The Speaker

The Speaker Episode #8 Final April 30, 2009

It’s the final of The Speaker and our three remaining contestants had the daunting task of condensing experiences from a trip to Malawi focused on learning about children’s rights into just five minutes to tell us and the judges why children’s rights matter.
Kay Kay was first up to speak and his entrance was grand in fact everything about Kay Kay was grand – too much so for the judges and for me also. Confidence is great but when you step over the line into arrogance the only thing likely to happen is that the audience will be alienated. It was a great shame I thought that he hadn’t listened well enough the mentors throughout the series. He has a future as a speaker I am sure, probably in politics, he has charm and wit, his smile is engaging and his pace of delivery is excellent. What we saw here was a young man with a great talent trying to show off that talent. He forgot that the speech must have a purpose and instead of engaging and making us see why the right to drinking water was important he talked about himself and how he had delivered the message; frankly I didn’t care.

Irene was next on stage and I immediately warmed to her; she hadn’t even spoken and I was looking forward to her speech. The reason was her manner, she looked relaxed, calm, and confident and her smile was engaging. Irene has wonderful facial expression which she used well as she told us the story of her meeting with a young girl with HIV in Malawi. We were all drawn into that story and could not fail to be moved. Her pace was just right and she used vocal variety and pauses well I thought. Irene has really clicked with the use of rhetorical devices and they were used in a subtle way. Her conclusion was a series of questions, asking us ‘what will you do’, followed by suggestions of what we could do and then she linked back cleverly to her introduction where she contrasted what is right with what is wrong. A well crafted speech which I thought could have benefitted from some more of the passion we had seen from her in past speeches.

Duncan was up last and his energy was evident from the very beginning and it stayed constant, never wavering. A strong beginning captured the audiences’ attention and he managed to endear himself further to them by making them laugh very early on in the speech. He included facts to back up his argument and these were of the type to make us think. Many speakers rush from one point to another fearful that the momentum will fade. I was pleased to see Duncan using pauses well to allow us time to digest his words. Throughout the speech Duncan used hand gestures and facial expression to back up his words and if he had varied his tone more then he would have been even more effective. What you say and how you say it matter. Good public speaking isn’t just about being able to stand and say the words. Duncan managed to make us think about the issue and used language to provoke thought in us. A favourite of John Amaechi and mine was the line ‘where do we slice the line of luxury, and who slices it’. If I have one criticism it would be the weakness of Duncan’s ending. The message wasn’t punched home as it could have been and rather faded away. It seemed as if Duncan had begun to leave the stage a little early and, as Alistair Campbell commented, the ending is still part of the speech and that state of being the speaker needs to be retained until you are away from the stage.

Duncan was quite rightly voted Britain’s Best Young Speaker 2009 having delivered what was an exceptional speech for anyone, and especially I think for someone so young.

The Speaker Episode # 7 – Semi Final April 28, 2009

Here we are in the semi-final. Just the five speakers left and only three to go through. Tonight’s topic was inspirational speaking. I was immediately shocked by a statement from Jo Brand that this could not be learned. Sorry Jo but that’s nonsense; true, we need something to be inspirational about and a belief in that inspiration but to deliver that in a compelling way we need to be able to apply the techniques already highlighted in this program.
The Mentors for this program were none other than our three judges and I loved the way Jeremy Stockwell connected the word ‘inspire’ to breathing to highlight the importance of doing so with energy and as a means of transmitting passion for your subject.
Jo Brand attempted to show the importance comedy can play even in an inspirational speech which may have a serious basis. The contestants didn’t seem to get this and it showed later.
John Amaechi looked at the power of the words we use to literally ‘paint pictures’ and I think they all engaged with this quite well.
The remaining contestants are all very different in character but one thing they have in common is a desire to win. None more so than Kay Kay whose off stage bravado has often been lacking in his speeches but whose determination was undoubted.
The task was to give an inspirational speech that would be broadcast to major cities all over the UK. Delivered in front of an audience at the Chamber in London’s City Hall the pressure was really turned up to full here. Given the opportunity to give their speeches to the judges and get feedback meant they could go away and make any changes and improvements to their technique before the live event.
They all spoke impressively which showed how much improvement can be achieved in even a short time with the right guidance. My major comment on all of the speeches was, where was the action? If I am to be inspired then, what do you want me to do? All of the speakers told us what inspired them but how did that link into us – the audience. Why should we care?
Only two would go through immediately and these were Kay Kay, whose cockiness was tempered by his charm and Irene whose weighty subject may have alienated some audiences but whose technique of engaging them with stunning imagery right at the beginning saved the day.
So the battle for the final place in the final was to be decided by the remaining contestants telling us how being in The Speaker had inspired them.

