geoffreyxlane.com

Are Two Brains Better Than One?

 Do you: Like to be systematic and structured.  Like to work with your door closed. Create order and send memos. Call yourself conservative. Have a neat and tidy office. Prefer logic, rather than emotion.

Chances Are You Are Left-Brain.

 Do you: Like to discuss things and talk out your ideas. Like to work with your door open.  Have personal things in your office. Like to be demonstrative and relate to others.

 Chances Are You Are Right Brain.

 Dr. Roger Sepeari received the Nobel Peace Prize for discovering we all have two brains, a right and left, joined together by the corpus callosum, rather like the coaxial cable that connects the TV to the cable company (only many times faster and more reliable). The two brains work together, but handle different functions. You are not exclusively right or left brained, but you will tend to prefer or have learned to rely on one more than the other.

 Left Brain Tips: As a Left brain individual, you tend to be, conservative, systematic, organized, introverted and good at research. As a Left-brain you are very good at writing and organizing materials, and poor at delivery of a presentation. As a Left-brain you need to focus on the actual delivery or performance of the presentation, as a rule you tend to over prepare, remember that your audience needs only the pertinent facts. Spend most of your time rehearsing and find a right brain friend to listen to your presentation before you give it.

Right Brain Tips: As a Right brain individual, you tend to be impulsive, creative, humorous, emotive and extroverted. As most right brain individuals, you are very good at presenting (performance) but not very well at writing or organizing material.  As a Right brain, you need to focus on organizing in a coherent manner that will make sense to your audience. Remember to write your last sentence first, it will act as a focus point. Find a left-brain friend to read your material before you present, learn it, and then stay on topic and time.

 For both left and right brain individuals, the key to better communications and presentations is to understand the different styles of both the left & right side of the brain, the different ways each sees the world, communicates and articulates what they see. In order to have your message heard effectively it is a “must” to learn about and appreciate the other style; after all they will be listening to you.

 If you feel comfortable in both the logical and emotive creative worlds you are a rare and unique individual. Most of us need to work hard in order to understand and access our other brain.

Oh by the way there is no CORRECT way of presenting – just what works for the audience.

Enjoy your brain, after all it is your only one, ciao Geoffrey

Special note; Barack Obama’s speech in the video post below.

November 4th 2008 will be remembered as the day the American people participated in record numbers in the greatest act of optimism and hope that the world has seen in a very long time. Choosing hope, over the politics of fear, choosing the future over the past, choosing a new direction for their country by choosing a new president.

The world witnessed extended line-ups of people who participated in voting, the election was strongly contested, strongly worded clash of ideas and visions. And it was so much more than that.

President elect Barack Obama declared that, “I will listen, especially when we disagree, I will listen”.

The cynical are thinking, yes but he hasn’t done anything yet. His opponents will say it’s business as usual. Nothing will really change. The cynics will fail to notice the stirring in many of the hearts of America, the stirring of change and hope; now that the door is open. The possibilities are there, America is now changed, and there is no going back.

This was an election where negativism and personal attacks did not win! When either side resorted to “fear and chaos” using the character assassination approach, it did not have any magic power over the young creative cultural mix that is now America.

Barack Obama understood and responded to a deeper need. He put voice to the hope for change, the desire for a more civil society.

He spoke the words that released the desire for a more civil world. To live in the world of the possible, where all good things can happen, where it DOES concern everyone and everyone is truly engaged. He has reminded us it is our job to make the world a better place.

John McCain in his concession speech spoke about Barak Obama:  ”that he managed to do so (become the next president) by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or so little influence in the election of an American president is something I admire and commend him for achieving. This is an historic election.”

I believe that leaders have only one important function, it is to inspire others; to bring out even more than we think we can be, even more than we thought was possible, to galvanize us and to bring us together. To remind us of our greatness, which lies dormant within.

This is what true charisma is all about. That change IS possible.

That is what this election was really all about. This US election reminds what happens when we get involved, to be engaged in the things that really matter and to take the lead.

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

All the best Geoffrey

There Really Is A Great Need To Train!

“The more you sweat in peace, the less blood you lose in war.” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War)

 As we enter tough times, many organizations will look upon training as a waste of time and financial assets. That is because some see their role, or function, as simply to increase the ‘bottom line’. The challenge in tough times is to keep the focus on the long term, to invest in key employees and to advance the organization’s ability to compete, to develop and invest in your people when other shrink in fear of the future!

