Are You Running Wild as a Speaker? . . . You Should Be!

Reading today's political postings (it is October, after all, in a presidential election year), I came across an article that's a real gem for speakers. It's by Mark Joseph, and it's titled, "A Bible Lesson for Sarah Palin: King David and the Coat of Mail."

Most of the article discusses how, in the author's opinion, vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is being over-handled. Tonight the sole televised debate of the VP candidates will occur, so the piece is certainly timely.

The conceit or developed idea of the piece is a comparison of Ms. Palin with King David in the Bible. We are reminded of David's youth and inexperience as a warrior at the time he volunteered to fight the Philistine giant Goliath. A worried King Saul loads the future king with the heavy protective gear favored by the Israelites for battle. Like the armor worn by medieval knights centuries later, however, the "coat of mail" is too heavy and cumbersome to allow effective movement.

David therefore rejects the gear, and places his faith in a few stones gathered by the river. No Star Wars technology for this future leader! The low-tech stones, when fitted to a well-handled slingshot, provide all the throw-weight the Israeli side needs. For the 8-ft. Goliath, the result is indeed a weapon of mass destruction.

The hero of this story knew who he was. Equally important, he understood what he had to bring to this high-stakes situation, and what he could not bring. A product of the natural environment around him, he knew what his skills were, and he recognized the tools that would allow him to bring those skills to this challenge.

As the article reminds us, he understood where his success came from. As speakers, we would all do well to learn this lesson. Too often, we try to become something we're not as a speaker, or to mimic someone we're not--to try to "be better than we are." David could have labored to instantly become a better conventional warrior--and he'd have been doomed to failure.

What we bring to our speeches and presentations is something only we can bring. We need to trust, therefore, that we have what it takes to succeed in this speaking situation. If we don't have it, all the fervent wishes to be "better" than ourselves won't help us!

As advocates of ourselves, our ideas, and our vision, we need to run wild and free.

Who's Speaking in This Election, Anyway?

Have you been following John McCain and Barack Obama's speeches lately? Of course you have!

As the seemingly endless 2008 presidential campaign hurtles toward its conclusion, we are rightly focused on the effectiveness of the candidates' campaign appearances. And though it may be a tough assignment, let's try to get beyond partisan viewpoints and take a look at the contrasting style of each man. At least, let's get a snapshot.

(Full disclosure: One of the hats I wear is as a speech coach to political candidates. I've coached Democrats and Republicans at the state and national levels--in fact, just about in equal measure for each side. Fortunately, both major parties realize that good communication skills are not party-specific, and they don't exclude speech coaches on that basis!)

What's the buzz on Obama vs. McCain regarding their speaking styles?

Mr. Teleprompter vs. The Old Fart? Razzle-Dazzle vs. Tried-and-True? Rock-Star-in-a-Stadium vs. Straight-Flying-and-Talking-Pilot? And for goodness sake, which of these candidates sounds like he really represents change?

Perhaps the most interesting moments we've seen so far in the campaign have to do with UNSCRIPTED remarks by the candidates. (Speaking of which, we might be in for some fireworks when the untested Sarah Palin meets Joe Biden, whose public remarks must often puzzle even himself!) The campaigns are quite expert at displaying the candidates they've carefully groomed behind the scenes. But when "57 states" meets a politician who can't remember how many houses he owns, well, things get a lot more fun for all of us!

I for one am looking forward to the debates, when Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama must untie their lifelines tethering them to their campaigns, and wade out into unchartered waters. We may truly see, at last, how the charismatic Obama handles himself without a teleprompter--not just in incidental appearances, but in the pressure cooker--and whether McCain can marry experience, eloquence, and emotional control. . . . Hey, wait a minute: isn't that last one bigamy?

Stay tuned!