Speaker's Digest December 2002

Holiday Edition

In this issue:

• A Wonderful Movie, A Wonderful Presenter
• Practicing "The Fundamentals" During Your Holiday Celebrations

---

A Wonderful Movie, A Wonderful Presenter

That’s ol’ George—he’s always
making a speech. Hee Haw!
Sam Wainwright, boyhood friend of
George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life

There are so many reasons to love It’s a Wonderful Life.  There’s the brief but memorable appearance of former Our Gang’er Alfalfa Switzer, missing his trademark upside-down ponytail; future TV producer Sheldon Leonard (The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Spy, among others) as Nick the bartender; and the unnamed neighbor who exclaims: “Aw, youth is wasted on the wrong people!” We look forward to watching Clarence Odbody save the day as an angel trying to earn his wings, and laugh every time we hear Annie, the household servant, cry out:  “I’ve been saving this money for a divorce, if ever I get a husband!”

Jimmy Stewart, of course, stars as George Bailey. And as we watched the movie for the umpteenth time, we realized that those of us who strive to make better speeches and presentations can learn a lot from George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart.  (Why else would we include this in Speaker’s Digest?)

Stewart’s George Bailey is a bona fide hero, a tireless community leader who continually fights to give people a better way of life. When we meet him as a child, he already embodies the philosophy of “Think Globally, Act Locally” when he lectures a young Mary Hatch about his National Geographic magazine, and in the next breath keeps old man Gower from mistakenly poisoning a customer.  George Bailey’s lifelong passion, his determination, his focus and his zeal make an impression on the picket fenced town of Bedford Falls, New York. 

So what, exactly, makes George a great speaker?

Energy.  George Bailey exudes energy throughout the film.  His ideas are big, his goals are big, and his exclamations are big.  Whether he’s excited, angry, nervous, or scared, he uses the full range of his voice, and adds the facial expression to match it.  We encourage our clients to take their natural energy and turn it up a notch, like George/Jimmy.  When you watch the movie again, pay attention to how he delivers these lines:

• Wish I had a million dollars.  Hot Dog!
• Holy Mackerel!
• Attaboy, Clarence!
• Doggone it!
• Yay!
• Zuzu, my little gingersnap!
• Hallelujah!
• Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!

Big Thinking.  When George Bailey talks about traveling, he’s not thinking about a trip to the next town, or to a nearby B&B.  He wants to go everywhere: Tahiti, Fiji, Italy, Baghdad (perhaps to assist with the arms inspections?), Greece, Venezuela, the Yukon.  He wants to build skycrapers and change the world.  Of course, the irony of the movie is that he never leaves Bedford Falls.  But that doesn’t mean he failed.  (We can’t give away the ending here, even if you’ve seen the movie a dozen times.)  Like George, a speaker who thinks big demonstrates passion and vision, which can mean a better presentation.

Pre-Game Warm-up. George seems to know when to take a moment to psyche himself up.  We see him pacing in front of the home of Mary Hatch, soon to become Mary Bailey, shortly after learning that he wouldn’t be leaving Bedford Falls after all.  Everyone in town – and in the theater—figured he was headed to Mary’s house.  But he seems surprised when Mary spies him outside and asks: “What are you doing out there, picketing?”  We know that George was just mentally preparing himself to make an entrance, a good practice for any speaker.

Sells the Benefits.  We talk about this topic a lot in our workshops.  Speakers get caught up in the small details, trying to explain what they do, neglecting to focus on the big picture benefits.  George brilliantly demonstrates how to communicate benefits.  Twice in the movie he has to persuade groups of people to take action, first addressing the board of the Bailey Building and Loan who are voting to put the company out of business in the wake of his father’s death.  He goes right to the heart of what the business stands for, challenging the board:  “Is it too much for (the working people of Bedford Falls) to have them work and pay and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? My father didn’t think so!” 

Then, when a bank closure has turned his customers into an angry mob demanding to close out their accounts, he doesn’t talk about interest rates, account balances, or costs of doing business.  Instead, he reminds them of the business’ main objective: to help people own their own homes.  “You’re lending them money to build, and then, they’re going to pay it back to you as best they can.”   He appeals to the crowd by citing individual examples of his company’s worth:  “Ed, you remember last year when things weren’t going so well, and you couldn’t make your payments?  You didn’t lose your house, did you?”

A few years back, you could watch It’s A Wonderful Life a dozen times a year because it was on TV so often.  But thanks to the good folks at NBC, it’s been reduced two showings this year.  Our suggestion:  take a seminar on George Bailey at your leisure.  Buy the movie on video or DVD, pop some popcorn, and watch it without commercials, keeping an eye on Jimmy Stewart at all times.  Look for ways that you can incorporate some of his energy, big thinking, warm-up routine, and salesmanship into your presentations in 2003.

And write it all off as a business expense! 

---

Practicing "The Fundamentals" During Your Holiday Celebrations

Happy Holidays to everyone!  At this festive time of year, EMS Communications reminds you (once again) to practice "The Fundamentals" at all of your holiday and New Year's celebrations:

1. Make sure your designated driver makes proper EYE CONTACT with the road at all times.
2. Remember to MOVE WITH A PURPOSE: to the punch bowl (plant your feet)...to the food table (plant your feet)...to the keg...to a better party...to bed...etc.
3. When holding your third glass of champagne, only GESTURE with one hand, and don't SWAY too much!
4. For those of you playing Santa this year, remember: Ho (PAUSE) Ho (PAUSE) Ho!
5. Use proper SPEAKING PACE at the Customer Service counter: "Oh my god you should I get Game Cube or PS2 or X-Box?? I don't know which one!! My kids are going to freak out! "
6. Remember, the song does not begin "UMM...should old...UHHH...acquaintance be forgot and...YOU KNOW...never brought to mind..." even if you don't know all the words!
7. Use proper FACIAL EXPRESSION when you open your gifts, whether you like them or not!
8. Unleash your Presentation Power and step out-of-the-box when you shout HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

If you have trouble with any of the above, give us a call--EMS TO THE RESCUE!

We wish you a safe, happy and fun New Year!

---

2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002