Is There Really A Need To Train?

 Do you want less time wasted, better use of resources, and less hassle? Improving the proficiency of your personnel will outperform any other single investment you can make in your business environment. Well-trained people don’t make mistakes that cost you time and money.

Well-trained people will dramatically outperform poorly trained people. Do you want higher profits? When people are invested in, via training, they will stay longer in your company because they feel cared for and appreciated. These small investments far outweigh the cost of recruitment and hiring.

While everyone will freely agree with the statements just made, it’s amazing how many excuses are given for not enrolling employees in training courses. Two common excuses are related to how well the company is currently doing. If times are tough the excuse is: “We can’t afford the cost of the training program”. If times are good the excuse is: “Everyone is too busy to take time out for a course”.

“Over the past 50 years, investments in job related training have consistently outperformed investments in machine capital. Quite simply, a trained workforce produces more productivity gains than capital investments do.” - Training and Development Journal

 Right Now is the time to train!

The reality of the matter is that it’s always the right time to train. When times are slow, it’s the perfect time to train people because there is ample time and they’ll perform better when times pick up. When times are good, it’s also the perfect time to train people because you can now easily afford the cost.

When it comes right down to it, it’s simply a matter of choice. Either you choose to help your people improve their skills or you choose not to help them improve. Given the benefits that can be reaped by improving proficiency, this should be a very easy choice indeed.

I’ve heard more than one manager say “If I train my people, they may leave the company for better paying jobs.” Well, if you don’t train your people, there is still no guarantee that they’ll stay with you, and how can a poorly trained workforce really help your company? If your company is not competitive with its wages and benefits, you are going to have problems attracting and keeping the best people regardless.

Your organization has committed large resources to stay in business. Just consider the total value of your company. Include land, buildings, machine tools, computers, personnel costs, and all the other company assets. Now consider the amount per year you spend to ensure that your people, the very people who control your company’s destiny, fully understand their responsibilities. I’m not talking about ‘making do’. I’m talking about having employees who are fully versed in their assigned tasks, and can perform them in the most efficient manner. If you expect to stay in business, you can’t afford not to maintain and improve the proficiency of your workers.

Companies can get around a shortage of trained personnel and having to provide proper training by concentrating on heavy recruitment programs to hire skilled workers. But this is only a short term palliative; it takes a lot of effort and buys up the time of the personnel department or costs a great deal of money to retain the recruited individuals.

At some stage a company will need to organize and fund training programs in order to improve working processes and procedures if it wishes to increase productivity. A great deal of emphasis is now placed on the concept of teamwork and you cannot have a team without commitment on both sides. Employers and employees must commit to maintaining corporate and social skills as a way of increasing competitiveness.

Employee retention is the new challenge, and I suggest that training programs are in fact an enormous and powerful tool for employee retention and the building of teams, trust and competitiveness.

The time to train is now - to educate is to empower.

Geoffrey

Learning From The Best

I like to read and learn from the best and recently I heard that from a good friend that ‘The Art of Sales’, is coming to Vancouver on November 28th, 2008 - I believe that it will be an incredible one day event offering sales, marketing and business development professionals an exceptional day of learning, featuring today’s most sought after visionaries and speakers. This event is designed to give your team the tools they need to develop stronger customer relationships, negotiate better deals, increase productivity, and ultimately increase sales. I look forward to seeing you there, all the best Geoffrey

 Take advantage and register…

I have arranged for the subscribers of my e-newsletter with “The Art of Productions” to receive special ticket price of $249, a savings of $150 off the regular rate of $399

Complete your registration in one of 3 easy ways;

PHONE – Call toll free 1.866.99.ART.OF (27863) and ask for Chris at Ext. 25.

EMAIL – chris@theartofproductions.com

WEB - www.theartofproductions.com

Remember to mention you are a subscriber of Geoffrey X Lane’s e-newsletter to receive the lowest available rate of $249, a savings of $150 off the regular rate of $399

In difficult times…

In difficult times it is important to improve and refresh your skills. While others take the wait and see attitude, be proactive and make a difference in your ability to succeed.

I believe this is a great opportunity to meet some great people, learn from the best and take time to grow. I look forward to seeing you there, all the best Geoffrey

I believe that all leaders need to make profound changes!

