Question For Those With Public Speaking Experience

I was watching the debates last night, and when Howard Dean got his turn to speak at the end I saw something that troubled me.

When Dean started out his final speech, the one that started out with "We have 12 minutes left here and all we've done is talk about Iraq for the last 45 minutes," ect. I noticed that he seemd to stop and start a lot when he spoke.

It seemed as if Dean was very nervous, I could hear a slight tremble in his voice and I recognized it as the same tremble I got when I did standup comedy a few years back. It's the tremble you get when you're throat is dry and you're trying to think of what to say next and keep all your thoughts collected.

Now, sometimes politicians do this, and can continue to speak fluidly and mask their inner-nervousness. I didn't see this from Dean last night. Plus he had a nasty habit of starting to say something, then pause, then say something else. Sometimes the wrong word flies out of his mouth and he has to stop, pause and start again.

This, I hope, was just a one-time thing. It's been a big week, and especially a big 48 hours for Dean, so I'd understand if he was feeling more pressure than usual.

But my question in regards to Dean's speaking style is - for those who've spoke in public before - is Dean's tendency to stop and start his answers to questions something that can be corrected with more experience doing this sort of thing?

Or is that speaking style just a part of who Howard Dean is?

but I've done a lot of public speaking - for politics and as a teacher - and I can tell you that nervousness is situational. I can give 50 speeches in a row, and one small change in aspect can bring the nervousness back. For Dean, perhaps, he was nervous last night because Gore's endorsement has put him way way way up on a higher plane than he was on when he woke up Monday morning. This may be psuedopsychobabble, but maybe for Howard, Gore's endorsement made the whole thing hugely real for the first time. He's the OFFICIAL front-runner, and everyone is looking in a way they weren't a few days ago.

I am not really a public speaker nor did I watch the debate but your post made alot of sense.

I know there are speech coaches candidates use. Can they actually correct Dean's flaw (if you consider it a flaw) of starting and stopping sentences at mid-point?

It's not the first time I've seen Dean do this. But last night during that part of the debate was probably the worst I've seen it.

doesn't mean it isn't right. :-)

and watching his words. That's all. I mean, all the candidates up there know that Dean is one of the frontrunners and any word he says that is not PC will give them firepower. He took a lot of heat from some very eloquent speakers over the Confederate Flag issue, and he doesn't want to give them that opportunity again.

Dean had a lot of time to stand there and think of a response. But when he was giving it - and saying some of the same things he's said throughout the campaign trail - it just came out of his mouth like a car that's sputtering.

It makes it rather hard to concentrate on what he's saying when he's constantly pausing and correcting himself every third or fourth word.

and Gore's endorsement, I would say cut the guy some slack. I don't think his speaking style is a problem. But then I am not all that fond of the idea that all leaders must be smooth speakers. It's a great qualification for snake oil salesmen and car dealers.

But I'd say, just in general, someone who wants to be president of the United States should speak clearly, and should be able to recite a paragraph or two of material without stumbling over his words.

To me, it would just look bad opposing Bush, a guy who can't speak eloquently anyway, with a guy who sometimes fumbles over words himself.

So I hope Dean can fix this before the convention, should he become the nominee.

I've noticed that Gov. Dean seems to have some points he wants to make and that he's trying to hit hard on what you-know-who has been doing and the damage it's done to the country as a whole and to the individual person on the street. It seems that he wants to reiterate these points over and over in answering any sort of question. Certainly it's appropriate to give nuanced responses to difficult questions, but sometimes what is asked really requires only a simple yes or no. If a simple yes or no will do it, I think a candidate needs to stop at that and just answer the question he was asked.

This was an impression I got from seeing Governor Dean on morning TV this am. Admittedly, I'm not a real morning person, so I could be wrong.

when he's on fire, like stumping, you can't beat him. He's like a preacher or something. He was almost there last night, the part you're talking about. In other instances, like in debates, he has a tendency to stammer. It IS a problem and needs to be addressed. I don't know when it will. I know he doesn't drink. I've recommended meditation but I guess we're not there yet. You're right, if he does this with Bush there will be problems.

