Current forms of business communication are broken. The typical use of PowerPoint today is annoying or sleep-inducing. Self introductions, panels and pitches are exercises in pain endurance. But when the old forms are damaged beyond repair, moments like these are precursors of a new era. This is precisely why we wrote Own the Room, so that professionals will have the tools to compete in this new business climate.

Shake off the bad habits of the past and speak with authenticity and passion. Excise all generalities, and use crisp, vivid descriptors so that listeners can play the movie in their heads and follow along. Bring your personality into the equation, and include your unique perspective in every presentation. Be the new wave and thrive.

The latest rages of Joe Wilson, Serena Williams and Kanye West have caused many to wonder where civility and respect for others has gone. When we invest our words with violence and disrespect, we are moments away from the physical manifestation of those words.

Debate and discourse were forged in ancient Greece over 2,500 years ago, in a world wracked by war and aggression. The Greeks knew that democracy, education and debate were vanguards against the darkness. The solution is always the thoughtful, considerate and energetic exchange of ideas. Consider words as genteel weapons that create new thought and advance civilization.

Watching the Emmys, I couldn’t help but think “why aren’t the nominees prepared?” In the first hour of the show, winners came on stage and said “I’m totally surprised”… “I can’t believe this is happening to me”… or “I’m not great at this stuff”. First of all, you were all nominated. There were only five in your category. That gives you a 1 in 5 chance. Those are good odds. Prepare your acceptance speech. Keep it short. Rehearse it. Don’t cry so that we can’t understand you. Make your thanks specific so we care. And then you will be ready to add a spontaneous comment like Alec Baldwin did when he won, turned to Rob Lowe and said “I’d trade this to look like him”. It worked.

Kanye West demonstrated little class and did not do Beyonce Knowles a favor by raving about her video at last night’s VMA awards. The outburst played as aggressive and clubfooted, and by association demeaned Beyonce. Making extremely public a sentiment that could have been expressed after the ceremony indicates West was mostly serving himself. If the award had gone to Beyonce and Vince Gill had ripped the microphone out of Beyonce’s hand and declared “Taylor Swift’s video was awesome, y’all!”, I imagine K. West  would have been righteously indignant. Look past the actual words and you will see someone’s true intention.

Don’t diminish your effectiveness by saying you “help” your clients. Help sounds like you are a social worker or you’ve made a phone call. To show your professional muscle, substitute  more active verbs like execute, research, implement, or partner for what you do. Make your listeners picture what you do and visualize your process. You will bring more value to your services that clients will pay for!

Could Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” during Obama’s speech last night light the fuse to an assassination attempt on the life of the U.S. President? Quite possibly, and history bears witness.

In 1995, a radical right-wing Orthodox (read Fundamentalist) Jew murdered Yitzhak Rabin because he opposed the signing of the Oslo Accords and believed he was saving his country from a dire fate. After the assassination, Rabin’s wife Leah, cited the violence in the rhetoric from the right wing that had been increasing over the last few months.

Words and the power they unleash cannot be underestimated, especially around volatile political issues. The unconscionable lack of respect for the Office of the President and the Joint Session of Congress should be immediately curtailed; Joe Wilson should be removed from his seat. Apologizing for an unpatriotic and potentially dangerous outburst won’t do. Leaving in disgrace will.  (David of Eloqui)

President Obama ”owned the room” in last night’s speech to Congress on health care. He was masterful in his use of emotional appeal (accessing the right brain) married to rational thinking (using left brain logic). He demonstrated confidence, commitment and unwaivering belief.

In terms of communication style, he pulled out all the stops. He framed health care reform as a challenge that America could face and win, much like the recession. Telling the American people we “pulled the economy back from the brink” of disaster in his opening remarks, he linked the health care debate to a strong visual association. Presenting the challenge in emotional terms was motivating, and increased his possibility of success.

President Obama spent the first third of his speech using broad strokes, from a vantage point of 10,000 ft. He acknowledged those who came before him to shore up support. He added statistics as spice, like “insurance premiums have gone up 3x faster than wages” which substantiated his case. The first standing ovation came with the line “We will build on what works, rather than start over with a new system” addressing the concerns voiced by both parties.

Then President Obama turned to rhetoric, which lifted his audience to the challenge of what he believes we have to do. His speech was full of repetition and incantations, i.e. “The time for bickering is over. The time for games has past. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together… Now is the time to deliver on health care.”  Predictably, standing ovations followed.

Only after winning over the emotions of his audience did President Obama turn to details. He kept this part of his address straightforward and unemotional. Rather than translating hundreds of pages of policy, he focused on simple concepts like– insurance companes can’t drop you when you’re sick; put limits on out-of-pocket expenses; or deny anyone insurance for pre-exisiting conditions. President Obama used irony when he added that of course ”some details still need to be ironed out”. But he didn’t let the moment pass by stepping on his laugh. He smiled and took his time before speaking again.

It wasn’t until mid-way through his speech that President Obama featured his theme of “more security and stability”. A catchier theme that could be easily repeated would have been more memorable, but this is a minor point. Next, he faced the elephant in the room by saying “I don’t want to put insurance companies out of business, I just want to hold them accountable”.

The speech could have used more analogies to make complex issues understandable and concrete. One of his strongest points came when Obama showed “presidential” leadership when he vowed to protect Medicare and said that ending it “would not happen on my watch”.  He continued relying on an emotional appeal, rather than an intellectual one right through to the end. His finish was an extended call to action. By noting Ted Kennedy’s crusade to pass health care reform, and Kennedy’s alliances with Republicans, President Obama framed the issue as non-partisan. And he gained traction for himself by quoting Kennedy that the “great unfinished business of our society would finally pass”.

President Obama ignited a patriotic spirit… He called on members of Congress to step forward… And he challenged them to act. It remains to be seen if he has motivated Congress to put aside politics and fulfill Obama’s personal mission. We ask of our president to be a figurehead, to lead, and to inspire. When Presidents are successful, they can change the course of our nation. In the end, President Obama’s audience was not Congress. His audience was the American people and the legislative building was only the backdrop.  

PSE (09/13/09)

In the cerebral cortex, there is no such thing as ‘words’. The brain sees words as tiny pictures that it has to translate. When information is presented orally, audiences remember only 10% if tested 72 hours later. Retention goes up 65% when a picture is added. Amazingly, we can remember more than 2,500 pictures with 90% accuracy after several days, with only a 10 second exposure. Some images remain in memory decades later. Researchers named this potent phenomenon PSE, or Pictorial Superiority Effect.

So, in a presentation, use visuals paired with your most vital information to make your content memorable. (This is why graphics or images in PowerPoint are far superior to text.) Better still, speak in visual snapshots, to deliver information in a way that is suited to the hardwiring of the brain. (Thanks to John Medina in Brain Rules for his research)