With so much uncertainty in countries all around us, we can be grateful to be living in Canada where our economy continues to be strong.  I will be cooking a turkey with all of the trimmings and sharing it with my family and friends this coming weekend – this message is to say ‘thank you’ for being in my life and for contributing to the wellbeing of my community, my country and the world in general. Some of you I have seen recently, even regularly, some of you I have not seen in a while, and this is to let you know you are still in my heart as I give thanks. I just want to take this time to express my appreciation for your friendship, business and to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and continued prosperity!  

All the best, Geoffrey

1. I’m not a public speaker. Reality Check: We all speak in public. Public speaking goes far beyond standing on a stage in front of 100 people. We’re presenting ourselves all the time. In fact, life is one big presentation.

2. Don’t talk with your hands. Reality Check: Expressive, dynamic speakers use their hands. Speakers who don’t use any hand movement appear stiff. So let your hands speak for themselves.

3. Look over the heads of the audience. Reality Check: Look directly at key individuals. We connect with each other through our eyes. Effective speakers look at a few people, one at a time. This creates a relationship, and it’s less scary giving your message to each person than to a large crowd.

4. Memorize your speech. Reality Check: It’s more effective to memorize concepts, not words. If you forget a word, you can make your point another way or go on to a new point. Your audience will not know the difference. When possible, avoid using manuscripts. Notes and outlines will better help you to stay on track.

5. Stand in one place. Reality Check: Purposeful movement can be dynamic. Watch some of the top motivational speakers, like Zig Zigler, Tony Robbins, and Les Brown. They work the crowd. They move across the platform. By doing this, you’ll increase the energy in the audience.

6. Always use a lectern. Reality Check: There’s only one reason to use a lectern: to hold your notes. Use a lectern only when you have to speak from a manuscript. Otherwise, you risk giving a presentation that will be perceived as formal and stiff.

7. Cover all your points in your speech. Reality Check: Consider the time frame and modify your talk. Give three major points instead of six. Condense your examples. Tell shorter stories. People will be more likely to remember your speech if you take this approach instead of trying to squeeze too much into too short a window of time.

8. Start with a joke. Reality Check: Don’t do it. You don’t have to be funny to be effective. Use humor or irony instead of telling a joke. Or, simply start with a story or a quote. Throw away the jokes. More often than not, they backfire.

9. Turn off the lights to show slides. Reality Check: In total darkness, your audience members will fall asleep. And they’ll be startled when you turn the lights back on. Use a dimmer instead. Give people enough light to see the slides, and be sure you can see their faces as well.

10. You shouldn’t be nervous. Reality Check: You can control and manage nervousness, but you can’t eliminate it. For most of us, the fear of making a presentation never really goes away. Even the top speakers get nervous. Some nervousness is good for you. It keeps you dynamic. The goal is to channel your nervous energy into a positive performance. 

The Canadian Federal Election has been temporarily eclipsed by world news, impacting everyone’s attention and feelings – the world is now very small and we are all connected.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis shocks and de-values middle Americas homes, while de-stabilizing the economy creating social chaos and triggering the apparent collapse of Wall Street (who sold those poor quality loans to the world) followed by the US government planned bailout. This is occurring while the FBI investigates the actions of many of the firms involved; this begs the question - why bailouts while a criminal investigation?

 The US Senate and congress has been asked by President Bush to give a blank cheque of 700 Billion or will it be a Trillion– is this like the weapons of mass destruction of Iraq?

Hurricane Ike’s destructive path from Cuba, Haiti to Texas even more chaos. Southern Ossetia’s alignment with Russia, is this the beginnings of another cold war? Then tainted milk crisis in China that has killed many and made 53,000 children sick, indicating massive corporate greed. The bombing of the Marriott in Pakistan, (Al Qaeda and the Taliban flexing their muscles again) – fear and chaos abounds in the headlines.  

Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels propaganda minister of the Third Reich used the tactics of fear and social chaos to prepare the German population for the Nazi solution for the European Jewry, and to prepare Germany for total war.  Goebbels created fear in the minds the German population with the idea that the entire world was against them, that they were victims of the terrible Treaty of Versailles, that the Jewry were the real problem and they should fear them while inflation de-stabilized the economy creating social chaos.

 The lesson of using fear and chaos to motivate people to vote is still being used, both here in Canada and the United States only today we call it marketing and attack ads.

