Bottom-line: Style: A Substance: C It’s not that I didn’t like what the President had to say; I did. But the speech summarized apple pie, motherhood, and the American dream. What’s not to like? With the exception of a few brief lines, everybody in the chamber could have applauded every word, had they not been familiar with the pending legislation [...]
No matter how powerful or persuasive your words, your body language can sabotage your success as a panelist. Make sure you’re in full control of all moving parts—including your tongue. Avoid “grand-standing” other panel members while they are speaking with attention-grabbing body language when you disagree. That is, don’t “yell” with head wagging, rolling eyes, dismissive [...]
When presenting as part of a panel, think of the situation as a Broadway play rather than a solo performance. How you interact with other panelists makes the difference between a long-running box-office hit and a one-night show. Look for appropriate opportunities to piggyback the comments of other panel members. The most engaging panel presentations [...]
I don’t know which is worse: being trapped in an audience listening to panelists who sound as though they were recruited in the hallway five minutes before the program began . . . or being a panelist asked to “fill in” for a no-show and then doubly doomed with an unprepared moderator. Disaster. Look for [...]
Maybe I should have come up with a different title, but “grading” seemed to be the appropriate word tonight. The president sounded professorial, as if lecturing to high-schoolers about how the administration knew all along about the misfits who hacked into the school computers, stole the social security numbers, changed all the grades, and defaced the cafeteria walls. He had things [...]
Humor helps almost any audience digest a message. But both timing and type prove crucial to success.
