Harvard Business Publishing

This was very useful and well written. I am going to share with my staff so we can all kick it up a notch in our own work.
Thanks

This is great stuff! Thanks! I shall look for your forthcoming book. Now, on Palin, well, we can tell she's not meeting the second condition, judging from this picture:

http://embeds.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/a.jpeg

That does not look very much like the environment where the debate will take place, now, does it?

This is excellent advice for delivering a speech or a sermon. However, for a debate, it's hard to rehearse and memorize one's exact responses, because one doesn't know in advance the exact questions that will be asked. That puts a tremendous burden on a debate participant who has not spent a lot of his time thinking about, internalizing, and discussing the issues that are likely to be the subjects of the questions.

Uhh, great advice...for giving a speech. This is not a speech. There is little you can rehearse for a tricky moderator or a sharp opponent. Palin can breathe as deeply as she wants, and she can psych herself up 72 hours before it even starts, but if she doesn't have the goods, then what what good is confidence?

I respectfully disagree, Mark. Morgan's advice applies equally well to debates. There are several aspects of a debate that can be rehearsed, such as possible poises, answers to possible questions, and remarks on the possible debate topics (which we all know in advance). Of course, I agree that she doesn't have the goods, or so it seems, at least judging from some of her infamous previous interviews. If she's aware of that, then she's going to have to somehow deceive herself into believing otherwise (the only way she'll be able to be "comfortable and passionate about [her] content," self-confident, and able to talk to herself positively). But I don't think Morgan's advices are meant for those who don't have the goods. Having the goods would seem to be indispensable for following the advices.

Oh!That is a good idea, just concerntrating on the content and speed of respones is not enough, so the voice and bodylanguages also play an important role in an interesting conversation.Thanks.

I wonder if this qualifies as a newspaper or magazine Palin may have read to prepare for VP?

Be memorable. Be clear. Without both, you're neither.

I highly recommend Nick Morgan's book "Working the Room". I was a mediocre speaker; however, I often had to deliver business presentations in my work. My presentations were a pain for my audience and me. After seeking and receiving some very painful feedback (e.g., “Your presentations suck”) from one of my very brave employees a couple years back, I got my hands on his book and followed his advice - including, as simple as it sounds, rehearsing the material (multiple times) before the live presentation. Its hard work, but it’s not rocket science. I now get compliments on my presentations and no longer hate doing them - actually, I kind of enjoy them. I don’t know how Sarah will do, but I do know the business world would be a less painful place if everyone who gives presentations would spend a little time with Nick or his book.

Any time one has to present before an audience one must rehearse if for no other reason to just speak the words. We don't speak like we write. Sometimes the sequence of written words don't sound very good to the ear and can detract from one's message.

Great advice, packed so neatly it couldn't have been better. For debates, I suggest one additional measure. Concentrate on your opponent and his/her content rather than preparing your own responses while listening. One, it gives you opportunity to listen to the other party completely; two, it helps you to formulate most appropriate responses.

Cadence and rhythm are also very important. Just because it reads well in your head the verbal rhythm is still a different issue.

Segmentation and targeting are key processes for effective communication. Personality types and demographics drive empathy. There is constant danger of appealing to a niche which mirrors one's own preferences, whilst simultaneously alienating other significant segments. Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, John Kennedy and now Obama have succeeded in creating new clusters that have broad appeal on sensitive national and social issues. However, it is safer to do the math of an electorate, and to then take a consistent and unambiguous communication platform. Behavioral psychology is the key branch of study on which communication strategies should be forged.

I found the idea that "every speech is two conversations" very appealing. I have noticed that speakers who try to "carry on a conversation" with the audience fare better than speakers who assume that they are the only authority on the topic. This perhaps has something to do with humility in a speaker and the ability to acknowledge that the audience is composed of individuals who are capable of independent thought. They may be experts in their own fields, or indeed in the speaker's own field. Carrying on a conversation also has much to do with body language, eye contact and using all this to make a connection with each individual member of the audience.