E Factor Canada

 The Conservative Party and its leader Mr. Harper have learned this lesson well. Pitting the urban against the rural – positioning the liberal leader Dion as weak and ineffectual – now raising the specter that he will destroy the economy – well the Conservative Party learned this tactic from the Liberal party – do you remember Prime Minister Jean Chretien positioning Steven Harper as having a hidden agenda and that he would drive us back to stone age conservatism – and so the cycle of fear, mistrust and chaos continues unabated – no wonder apathy and disgust is felt by all in Canadian elections. No vision, no hope, only thrust and counter thrust – all the time degrading the trust and respect we hold for each other. Soon we may see an end of our civil society, for when you or I allow distortion of the truth we all lose.

The E-Factor USA

 The US Republicans are well versed in using the emotional factor during elections – in 2004 they used ‘them against us’ positioning to win the election, generating fear by using the specter of more terrorism, more threats, more war, more ‘them against us’ invoking patriotism to rally the voters to the flag and to vote for the then incumbent President Bush – it worked like a charm – and to prepare for total war. 

Presidential candidate John McCain introduced another huge chaotic emotional factor (women and public office) by choosing Sarah Palin – rural vs. urban – pitting the urban voter against the rural, once again using a tried and true formula of ‘them against us’ – the ordinary folk (rural) pitted against the entitled Washington elite (urban).  How curious as Senator McCain is part of that very Washington elite group that voted for deregulation of the financial industry, and he has more lobbyists helping his campaign than even W. Bush.  As usual politics does not make common sense. By using the E-Factor the Republicans can dismiss any engagement on the real issues at hand; the war in Iraq, a failing financial system, social disparity or lack of health insurance.

 Sadly when the climate is full of fear and chaos many people do not make rational decisions – they make emotional decisions – judgment becomes swayed, influenced and distorted.

 Take care with your vote as our forefathers and many nations paid a heavy price (WW 2) to alleviate fear and chaos so we could exercise a free vote, all the best Geoffrey

I am bored with the same old thing all the time, people using Power Point badly.

Are you bored with power point, both seeing and giving the same old stuff?

 If you answered yes, then this is for you.

 For if you are using the old style ‘pure logic’ to present backed up by Power Point then what you do now is boring and ineffective. Power Point by itself it doesn’t communicate with the audience. All the audience wants to hear what you have to say and they more likely to listen if you ‘show up’ at the front of the room, and you’re more likely to get what you want. Do you truly want what you say you want – do you?

And isn’t the point of making presentations to get what you want?

The E-Factor

 As you start making presentations in the future - instead of making slides that follow your ‘pure logic’ driven by bullet points, organize the presentation emotionally, letting the full message drive the process. Remember is that every slide does not have to stand on its own it is part of the overall message. Use one slide to set up a point and then the next slide to bring it home. People make decisions based upon emotions – not logic – we use logic to rationalize and justify our decisions.

Four Killer Mistakes

 The purpose of Power Point is to help you communicate with your audience, adding the e-factor using visual impact. Unfortunately, rather than communicating, slide programs are often used to accomplish four other things, none of which leads to a good presentation or powerful results.

Mistake #1

The first thing that most people use the slide presentation for is a teleprompter!

Did your audience really have to come all this way to a meeting to listen to you read the slides? The last person who read to me was my Mother and she was attempting to put me to sleep. Why not just send them over the slide presentation before the meeting, as it is obvious you’re not needed?

Mistake #2

By handing out the printed version of the slides after the meeting the presenter is avoiding the job of writing a formal report – tacky, lazy, tacky - and is covertly seeking implicit approval for what he/she said at the meeting.  Or much worse give out the printed slide presentation with your notes, just before the presentation, - making it easier for your audience to remember everything you said. Just like reading your slides - only better? After all, if you read your slides, and then give the audience a verbatim transcript of what you read, what could be wrong with that, just reinforcing how lazy you’ve become.

Mistake #3

The third is to impress the audience with the depth and complexity of the presentation put together – using every effect and whiz bang available. An amazing display that proves that you play at being an audio visual techie.

Mistake #4

 Creating a monumental data dump that gives everyone a headache and causes more confusion and questions – but it is impressive in it’s size. Complex data and it’s analysis is the subject of reports, where the reader has time to think and reflect upon your process and conclusions. Use only key points in your presentation.

We are human - Right and left Brain Communications

 If all you do is create a presentation of facts and figures, cancel the meeting and send in a report. Don’t do it in slide presentation because it’s not a presentation, it’s a report. It will contain whatever you write down, but don’t imagine for a second that you’re powerfully communicating any ideas or will persuade any audience.

