Gov. Bobby Jindal, offering the Republican rebuttal to President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress, was generally given low marks for presentation, even by supporters, although the substance of the message seemed right on point with his party.
But in a speech, people tend to listen to style over substance. It’s how you say it, not what you say that often wins the day. So there are lessons to be learned from Jindal’s experience for corporate speech makers, writes John Baldoni on his blog, Don’t “Bobby Jindal” You’re Next Big Speech.
It’s a great refresher on the ingredients that go into an effective presentation, but I was particularly struck by this critique of the governor’s performance:
“He said what he wanted to say rather than what the audience wanted, or needed, to hear.”
As a victim of hundreds of corporate presentations over the years that bored rather than soared, I think Baldoni hits the mark with this observation. Speakers often craft their message without first thinking of the audience. Baldoni writes:
“Jindal was speaking to the nation, but he spoke as if he were addressing a group of Republican faithful. Much of his speech focused on attacking the other political party. This is akin to a senior corporate leader giving a speech attacking an industry rival when his employees are worried about holding on to their own jobs.”
Read the post for more tips on how to create a speech that gets your message across by understanding what your audience wants to hear.
Do you shape your presentations to suit the needs of your audience? Or do you write the best speech you can deliver, regardless of who is filling the seats?
