportunity for spreading your words is thus during drivetime.  But keep in mind the limitations of the genre.  You're only holding people's attention with your voice -- and watch out for that semi!

So think of the game as putting all your energy into your voice, all the energy that you would normally expend waving your arms and walking to and fro to catch the attention of the audience.

And you get no Power Point slides.  None. 

Instead of thinking visually, listen to the voice of a DJ that captures your attention.  He or she will use a combination of arresting content and a rich voice.  Here's how it works:

1.  Sit up straight and breathe.  You can't produce a good tone slouched in a chair with a little bit of lung power going to work.  Sit up very straight, with your back against the back of the chair, and breath in big lungfulls of air through your gut.  Better yet stand, if that's possible technically. 

2.  Say something pithy and provocative.  Sound bites are just as important on radio as they are on TV -- more so, really.  Figure out what are the few points you want to get across during interview -- well beforehand.  Then practice them.  Then, during the interview, get your points in no matter what the question asked.  Do this by 'bridging' from an answer to the question to your prepared material.  It's an art form, doing this well.  If you do it clumsily, you sound like a politician evading the question. 

3.  Allow the host to shine.  If it's a humorous show, let the host land all the best lines.  If it's not a humor show, allow the host to land all the best lines.  I once was interviewed on a morning show in Texas, and I managed to get off a couple of jokes on the host.  I enjoyed myself, but the host did not.  It was not a good idea, and I was never invited back. 

Radio can be fun and useful, but you gotta play by the rules of the game.