I am encouraged to see Governor Sarah Palin accept the Republican nomination for Vice President. She spoke with authenticity at a very pivotal presentation to the American public.
I don’t know her – I didn’t even know of her. But she engaged the audience by speaking from the heart. Yes, she did use notes, but paringly so.
I’ve been fascinated with the rhetoric used during the presidential primaries, so I was keenly interested in the Saddleback Civic Forum moderated by Pator Rick Warren in Lake Forest, CA on Saturday.
Granted, the audience was primarily Christian population which tends to favor the conservative “right” – although Warren distributed equal numbers of tickets to the Democrats as well as the Republicans, so theoretically, it should have been a “representative” crowd. I thought Obama did a very credible job answering Warren’s questions.
Then McCain took the stage and had to answer the exact same questions. in my opinion, he engaged the audience more than Obama using several techniques:
1) McCain answered the questions directly, then expounded on his answer. Obama started with a preamble and then answered the question (for the most part).
2) McCain addressed the audience periodically, really reaching out and connecting with the people beyond the stage. Obama kept his comments directed at Warren, with his head slightly cocked.
3) McCain clarified his position with a story – which made the answer more personal. While Obama told a story on a couple of occassions; his stories were to launch the answer to the question, so I was wondering “where’s he going with this story about his mother?”
I believe both candidates represented themselves and their viewpoints well, but if I had to pick a “winner” of this Forum (and it wasn’t set up to be a debate), then I would choose McCain. As part of the 11% of the population that hasn’t made a decision on whom I will vote for in November, I will be keenly interested in knowing who their VPs are (hopefully sometime this week) and seeing the upcoming debates!
Watch how Amanda Gore draws you in to a question that all can relate to.
And, listen to the language she uses…there are lots of “you” rather than
“I”. She poses an empathetic question that makes you feel included – and
that you want to know more!
Your audiences are demanding you to be more engaging and interactive when giving a presentation. Whether you are selling an idea, sharing information, persuading them to action, they want to participate rather than be lectured to.
As a certified professional facilitator (CPF) and certified professional speaker (CSP), I have done an extensive amount of research on what makes a “speech” or “presentation” more facilitative, engaging and interactive – where you go beyond speaking at the audience and move them to participating with you.
As I write the book, “Punch Up Your Presentations”, I will be sharing some insights and video clips demonstrating specific techniques you can use to punch up your presentations. My hope is that you adapt these ideas to help make your next presentation more engaging. And, I look forward to hearing your ideas and techniques as well!
