Tony Schwartz, creator of the “Daisy” commercial, died this past week. Schwartz will long be remembered for his insights into communication, namely the power of emotion and the role of ads to surface feelings from the audience rather than to educate the audience with facts. I made the pilgrimage to Schwartz’ compound upper West Side Manhattan compound in 1985, where he was nice enough to further elaborate for me the theories from his book “The Responsive Chord.” Anyone who is serious about being a master communicator should watch all of Tony’s old TV commercials as well as read his books.

John McCain can be a great speaker, especially when he is a little bit angry and speaking without notes. The problem is that he consistently (at least 50% of the time) is boring, mundane and flat, due to poor reading of a speech. Barack Obama is occasionally flat and has too many “uhs” and “ums” (especially during a media interview), but Obama is consistently (over 80% of the time) a great speaker. He’s smooth, fluid, emotional, and compelling.

My prediction: This spells doom for McCain. Since the modern TV era (1952), the general election candidate who is the better speaker has always won the presidency. (I grant you 2000 and 2004 can be debated due to the poor speaking skills of Bush versus the irritating speaking styles of Gore and Kerry).

But 2008 is a very clear-cut contest between someone who is a great speaker most of the time (Obama) and someone who is a poor-to-middling speaker most of the time (McCain). I’m predicting a clear-cut Obama based purely on his oratorical talents.

Barack Obama and his wife are great communicators and wonderful speakers. I like them both. But for the love of hanging chads, could somebody, PLEASE, tell them that “I” can not be the object of a preposition? Last night on CNN Michelle Obama said “for I” and then this morning on the Today Show Barack Obama said “for I.” What they said after that I couldn’t tell you because my teeth were still hurting so much. Come on, you are both Harvard Law grads. It is “for me, for me, for me!” It can never be “for Michelle and I” or “for Barack and I.” Now, me glad me got that off my chest.

Does anyone know of an expert in starting ad networks? I am looking to start an ad network focusing on web sites that deal with the following topics: speaking, public speaking, presentations, powerpoint and media training. If you know of anyone, please have them contact me at tj@tjwalker.com.

According to the New York Times today, “Nokia, based in Finland, said it surveyed 9,000 consumers last year and concluded that by 2012 one out of every four consumers will create, edit or share entertainment with friends, instead of getting it from traditional media outlets like television or movie studios.”

The significance? It means the ability to speak–on camera–is going to go from being seen as a luxury skill to a basic, essential skill. 35 years ago, an executive graduating from a top law or business school who knew how to type was viewed as having a special, obscure talent. These days, anyone graduating from any school who can’t type is considered an unemployable fool.

Will the ability to speak clearly and confidently in front of a video capture device some day be considered as basic a skill as today’s typing?

Absolutely! So you better get used to it.

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience.” Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

How Can I be More Concise?

Your PowerPoint Administrative Specialist: “Limit your presentation to no more than 10 slides!”

Your Boss: “Strip out all of your stories, examples, and anecdotes. Just stick to the facts and you can slim down your presentation.”

Your College Speech Professor: “Research shows that no speech should last longer than 18.5 minutes.”

You: “The more concise I am, the sooner I can sit down, the less likely I am to receive any criticism for having gone on too long.”

***

Your Audience: “Concise? Why don’t you actually try to tell us stuff that’s interesting and useful? If you do that, the time will fly and we won’t be staring at our watches. If your speech is a concise 9 minutes long but you are so boring that we tune out after 30 seconds, then the next 8.5 minutes will seem like three hours. So what did you really accomplish? Guess what? We never complain about someone NOT being concise if they are really interesting, even if they talk for three hours.”

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

Is it OK to ask questions of audience members?

Your Corporate Communications Director: “Why on Earth would you want to do that?”

Your Marketing Director: “Too risky, what if they say something that contradicts our policies? Besides, there is no time for this foolishness.”

Your College Speech Coach: “You are there to provide your expertise, not lead a discussion. Don’t ask questions of your audience.”

You: “It seems a little scary asking audience members questions. What if they say something I wasn’t expecting or that contradicts what I’ve said earlier? I’ll look like a fool!”

***

Your Audience: “We thought you’d never ask. Sure, it would be nice if someone actually cared about what we thought for a change. As long as you don’t get annoyed at us for our answers and if you cut us slack if we can’t come up with an answer, then it’s OK to ask us questions. Questions can spice things up a little because it can get a little boring just listening to you. The one thing you know is that if we are answering your question during the middle of your speech, we aren’t sleeping, daydreaming or playing with our Blackberries.”

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

Should I show my audience that I am well-organized by telling them at the beginning the outline of my whole speech?

Your Speech Writer: “Yes, you want to show your audience that you are well-prepared.”

Your Boss: “Yes, this is the logical and rational thing to do.”

Your Speech Teacher: “Yes, you and your audience need a clear roadmap for your speech.”

You: “Yes, my audience will be impressed that I prepared so thoroughly for them.”

*** 

Your Audience: “Huh? What are you, our high school teacher? Do you really think we are going to write down your outline? If you waste time telling us what you’re going to tell us later, then you are practically begging me to take a little nap at the beginning of your speech, since you will cover everything later. Why not just hop into your speech by telling me something really interesting, useful and memorable right at the beginning?”

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

If I’m more comfortable holding a pen in my hands while I speak, is that OK?

Your Speech Coach: “Yes, it’s OK to hold a pen, or you can put one hand in your pocket.”

Your Self-Esteem Coach: “If it makes you feel better than it’s OK. Go ahead and hold a pen or a lucky rabbit’s foot.”

You: “I don’t know what to do with my hands, so I’m more comfortable holding a pen while I speak.”

*** 

Your audience: “Huh! Why would you hold a pen? Are you planning on spontaneously saying something so brilliant that you need a pen to write down your own quote while you speak? Are you a pompous a#$? If you’re going to hold a pen, why not a broom or a rake? Better yet, why not leave the toys on the table and just talk to us—hands-free?”

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

Should I tell jokes at the beginning of the speech to loosen up the audience?

Your Speech Writer: “Yes, this will be a great way to get the audience on your side.”

Your lawyer: “What? Are you crazy? Do you want to get us sued?” Don’t ever use humor at anytime in your speech.”

You: “Yes, I’d like to start off with a good joke—this will relax me and make me more comfortable for my speech.”

***

Your Audience: “Who are you, Henny Youngman? There’s nothing worse than someone trying too hard. That’s the problem with starting your speech with a joke—it’s too obvious. We know it’s coming and so do you. Sure, you might get a chuckle form us begrudgingly, but so will bad puns. You’d be a lot better off saying something funny in the middle or the end of your speech. We aren’t expecting it then—that’s why we’d be even more pleasantly surprised.”