Nick Morgan is a speech writer, speech coach and communications skills expert. He has worked with various
corporate executives and public figures as a speech writer. He is the founder of Public Words, a communications consultancy firm aimed at helping people develop their public speaking and presentation skills. Nick recently gave me the chance to do a short interview with him which I would like to share with you.
I asked Nick’s insights on some topics concerning his expertise.
Nick suggests that a speaker should do “focused rehearsing” of the speech before delivering it in front of a live audience. In this regard, I asked him whether some people rehearse so much that when they deliver the speech they are no longer spontaneous and they are just acting. Would it be fair to say that the communication style is not congruent with the speaker’s own personality?
“It’s very rare for someone to be over-rehearsed,” Nick replied. “If someone is just ‘acting’ and not appearing authentic or real, it’s because they haven’t realized the point of rehearsal, which is to get other distractions out of the way so that you can be ‘there in that moment‘ for the audience. Anyone who is fully present never looks fake.”
“I understand you love poetry and I enjoyed the Fernando Pessoa quote on your email signature. Do you think well chosen quotes can improve the impact of a speech? When should a speaker use quotes?”
“Quotes can be useful in two ways — if used sparingly. The first is to establish authority. You quote an expert to show that you know what you’re talking about, and you know the experts. The second is to add a little poetry — a little magic — to the prose. These sort of quotes are usually brought in at the end of a speech. Take care that you don’t become cliched, however, you must use an unusual quote, not a hackneyed one.”
Too much use of quotes will make a speaker boring and stereotyped. Timing is the key. I guess it is a matter of applying it at the proper time.
“In your book “Working the Room”, it is evident that you believe the only reason to give a speech is to “change the world”. Do you think many of today speeches don’t have a clear purpose?
“Far too many speeches today don’t reflect the purpose and passion that a speech must have to change the world. You can only really make one point in a focused, clear speech. So make that point well and powerfully — and you will change the world. Otherwise you’re wasting your time and the audience’s time. “
You can read more about Nick Morgan at his site, www.publicwords.com