Jordan brought bags of energy to the stage; he showed contrast and used metaphor well as it can often seem contrived. I loved his conclusion to a speech delivered with a passion we hadn’t seen thus far. Maria gave us passion but the difference between emotions needs to be clear to the audience, much more so than in a conversation; people are not as close so you need to make it easy for them. Duncan has a great way of expressing his thoughts, flattering his opponent whilst blowing his own trumpet; something politicians do so well. This was a much better performance now that he has learned to calm things down and I hate to say it because up to now he has just annoyed me – but you are only ever as good as your last speech and this time he was a deserved winner.

So, into the final go Kay Kay, Irene and Duncan who will be taking a trip to Malawi before returning to give the speech of their lives.

The Speaker Episode #6 April 28, 2009

Fighting for a place in the semi-final sees our contestants having to learn the art of persuasion under the mentorship of Alistair Campbell who viewed the essentials as being able to have “ownership of every word; a clear, logical persuasive argument delivered in a compelling way”.
The test began with a speech, to the people of Egham, on various subjects having chosen which side of an argument to present. They were shown the now famous ‘yes we can’ speech by Barack Obama and the nuances of speech construction and rhetoric explained. The obvious ones to be seen were alliteration and grouping of threes which for some reason always seems to work well with audiences.
To present a persuasive speech it is necessary to make sure you know the objective very clearly and be able to back up your argument against any counter argument; to be able to present with conviction, passion and to recognise through empathy and human connection the view of the ‘other side’.
The factual basis of argument is important and needs to be tested to destruction noting that all views are valid; you need to understand them all even if on to be able to counter them. The contestants had the benefit of a Barrister to cross-examine them to do this but you can make do with a particularly picky friend; I’m sure we can all think of one!
Something I liked in this episode was the way in which the contestants were encouraged to learn from each other and this is an important lesson to learn. Watch other speakers, see what they do and evaluate them. What do they do well, what could they improve and how can you make use of that in your speeches?
Everyone performed well and I particularly liked Irene’s way of showing both sides, giving realistic counters at every turn. Haroon’s use of language is exceptional and I loved the phrase ‘greedy forces of urbanisation’. There was a good deal of passion and I had Kay Kay marked as the winner as did Alistair Campbell but the people voted Duncan in as the first semi-finalist.
To decide who went home we saw Jordan using pause to great effect and giving a truly confident political style speech, Maria using maybe too much alliteration but bringing out one of the best sound-bites to date when she described Kay Kay as ‘the boy born in a suit’ and Haroon with a mixed message, not being able to decide on the purpose of his speech but delivering it well. In the end it was Haroon who left the competition and for me he has more of a career as a speech writer than a speech maker.

The Speaker Episode #5 April 28, 2009

Seven left and this time they move into my favourite area of speaking; storytelling. I really think that this is the key element of great speeches as it demands that the speaker engage fully with the audience and is able to hold onto them. The mentor this time is Kate Silverton and she has some very wise words for the contestants “when telling a story it needs to be delivered well, be interesting and have a strong beginning, middle and end”.
During the first task of delivering a 30 second news item the contestants had to not only tell the story and keep to time but also present to camera adding that little too much for some! Duncan was surprised how quickly 30 seconds could go by and Thomas missed out his ending because he ‘hadn’t timed himself in rehearsal’. Jordan, Irene and Maria seemed to cope well with each showing a nice pace of delivery that was calm and considered. To tell a story like this relies on you being yourself in order to come across naturally and a key mistake highlighted here was the attempt to learn the lines and thus become stilted. A story needs to flow and you can use key words and phrases to help you remember what the story is and move smoothly between points.
The next task was to give a live broadcast, interacting with both the studio and also a person being interviewed whilst conveying a news story. All did well in getting prepared
But the cracks soon appeared with the added technology and timings being relayed to them via an earpiece. Try telling a story, maybe about your last holiday, to a friend while another speaks into your ear on a different subject. How well do you think you will do and keeping on track? It’s a bit of fun and also a good way of training yourself to be focussed on the task in hand.
Even though her nerves failed her, Irene was the most impressive for me. I was shocked that Jordan wasn’t in the last three to have to perform again to the audience and judges.
Here Kay Kay surprised me with a risqué joke and a weak ending. Haroon was relying on his content to connect with the audience and I think if he had made more effort to engage with them this could have been a powerful speech. However, it was Thomas who repeated his earlier mistake and attempted to learn his speech by heart. He was relaxed in his speech but that inability to get past a certain point because he was looking for the right words meant he literally lost the plot. A good tip for practising storytelling without learning it all is to read a children’s bedtime story a couple of times then read it to a child, or as I do, the cat. You will find that you can still convey the full meaning of the story with all of the key points and the underlying message is retained without actually using the same words. That is what the audience wants – the story, told with that little extra that makes it special.