 Communication is about getting others involved in your point of view, to help them understand why you’re excited (or sad, or optimistic or whatever else you are.) It’s awfully hard to do that in a report - unless you’re an amazing writer. What most people set out to do using slide presentation is in direct conflict with what a great presentation can and should do. Our brains have two sides. The right side is emotional, musical and moody. The left side is focused on dexterity, facts and hard data.

 You MUST engage the two brains to make an impact. When you give a presentation, people want you to engage both parts of their brain. If you don’t they will use the right side to judge the way you talk, the way you dress and your body language. Often, people come to a conclusion about your presentation by the time you’re on the second or third slide. After that, it’s too late for your bullet points to do you much good.

 You can wreck a communication process with lousy logic or unsupported facts, but you can’t complete it without emotion. Logic is not enough. If all it took were ‘pure logic’, no one would smoke cigarettes or drive drunk. The world however is full of phobias and anxiety. If ‘pure logic’ applied then every smart proposal would be adopted. You cannot win with just ‘pure logic’. Yes logic is essential, but without emotion, you’re not using the full range and expression of human communication.

 Using a slide presentation tool presents an amazing opportunity. You can use the screen to connect emotionally to the audience’s right-brain (through their eyes), and your words can connect to their left-brain (through their ears) and that is why it is called an audio-visual tool. Look at what a great movies have always done - Stephen Spielberg makes this work for him and based upon results it works for us too.

YOU are Selling

 If everyone in the room agreed with you just because you were there, you wouldn’t need to make a presentation! You could just give out a one-page project report and delivering it to each person. Amazing, as it seems, the reason we do presentations is to make a point, to sell one or more ideas.

 But most people think selling is hard. Most people don’t want to admit that they’re selling. Be different and sell to the people listening to your presentation, make sure your presentations are not boring – sell with some enthusiasm. Take the opportunity to sell your idea while presenting, otherwise what a waste of time and energy. If you believe in your idea, sell it. Make your point as hard as you can and get what you came for. Your audience will thank you for it, because deep down, we want to know we are being sold and we all want to be sold to honestly.

One two three four… Show time

 1. Practice standing up – always – as you give most presentations that way – rehearse it. Just because you wrote it does not mean you know how to present it! You are expected to perform it! Deliver it with clarity and conviction.

 2. Make your slides that reinforce your words, not repeat them verbatim. Create slides that demonstrate your point of view, not just factual but with emotional proof, that what you’re saying is true.

 3. Images make the difference. Talking about air pollution? Instead of just giving me four bullet points of data, why not show me a photo of a diseased tree, smog and especially the diseased lungs of a child! It’s more powerful and impactful than doing it the old way and it’s effective human communication - use Right and Left Brain communications all at once.

 4. Create a written document – using as many footnotes or details as you like (in the power point presentation program). Then, when you start your presentation, tell the audience that you’re going to give them all the details of your presentation after it’s over, and they don’t have to write down everything you say - they can then focus on you.

 MAKE AN IMPACT: Your presentation will get them to sit back, trust you and take in the emotional and intellectual points of your presentation, if you use the knowledge it properly- connect with people’s right and left brain communicate with the whole person.

  DON’T: handout the written report or supporting documents, before you begin people will read them while you’re talking and ignore you. If your presentation is for a project approval, instead, use instant feedback, hand people a project approval form before you start and get them to approve it upon completion, just so there’s no ambiguity at all about what the purpose of your presentation is or what has been agreed to. You will also discover – very quickly – if you have done a good job of presenting to and persuading your audience.

 IMPACT

 Here are the five rules you need to remember to create amazing PowerPoint presentations:

 1. No more than THREE POINTS - 3 - three points on a slide. No more than SIX WORDS – 6 - six words per point. EVER - GOT IT!

 2. No slick or cheesy images. Use images from one of the professional providers - at last count 7 million plus on the Internet - instead. They cost as little as $3 each, or a little more if they’re for ‘professional use’.

  3. No razzle dazzle or psychedelic effects in a business presentation. No dissolves, spins or other transitions. Nada none never.

 4. Sound effects can be used – only a few times per presentation, but never ever use the sound effects that are built in to the program. Instead, use sound and music from Cds or downloaded sounds and leverage the emotional impact this has. Remember to pay the copyright if it is repetitive public presentation.

  5. Printouts of your slides? – Printouts are one dimensional, flat and often only in b/w. They are not emotive, and they don’t work without you there. If someone wants your slides to show “the boss,” tell them that if one goes, both go.

