Speaker's Digest January 2004
In this issue:
The 2004 Super Bowl of Public Speaking (A.K.A. The State of the Union Speech)
Millions of people worldwide will listen to President Bush’s 2004 State of the Union speech to Congress (scheduled for Tuesday, January 20th at 9:00 EST) to hear what he has to say about hot issues such as Iraq, the economy, outer space and homeland security. But readers of Speaker’s Digest will have a chance to help measure how well the President presents his ideas, taking into account such speaking fundamentals as eye contact, speaking pace and gestures.
Join us for Rate the President 2004, our 2nd annual online survey examining the use of presentation skills by our country’s President during his State of the Union speech. All Speaker’s Digest readers will receive a link to www.RatethePresident.com via email just prior to the speech, enabling you to rate President Bush’s performance in 11 different categories, ranging from eye contact to energy. There is also a place where you can write out comments and send them along with your survey. Feel free to visit the site ahead of time and print a copy so that you can take notes as you watch.
While political pundits will flood the media with their interpretations of the President’s policies, we at Speaker’s Digest will be collecting data that measures how the public actually perceives his presentation. Results will be tabulated and posted on our web site late the next day. (Those who receive Speaker’s Digest will automatically receive results via email.)
New to the 2004 survey is a question asking people to volunteer their own political leanings or party affiliation. We expect that this new information will be helpful in analyzing the results. Remember, we’re not out to evaluate the President’s policies or politics, but rather to rate his speaking performance in the same way that we would work with a valued client.
Invite your friends to participate
Where surveys are concerned, the more the merrier! Please feel free to pass this email along to co-workers, friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, clients and other politically-savvy people in your network that might enjoy participating in Rate the President 2004. We’ll look forward to hearing from them. (You can also direct them to www.RatethePresident.com or to our website at www.presentationtrainers.com to sign up for the survey.)
What EMS Will Be Looking For
Presenters who effectively use speaking techniques are able to convey confidence, sincerity, enthusiasm and conviction. Last year, President Bush earned high marks from our readers in pacing his delivery and for making strong eye contact. But they found his infrequent use of gestures and vocal variety kept him from really communicating conviction and strength.
After watching last year’s speech, we noticed a frequent transfer of weight from one leg to the other, a repetitive habit that seemed distracting. In addition, we kept waiting for him to turn up the energy, incorporate stronger gestures, or change the tone of his voice. We’ll be watching to see if his style has changed appreciably in the past year.
Media Contacts
If you are with the media or have any media contacts who might be interested in Rate the President 2004, EMS is available for interviews or to discuss the survey in more depth. Please feel free to pass this email along or to contact us at ericandeliot@presentationtrainers.com. (We’ll be pleased to pass along a press release about the survey upon request.)
An Interesting Link
Want to compare this year’s State of the Union address to presentations from previous years? Would you like to compare President Bush’s speaking style to that of his predecessor, or even to his father? Try visiting C-Span’s archives of past addresses at http://www.c-span.org/executive/stateoftheunion.asp for a longer look at how different presidents have handled the annual address.
Marcy Weingartz
Sr. Business Analyst
CH Robinson Worldwide