Pin drop speech3/20/2024 ![]() Sadly, the real legacy of the Baldwin vs Buckley debate is that after making one of the most brilliant men ever to walk this earth defend his humanity based on the color of his skin, we still don’t have the basic moral decency and courage to live the lessons his words imparted. It was a moment that changed history and should have changed America forever. As the whole world watched, Baldwin both destroyed Buckley’s reputation as an intellectual, and imploded the supposedly logical underpinnings of casual white supremacy. Buckley, I talk briefly about both the importance of the moment both then, and today. Building on a timeless clip of James Baldwin’s argument in the 1965 Cambridge debate against William F. Please bear with me in the meantime and thanks for all your support.ĭarkness, Light, and the Dim Possibilities of Ignoranceīy the time I wrote this late November 2020 informal essay over on Media Madness, our fledgling Film Sessions feature was starting to evolve into what it has become today a discussion that not only recommends a video to watch, but seeks to move beyond the confines of that source material as well. As part of that process, I’m posting links to older content that I will never find again otherwise.Īs tedious as this activity is, it’s necessary for my archives. How about sharing my tips with colleagues and friends on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – isn’t that what friends are for? Oh, and let’s connect I always love to hear what others are up to #DS.Editor’s note: after struggling against online censorship and some procrastinating, I’m getting around to reorganizing my website. Try these tips for your next talk and I guarantee you’ll have your audience by the balls from the first word. If you’re going to media, you’d better make damn sure that it’s flawless and the design is exceptional. As soon as a dodgy PowerPoint slide goes up, your audience has stopped taking you seriously and there’s no recovering from that. ![]() When you can be yourself, people listen up when you speak up.įinally, don’t fall into the techno trap! Nothing kills a speech faster than shoddy media. When you care about your topic, being yourself comes naturally. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s much easier to look comfortable if you are comfortable. Yes, you can fake it to make it but only so far. Which is where the next tip comes in: love your topic. The first shake of your voice or the tiniest drop of your shoulders and you’ve lost them show them that the stage is yours that you own that space, and you’ll have them riveted to your words right the way through. There’s no room for even the smallest drop in your confidence. ![]() Your tone, your body language your audience will pick up on every one of these. Oh, and not just your words either your delivery is vital. Know your speech like you know your drive home. If they don’t hold your attention (even after the tenth time you’ve practiced them), chances are nobody else will be interested either. How do you choose the right story? The rule of thumb is to make sure that they’re relevant and compelling to you first. That’s where your stories become your best friend, doing all the really heavy lifting for you. The thing that takes a talk from passable to powerful is the ability to stop people in their tracks whether you’re in a concert hall or the canteen. You might be presenting the driest since the last Sahara rainfall record but with the right story to illustrate it, your audience will still be glued to their seats. So take a leaf from Steve’s book and give your audience the respect they deserve!Īnother thing, every great speech needs a great story. Talk down to your audience and they’ll be whipping out their phones for a game of Candy Crush before you’ve gotten through a cue card. You might think that the audience is obligated to pay attention just because you’re on stage. He crafted a clear and simple message that they could relate to. What makes this such a power speech? Simple: Jobs knew his audience. So let’s look at what it takes to turn an audience into putty in your hands.īy now you’re probably one of the millions of people who have watched Steve Jobs’ legendary 2005 speech to Stanford University graduates. For my money, there’s nothing as exciting as the moment you stun your audience into silence that moment when the power of your speech means you can hear a pin drop in a crowd. That’s right: more people would rather vanish off the face of the earth than make the most of an amazing opportunity to influence people with their ideas. Want to hear something strange? Studies show that more people would rather die than give a speech.
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