 MAKE AN IMPRESSION!

 A great performance is easy to describe: You put up a slide. It triggers an emotional response within the audience. They want to know what you’re going to say that fits in with that image. Then, if you do it right, every time they think of what you said, they’ll see the image and experience what you mean as well as hear it.

Always show up and perform Geoffrey

His exceptional storytelling ability is a very powerful way of conveying information, feelings, experience and using them persuade the listener to his point of view, less like a speech and much more intimate.

John McCain is not an orator, especially when compared to Barack Obama.  His greatest strength is his ability to weave together a story from disparate facts. Several times I found myself thinking about these experiences and how they shaped him. As I watched him speak at the Republican convention I was impressed by the way he told small anecdotal stories and large history stories and then linked with the Republican message and story of culture.

It was rather like listening to my grandfather. When I listen to McCain, with respect and fascination, I started wondering if the interpretations and experiences were accurate, were they dimmed by time and obscured by political speech writing polish. I wondered how much of the story had been mined for the political connection to the extent that the real experience has been lost, I wondered about his authenticity. There is no doubt according to the story that he was a hero, but I was left wondering and wondering about his political motives. 

Standing Ovations

McCain ran for the republican nomination in 2000, and lost to Bush, I got his authenticity then, but not this time.  At the 2008 convention he was very successful in motivating and inspiring his audience to many standing ovations, but was he? It seemed to me that the audience were resolutely determined to make this speech a success, was it mostly to impress the larger viewing television audience? As McCain continued the standing ovations became less energetic, it was a long speech. Difficult to see what was real or orchestrated and so I was left wondering, wondering and wondering….

Governor Sarah Palin

I have received several e-mails concerning Governor Sarah Palin’s speech, I did not see her speak live, and so I found myself unable to give an unbiased view on her speech.  Certainly the Republican audience loved her and her charm was evident. Everything else seemed to me to be very politically managed.  Governor Palin is dynamic and forceful, but not an orator at this point.

It is interesting to me that we (Canadians) seem to have a fascination with American politics, in a conversation today with a good friend we spent more time talking US politics than Canadian. Don’t forget to vote as that is the cornerstone to democracy, take care Geoffrey.

Barak Obama is proof of the career building power of a good speech. The rapid rise of the Democratic nominee for the US presidency is a reminder that the ability to speak convincingly to others has to rank as one of the most important skills in politics in the business and in life.  Will it be enough to win him the US Presidency? Only time will tell.

Here is what Obama does so well;

Opening strategy; he starts slowly building both the rhythm and momentum within his speech. He uses pauses and silence to bring attention to what he’s going to say. 

When you start slowly many things happen to strengthen your connection with the audience. You look calm relaxed and powerful, and very much in control. Your audience waits for your next word. Many speakers try to fill up the airtime, not realizing that they sound as if they are on the radio.   Pauses and silence are powerful tools, allowing the audience to think and feel as you speak, for they do not know what you are going to say, and when you say it they have the opportunity to hear it.

 Obama impresses his listeners with the fact that he is calm and thoughtful, looking very relaxed under pressure. As he delivers his speech, he increases his both his pacing and his voice tonal range and volume. Increasing the pacing increases the sense all the excitement and anticipation in his audience. By increasing the range of his voice he is able to deepen the emotional connection with his audience.

 His ability to include and to encompass the “you, we and us” of the audience, allows him to sound as if he is part of the audience. He uses his ability to connect via language, which allows the message to be felt and experienced by the audience as if it is theirs.   This indicates that he has listened to and understood the feelings and thoughts of his audience. Many people in the audience will walk away feeling as if he had expressed what they were thinking.

He uses the pattern of repetition to build enthusiasm and energy.  Several times during his acceptance speech he repeated a phrase and by the second repetition the audience was repeating it with him; this unconsciously becomes a well-used phrase by the audience once they have left the convention. It becomes like a jingle, sticking in one’s mind because of the phrasing and repetition.

During the Democratic convention he was interrupted by many rounds of applause, he did not fight them. He used them to build up to his full oratory speed.  In the final phrasing of his speech his full range of emotional energy, vocal power, and pacing was at its best.

If oratory was the only basis for choosing a leader “Obama” is the clear winner. His range is evangelical, professorial and political, all at the same time. He is a master orator.

A great speech has a powerful impact upon the human psyche and has elected many a politician, created a following, spread new ideas and changed nations. 

Speak up, speak out and make a difference, all the best Geoffrey