What do Dell Computers and Sarah Palin Have in Common?

They quit before they could get anything done.

OK:  This has nothing to do with my usual topics:  women and public speaking.  Instead, this is a full-on vent. 

My Dell computer is garbage.  It crashes constantly.  How could such a bad product be so widely used?

For example, with stunning regularity my computer simply stops working.  The “new” battery has less than five minutes of life in it.  Web browsers cannot open.  Often, after typing pages of thoughtful writing, the whole machine stops. 

I detest complaining, but in this instance it feels really good.  I would join the “I Hate Dell Computers” Fan club on Facebook, but my Dell crashes before I can complete my membership.

I feel better now.  Thank you blog post.  And that’s why my Dell Computer (or Sarah Palin) could never run for president.  Quitters will never win.  I’m off to the Apple Store.

High Tech or High Touch? What’s a Speaker to Do?

When PowerPoint technology first came out, professors of public speaking had mixed responses.  On the one hand, crisp, professional looking computer generated slides were a big improvement over the cluncky slide carousels that more often than not had at least one slide upside down, made noise and demanded a fully darkened room.  On the other hand, PowerPoint technology wasn’t much different because by showing PowerPoint slides, the attention turned from speaker to slide show and technology troubles, such as lack of power, poorly designed slides and inexperience advancing slides all took away from the message the speaker was trying to convey.   And I tell students every semester:  making a slide presentation is NOT public speaking.

So how do you decide if you should “technologize” your presentation?  I struggle with this, too.  So, here are some guidelines to help both of us prepare for our next presentations:

1.  Do you need to convey numerical data such as charts and graphs?  If so, Power Point slides may a good idea. 

2.  If you want to show video or go to websites, Power Point slides are a good choice.

2.  If the speech is more about YOU, slides are often a poor choice.  What political candidate goes around with a PowerPoint?   Attention will turn from YOU to “Oh, what a neat show.”

3.  If you decide to make a PowerPoint, follow guidelines that will make sure it is good. Indezine has some good tips.

4.  Consider only using the PowerPoint for part of your presentation, such as at the beginning or the end, so that you can still command the focus of the presentation.

4.  Whether you use technology or not, PRACTICE!  Be good!  Have enthusiasm about your topic, remember why your audience came to hear you and enjoy all the attention!

Nichola D. Gutgold is associate professor of communication, arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley and author of Seen and Heard:  The Women of Television News (2008).

Hold the Champagne, but keep the bubbly when public speaking

Maybe Mariah Carey can get away with being intoxicated when speaking in public, (like she was at the recent Palm Springs Film Festival) but most mere mortals trying to earn a living cannot.  Here are some tips to make your next presentation something to pop a cork about:

1.  Be prepared.  Make sure you find out ahead of time what the room looks like, how many people will be in the audience and what they expect from you.

2.  Have a back up.  If you plan on using media in your speech, have an extra drive with your presentation on it — just in case! And be ready to go low tech, high touch if the technology fails completely.

3.  Grab the attention of the audience with something catchy from the start.  A funny statement, a quote, a graphic–anything that will cause your audience to focus 100% on you.

4.  Be bubbly.  If you don’t bubble over about your topic, the audience won’t either.  Unless you are delivering bad news, speak with enthusiasm.

Nichola D. Gutgold is associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State Lehigh Valley and author of Paving the Way for Madam President.

Professor Hillary Clinton’s Lessons:

Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton offers lessons for anyone on how to slay a dragon, and it doesn’t involve covering your armor with spikes.

With the new year upon us and our optimism still high about turning over a new leaf or accomplishing things we’ve never thought possible, here are four “take-aways” from Hillary Clinton’s history-making presidential race that we should apply to our own hopes and dreams.  Oh, right, she lost the presidency.  In the United States we tend to be very fixated on the ‘winner and the loser’ but I think Hillary Clinton, to give a nod to the reality television masses, could truly be described as the  ‘biggest loser.’

She’s gaining admiration and respect for her role as Secretary of State and in fact, she is more popular than the president.  Candidate Obama was right:  she is ‘likeable enough.’  Hee hee.

Here are the lessons:

1. Know your stuff. You may not be debating about the proper response to a change in government in Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro’s resignation,  but whatever you are supposed to know:  know it.

 2.    Let bad media attention roll of your back. The bigger you get, the more bad stuff people will say about you.  The only bad press is no press and for authors, Oscar Wilde summed it up:  the only bad book review is no book review.

  3. Get stamina. Do what you love so there is spring in your step.  Sleep well, eat well and exercise, because your competition may be younger and springier.

 4. Don’t quit. Stay in for the long haul because perseverance is the sign of successful people.

So here they are:  Four take-aways from “Almost Madam President.”

Nichola D. Gutgold is a communication professor and author of several books including her latest:   Almost Madam President:  Why Hillary Clinton ‘won’ in 2008 (Lexington Books, 2009).

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!