Want to improve your presentation skills? As an executive speech coach this is the best public speaking tip I can give you.
Are You Guilty? The Unconscious Goof that Can Hurt Your Credibility
Fifteen times in a thirteen-minute period. That’s how often Steve Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine, did it during an otherwise brilliant presentation at the National Speakers Association convention in New York, August 2008.
President Obama did it twice while he was on The Tonight Show talking to Jay Leno.
My high-level corporate clients do it—including Presidents, Chief Financial Officers, and Sales Vice Presidents of America’s greatest companies.
Celebrity speakers, best-selling authors, and top consultants do it before I work with them.
Each time they do, I reach over and give their hands a quick slap. When they ask, “How can I kick the habit? Nobody ever told me I did it so much.” I tell them, “You must give your spouse and subordinates permission to tell you when it happens. First, notice when you do it. Second, recognize the negative impact. Third, replace this blunder with something more appropriate.”
You may not have noticed this verbal affliction yet, but once you do, you’ll have fun spotting examples everywhere. Some of your friends and associates are guilty. The blight has invaded television in the news and commercials, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. It crosses all professions and levels of education. Recently, I counted dozens of examples at a four-day meeting with some of the most brilliant and successful professional speakers and consultants in the U.S. Even you may be doing it!
What is this Crime against Credibility?
It’s a single, suddenly-popular buzzword that makes me feel like fingernails screeching on a blackboard every time I hear it. It’s “stuff.”
Even communication experts are guilty. I maintain that professional speakers, coaches, and consultants are paid for their lifetime knowledge, innovative ideas, leading-edge strategies, and, most important of all, their eloquence in putting their ideas across to their audiences. Yet, I overhear these communicators saying to each other, “The group loved my stuff” or “I gave them my best stuff.”
At a dramatic time in our nation’s history when precise and powerful communication is most needed, employees and sales teams, many who have English as a second or third language, are hearing this vague, imprecise language from their corporate leaders. Sales professionals in my sales presentation skills training are talking about their products and high-ticket technology in the same non-specific, low-value way.
Even worse than “stuff” is “and stuff.” Some individuals don’t seem to know that a period at the end of a sentence is a great way to stop. I’ve heard:
“This will decrease absenteeism and stuff…”
and
“We had a great conversation and stuff…”
In Shakespeare’s time, “stuff” meant woven cloth—“such stuff as dreams are made on.” It has come to mean “miscellaneous” and even acquired the negative connotation of junk, debris, or rubbish. Surely you don’t want to clutter your speaking, leadership messages, and sales presentations with rubbish?
The worst thing about “stuff” is that it is not specific! As my associate David Palmer, PhD has programmed me to think, “Specificity builds credibility.”
Each time one of my speaking clients says “stuff,” I ask what exactly they mean to say. Some are amazed at how often they use the word, even people with graduate degrees. Yet, their education isn’t obvious in their language because of that one useless and irritating word.
If you’re asking yourself what difference it could make, I’ll tell you. A huge one! You are hired because what you say sounds like it is worth paying for. Language that is fuzzy, clumsy, and unclear destroys your credibility and your claim to professionalism. You might as well be delivering your message in Valley-Girl speak, grinding your toe in the rug and murmuring, “Whatever—”
Your audience of one or a thousand deserves clear, forceful, and specific language. Toss out all that meaningless “stuff” and show them what a leader you are.
COMMENTS FROM MY READERS
“Perhaps as, what us old-time NLP'ers, would call a "pattern interrupt”, whenever anyone emits that prurient default word, you can train them to say (in another evocation from a more eloquent time) "stuff and nonsense." Having to say that every time we misuse "stuff", might be a wonderful antidote. Arguably in that sense "stuff" meant "rubbish". And therefore reminding ourselves that we are guilty of verbal rubbish might be a good corrective.
As to the overall point you're making, dare I say it...good stuff! I shall now, having knowingly sinned, go get stuffed.”
Omar Khan, Senior Partner, Sensei International Check out Omar's blog.
“As always you hit this one out of the park. At one of the Champ Camps you mentioned this and it has stayed with me since. Earlier this year I was asked by a local political action committee to help them their presentation and provide public speaking coaching. This was one of the key points I continued to bring up and they incorporated in their presentation was Fripp’s “be specific.” It made a difference. The public forums raised many good questions and those I worked with were able to be specific. The other side talked in generalities; their lack of specificity was pointed out time and again. Specifics most definitely do add credibility!
The project I helped with was big enough it made the national news, including USA Today, and the side I worked with prevailed at the ballot box 60/40. The topic was important, the city council wanted to divert tax money and use it to cover tuition or technical training for every high school graduate regardless of financial need. They could offer only generalities on how much it would cost the taxpayers, if property taxes would escalate due to this program, or what services if any would be impacted, even if it would affect other financial aid. Specifics sell stuff doesn’t. “
John C. Hayden
“YOU are a treasure!
What I hear a great deal of – besides Caroline Kennedy- is, “you know…” sometimes seven times in a single statement of ‘thought’.
I was with a group of people recently – non business- and a gentleman from France (a top executive from Hermes) said: “I’ve been listening to you and you use many words” (like trepidation,) “that I’ve never heard spoken by an American”.
It seems that people are getting lazy…. Using multi-syllabic words when appropriate to express what you want to say AND in the company of people who have adequate education- is almost passé. (You know?) A dumbing down.”
Arlene B. Isaacs
Learn many more presentation techniques and public speaking tips at my June 29-30, 2009 Speaking School in Las Vegas.
You may have read about my brother Robert Fripp performing in Estonia for the celebration of their independence. I read this on his wife Toyah's blog. Excuse me for being a proud sister-in-law, but is amazing, beautiful, and multifaceted in her talent. She can sing, act, write, be an amazing talk show guest or host. Her stage performances have been delighting audiences for thirty years. She started performing in her teens and has been in movies with Sir Laurence Olivier and Katherine Hepburn.
