Archive for February, 2009

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Speech

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: February 26, 2009Posted in: Presidential communicationsTags:

What Bobby did Right

As a public speaking coach, I think the harsh criticism of Govenror Bobby Jindal’s speech Tuesday night sets a bad precedent for speakers everywhere. Others will critique what he said; I offer an examination of how he said it. While I have always given praise to President Obama’s speaking style, Governor Jindal was not participating in a public speaking contest against the President. If we are always going to use President Obama as the standard by which all other speakers are judged, we might as well not even try to deliver a quality speech.

It is very easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize a speaker. Public speaking is challenging, yet Governor Jindal wasn’t even delivering a speech as much as he was giving a monologue into a camera. He had no audience to respond to him, no way of judging how the crowd was reacting to him, and no way to weave members of the crowd into the address to give it life as the president did several times during his own speech. Despite not having a live audience, or the pageantry of the Presidency behind him, Governor Jindal did five crucial things right during his speech.

First of all, he was passionate. It was very obvious that Jindal believed in what he was saying and the words he offered were sincere. Despite the criticism of his voice, it was not monotone as it appropriately emphasized key words and phrases. Second, his eye contact was spot on and many people felt he was speaking directly to them. Third, he served his audience by recognizing our concerns and empathizing with our needs. As an example, he used “we” many times throughout the speech which has the effect of bonding the speaker with the audience.

Fourth, Governor Jindal did something that all speakers should pay attention to, study, and and learn from. He made it personal and became a storyteller. Several times throughout the speech he incorporated stories about his family, his personal journey, and his experience as Governor to make the speech three-dimensional. He didn’t just stand there and read a laundry list of problems. He based solutions on the stories he shared which translated into solid teachings about philosophy and politics. All speakers can learn from this important principle, which is to make it personal and become a storyteller.

Lastly, Governor Jindal did his best to have a conversation with the audience and not sound like a fire and brimstone public speaker. I would encourage anyone who has to give a speech to remember that the most important thing you can do as a speaker is be yourself. Stop trying to sound like Barack Obama or anyone else for that matter. Authenticity counts more than anything.


Richard Zeoli is the author of “The 7 Principles of Public Speaking: Proven Methods from a PR Professional.” He is founder and president of RZC Impact, an executive communications-training firm specializing in public speaking and media training for politicians, corporate executives, and entrepreneurs. His website is www.rzcimpact.com.

Should we try and speak like Obama?

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: February 11, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

I am often asked how one can learn to speak more like the President. President Obama is truly a gifted orator. Few people on either side of the aisle would disagree with that. However, my advice to you is you should not TRY to sound like President Obama. You shouldn’t try to sound like anyone from politics, or history, or anywhere else for that matter. While we can and should learn from good and bad speakers as we study their style, we should never try to imitate them. RZC Impact believes in a public speaking training philosophy unlike any other on the market. Our philosophy is based upon fundamental public speaking principles, not gimmicks or imitation.

The first principle we teach is “Don’t try to sound like a great public speaker,” As I explain in the best-selling book, The 7 Principles of Public Speaking: Proven Methods From a PR Pro, for you to be an effective speaker, you have to learn to speak like yourself, not try and imitate Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Tony Robbins, or anyone else. To be an effective communicator, learn to speak like yourself.

RZC Impact welcomes TeachFirst America

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: February 11, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

RZC Impact Executive Communications Training specializes in presentation skills training. We recently conducted a presentation skills training intensive for TeachFirst America. Each of their consultants participated in our rigorous training program which included video analysis of the presentation, group feedback, and follow-up. The session was a complete success and I received tremendous feedback on their improved presentation skill level. One of the participants sent me an email letting me know, “I enjoyed working with you. I left feeling like I was coached to the next level for me of presenting. I used to do lots of horse show competitions jumping my horse all around. We did visualization for everything from seeing yourself jumping the course to how your body moved and interacted with the horse. I never thought to do the same thing with getting ready for a presentation.”

Contact RZC Impact today to learn about our Executive Communications Training programs.

What we can learrn from Blago’s downfall

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: February 11, 2009Posted in: PoliticsTags:

Blago’s Media Blitz Does More Harm than Good.

It’s been a whirlwind of a media tour, with “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show” and “The View” among those on the docket. But the center of the attention isn’t a bestselling author, a candidate for public office, or a Golden Globe award winner. No, in the self-ignited spotlight is none other than the impeached governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich.

Since his December 9 arrest for political corruption, Governor Blagojevich has not ceased to proclaim his innocence, repeatedly taking public his message that he can’t wait for the opportunity to exonerate himself by telling his side of the story. At first, he relied mostly on standard means of communication: press conferences and the like. But as circumstances continued to heat up, the governor went a step further by hiring a PR firm that specializing in crisis management and launching a major media blitz that spanned television and radio and brought the Prairie State governor to the Big Apple.

But does there come a point at which “information” becomes “too much information” and persistent attempts to secure public sympathies actually become counterproductive?

The answer is unequivocally yes.

Consider this: According to a poll released Wednesday by the Chicago Sun-Times, 66 percent of respondents gave Governor Blagojevich an “F” for his media tour. It’s not that the governor presents himself poorly. Truth be told, whether or not you believe his message, he speaks with confidence. The problem, however, and the primary reason for his failing grade, is that he’s still speaking at all!

Instead of strengthening his case, Governor Blagojevich is quickly losing support and sympathy by ignoring one of the critical principals of public communication – Principle # 7 in my book, The 7 Principles of Public Speaking: Always Leave Your Audience Wanting More.

This is a truth that’s applicable whether you’re a disgraced governor facing impeachment proceedings, a successful business executive presenting growth strategies to your employees, or a candidate for elected office seeking to garner enough votes for victory.

Regardless of the issue at hand, there comes a point at which the audience “shuts down” as a subconscious reaction to information overload. The key is to anticipate that point, bring your message to a close in advance of it, and then step back and let your audience absorb the information and come to a conclusion.

Governor Blagojevich is performing the classic blunder of believing that “more is better.” And indeed, he’s given us “more” and then some. In the few short weeks since his arrest, he’s invoked everyone from Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. to Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Stewart. Yet, far from generating a groundswell of support, Governor Blagojevich has given the public more and then even more reasons to wish he would simply silence himself and let the case run its legal course.

Blagojevich has name-dropped ad nauseam, but the man from the Land of Lincoln might do well to take a lesson from Lincoln himself when he stood at Gettysburg nearly 150 years ago to dedicate the cemetery there. The photographer that day, certain he had plenty of time, never even got a photo of Lincoln, who delivered his famous Gettysburg Address in just two minutes. Conversely, the speaker preceding Lincoln orated for two hours. Which speech made the greatest impact? History speaks for itself.

Regardless of his guilt or innocence, Governor Blagojevich has incriminated himself by embracing a self-destructive communication strategy of bombarding his audience with information overload. Whether there is time for him to turn the tide remains to be seen. But if he wishes to do so, he immediately stop the PR blitz, stop the public message pounding, and step back and let the legal system run its course. In short, he must implement the principle of Always Leave Your Audience Wanting More.

Richard Zeoli is the author of the 7 Principles of Public Speaking: Proven Methods from a PR Professional. His website is www.rzcimpact.com

Welcome to RZC Impact

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: February 6, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

RZC Impact is a pioneering communications firm specializing in executive level presentation skills and media training. Thank you for visiting.