Episode #66: The Demagogues Guide To Public Speaking

A demagogue is a politician who appeals to popular desires and prejudices to garner support. Donald Trump is a modern American demagogue, who breaks many of the rules of presenting but he gets the key stuff right. Love him or loath him, he must be doing something right, as he is proving to be very persuasive with the audiences who flock to hear him speak. Are there any lessons here for us, when we come to give our own presentations?

He is authentic when he speaks. He does have some notes to keep him on track, but he barely refers to them. He digresses, goes off on tangents, gets sidetracked, but the audience understands this is the price for the speaker being non-scripted. He keeps their attention because he concentrates on his audience.

Trump’s messages can be quickly understood. Build a big wall; everyone is more cunning than we are; make America great again; read my Art of the Deal; it’s my own money so I don’t owe anybody; politicians are useless; I am rich and successful; I know how to get things done; I am not politically correct; etc. He is a classic demagogue, but as a speaker, he presents his ideas such that we can remember them.

Trump totally oozes self confidence. Now, we may not have his same degree of self-belief or his billions, but we must exude confidence when speaking with our audience. In Dale Carnegie we bolster confidence through embracing the 3 E’s: We have Earned the right to speak, because we know our subject; we are Excited because of our positive feelings for the content; and we are Eager to share with our audience, because we feel this will help them.

Trump loves to tell stories. He weaves these vignettes into his speech to highlight his key points. Storytelling works and as he demonstrates, they don’t have to be lengthy stories to be effective. Talk about people, places and emotions that the audience can identify with. Don’t say, “we were having a meeting”. Talk about, “It was winter in New York and we were in the wood paneled boardroom of the client, on the 36th floor of the Rockefeller Center, having a tough meeting with the CEO Jane Smith and I was becoming more and more nervous.” Now we have taken our audience to the place, added in the people, the season, the atmosphere etc., such that they can clearly visualise it in their mind’s eye.

Action Steps

1. Be authentic, but be the professional you
2. Focus on your audience the entire time you are presenting – never take your eyes off them
3. Take every chance to speak for the practice
4. Keep the key messages simple and easily accessible for the audience
5. Appear supremely confident, even if your knees are quivering
6. Embrace the 3 E’s - Earned, Excited and Eager
7. Use stories to bring your content to life