The Speaker Episode #4 April 28, 2009

Down to the last eight contestants and the nature of the tasks takes them into the real world where they will discover the power of information. Under the mentorship of Lord Spencer, who gave his first speech aged four, they begin by being required to talk for just one minute about an historical object having had a short time to read about it; this showed that some of them had difficulty in finding the information that was both relevant and interesting; the task also highlighted the need for the energy and passion to still be present when giving information rather than inspiring or persuading; something very relevant for the main task of being Tour Guides for the day.

Each contestant was given a separate room to learn about and then deliver an eight minute speech to a small group of tourists and of course Lord Spencer himself. Prior to the exercise they were al given training from speaking coaches to help them with the mechanics of speaking but as Lord Spencer says to be a good speaker you need to be interesting, measured and have something important to say.

With so much information that could be delivered the question was whether they could find some real meat to deliver in an exciting way, keeping relevance and also importantly not exaggerating or misleading the audience.

They all did remarkably well given that they only had 90 minutes to absorb the information. This was a situation where they were to be seen as the expert so it was important to be very clear on the facts given and the producers had a surprise for them as well. Within the group of tourists were some who were tasked with distracting the speakers by talking or walking off.! Kay Kay chose to go with a spontaneous delivery; no rehearsals for him. This was a brave move which nearly cost him his place in the competition. He started well with a lovely pace and overcame the problem of rehearsal by telling a story. What he couldn’t cope with was being interrupted. All of his authority and energy deserted him and he was left looking bemused. Dealing with interruptions is something to think about before the speech, always to be expected and never to be feared.

Irene showed exactly how to do it. She engaged with the errant tourists and turned the negative into positive by entering into a short question and answer with humour and grace.

Thomas was very competent indeed and seemed to have little problem in dealing with the task whereas Fahmida struggled to get any information over at all preferring to spend her time building rapport with her audience – unfortunately not the aim of the exercise. Haroon’s unique style meant he had the audience interested and really owned the space looking every bit the expert but failed to fill the eight minutes with his speech. This was very difficult for him and of course the obvious answer was to open up and ask the group if they had any questions.

Finally we saw the least successful three battle to see which one would be sent home. The task was to present a tribute to an iconic character. We had James Bond, Alice in Wonderland and The Loch Ness Monster presented to us and again the problems of anxiety came to the fore. Kay Kay allowed his fears to stop him and he had to have a second attempt; even then his energy was still directed towards his anxiety rather than the audience and the message. Jordan showed just what a compelling speaker he can be and had no problems. Fahmida was most effected by the pressure and made a number of mistakes in the information which the judges quite rightly decided was more important a mistake than Kay Kay’s and so she now leaves the competition.

The Speaker Episode #3 April 28, 2009

Here we find the final 20 contestants competing to demonstrate their ability to speak with conviction. In the first stage they gave prepared speeches now they are required to think on their feet and give impromptu speeches. This is a great skill to have in a world where having an opinion isn’t enough – you need to be able to express that opinion in a more compelling way than the next person.

The first test was to talk on the subject ‘I deserve to win this competition because…’ Here the speakers needed to be original, articulate, and positive and also sound good. The responses varied from Duncan shouting his way through to Daniel constantly self-promoting. He learnt that, even with a topic of this nature, every speech is for the audience and must be given to them. A more self-deprecating approach may have saved him.

The group, now reduced to 10 entered day two to be mentored by Deborah Meaden, this group includes a poet, a politician and an extrovert so taking them to Speakers Corner in Hyde Park was a brilliant idea. Here they again spoke without preparation on everyday objects pulled from a box. The challenge was to be congruent and present as an assured and compelling speaker.

Duncan showed that even in this venue, shouting alone wasn’t enough and neither was simple enthusiasm; he needed to show some vocal variety in order to hold the audience. Haroon took the view that he would ‘believe’ in whatever object he was given. That belief in the subject, even an everyday object like a mirror, showed through and captivated his audience.

The three contestants deemed to be the worst performers were now asked to compete for just one place to join the other seven. Their task was to talk about a picture unveiled on stage. A daunting task feven or an experienced speaker and these youngsters really felt the pressure. Laura’s nerves assaulted her as she demonstrated the need to be in the correct state before starting your speech – not waiting until you are in it. Hanna’s confidence showed as she carefully analysed the picture before launching into a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Irene’s speech was the most impressive for me as she was able to tap into her emotions, immediately seeing a subject she was passionate about and the level of that emotion she was able to transmit to the audience was inspiring. What Irene had managed to do was engage the whole audience at a level that involved them fully; remember it’s the audience that matters so think ‘what am I going to give them?’

The Speaker Episode #2 April 8, 2009

The second round of eliminations to find the top twenty contestants for Britains best young speaker took place in Cardiff and Manchester and the standard was as high as the last sessions in London and Glasgow. Indeed the subject matter seemed even more diverse and even included some Welsh language from a particularly passionate speaker.  This it seemed was the key here, passion. Those who showed it definately got reactions and those that couldn’t quite find it got passed over. Again however, Jo Brand and John Amaechi diverted into the content to judge the quality of the speaker. What difference does it make if someone is talking about inviting a Dalek to dinner or about teenage pregnancy as long as it is done with a weight of emotion, conviction and an honesty the audience can respect?

Because it makes ‘good television’, meant of course that we had to squirm as one after another contestants forgot their lines, once, twice or even three times.  The fear of Public Speaking is ranked as number one in the western world and it’s this fear of what might happen; how it will all go terribly wrong that is of course one of the reasons so many people don’t take up the challenge of speaking to an audience at all. . One contestant was shown practising at home, learning the speech line by line until she knew it perfectly. The obvious happened of course and left her mother in tears and her literally speechless. Why did she forget and what could she have done to prevent it? There are many techniques professional speakers employ and I discuss some of the ones I recommend at my website. The essence though is that as the speaker you should know what you want to say but, not necessarily, exactly how you are going to say it. Confused? Don’t be. Think of telling a child a well known fairy-tale. Try reading a short story then closing the book and telling the child. Could you do it? Maybe not word for word – and would that matter to the child? Of course not. It’s the stories meaning and message that are important. The same is true of even the greatest speeches. they may well include brilliantly crafted phrases engineered to have maximum effect but the bulk should be coming from the heart of the speaker. That’s what lifts ordinary speeches to greatness, not the spin.

The Speaker Episode #1 April 7, 2009

The first show kicked off with applicants selected to appear at venues in London and Glasgow. Eighty youngsters between 14 and 18 years old all trying to impress the three judges with their one-minute speeches. Each judge said they were expecting to see confident and feisty speakers. Well we certainly got that and much more. I was particularly impressed with the way these young people tackled the challenge. Speaking for just one minute, being able to get a point accross in that short a time, is not as easy as it sounds. So, for the judges to be looking for confidence at this stage did surprise me. What are we looking for in a good speaker and not just a good speaker but Britain’s best young speaker? Personally I think that confidence at this stage is a luxury. Some speakers will show a confident style because that’s who they are. Some seemed a little too confident and slick. Jo Brand even suggested that one contestant was ‘almost too good’!

This stage of the competition is about selecting five youngsters from each venue to go forward to the next round. How do you decide on which ones should be selected? Each judge seems to have a different viewpoint so I was a little confused as to the selection criteria. One thing I am sure of is that if confidence is expected to be shown at this stage and used as a measure of how good a speaker can be, then we will have missed seeing some of the best go through. I say that because, in my opinion, confidence is a product of speaking not a requirement. Of course a well paced and strong delivery will make more of an impression but that is surely what the programmes mentors will be helping the selected few to achieve. I was looking for speakers who show a passion for their subject, who can convey that passion to the audience in way that makes us interested to hear more; remember this is only one minute.

It dissapointed me that John Amaechi and Jo Brand both took the subject to be more important than the delivery in a number of cases. They were looking at the speech not the speaker. Jeremy Stockwell on the other hand seemed to see much more of the potential shown by these remarkable young people. When you are passionate about your speech people will sit up and listen, they don’t have to agree – yet. And when you get feedback that your speeches are being listened to then confidence will come to you!