The few times I've had a TV camera on me or I had to speak before a group, my mind went totally blank. I have no recollection of what I said.

I have noticed what you say about Dean, though. It is disconcerting in interviews. Some of it depends on the circumstances. I think part of it stems from hos tendency to be spontaneous. That is what most peope do in real conversation. When he is an an NPR like setting, where he is allowed to stretch out, he does it less. But it's more botehrsome in those newschannel things where you have two seconds to answer a question.

But if you've seen most otehr politicians speaking off-the-cuff they often have that tendency -- even the great ones.

The Great Communicator Reagan frequently did the same thing when answering questions. He'd hesitate and bumble and fumble. Bush Jr.....well no more needs to be said about him.

But most of the good ones have learned tricks to channel that into a strength, whioch becomes part of their style.

In a more positive sense, Den sometiomes uses it to his advantage in speeches. Sometimes, the strange beats, and the ending of sentences on an odd note actually make him more compelling to listen to.

He could probably benefit from a few lessons with some kind of coach who could teach him somne tricks in that regard. But I don;t see it as a fatal flaw.

The Great Communicator Reagan frequently did the same thing when answering questions. He'd hesitate and bumble and fumble.

The "Great Communicator" never had so much as a press conference where he wasn't aware of exactly what questions would be asked and his answers were pre-scripted. He was an actor who couldn't work without a script. If he bumbled at all, someone must have really caught him off guard because he was one of the most unspontaneous people you'll ever see.

But I don't see it as a fatal flaw.

Depends. He has to answer the questions he is asked... not try to fit pre-scripted answers to the questions. Maybe he needs to listen more closely, or maybe he needs to take a second before he begins.

But then my only public speaking experience has been in front of 35 second graders and that was no problem because I knew more than they did about the subjects... most of the time.
:-)

But my question in regards to Dean's speaking style is - for those who've spoke in public before - is Dean's tendency to stop and start his answers to questions something that can be corrected with more experience doing this sort of thing?

Or is that speaking style just a part of who Howard Dean is?

I've noticed the same thing about Dean. The fact of the matter is that he has a brusque speaking style. But it can venture into "nervousness" territory as well.

Public speaking, like anything else, improves with practice. People forget that Bill Clinton was far from the suave "Slick Willie" that he was during his presidency back in 1992. But then again, Clinton also displayed natural charisma that Dean does not have.

Dean's "off the cuff" persona will improve over time. He will get more fluid as he gets practice in these formal settings, which are probably a bit different than the political setting in VT. But he will always have that brusqueness about him -- which isn't exactly a bad thing, because it conveys the image of him being a straight-shooter rather than a charmer and shmoozer (as Clinton could come off).

I am a bit concerned about Dean's ability to answer hard questions under fire, though. It really came through with the Chris Wallace interview on Fox News Sunday, he stumbled quite a bit in that interview. Granted, interviews are a bit different than giving a speech. When I know my speech, I can deliver. In a debate or under questioning, that's all out the window.

You want fear and a quavering voice? See Condi Rice.

It's really hard when the pressure is as high as it was last night.

I too was impressed how Dean faltered in his speech, but he still came across as sincere and knowledgeable.

It is much more comfortable to be in a position where one has nothing to lose, ie Sharpton, etal, than be where Dean is with everything to lose.

That's what's cool about primaries, they ramp up the pressure and candidates get tuned up for the coming finale. Dean is gonna be fine. His heart and soul are in the right place.

will definintely help, but it could also just be that he's one of those people who doesn't move quickly from thought to speech. I personally don't have a problem with people taking a moment to collect their thoughts before answering a question (rather than stammering through) but in our fast-paced media it seems like they never give someone a second to think - gotta have that sound bite RIGHT NOW. :eyes: He has to work on this.

I do a lot of public speaking for work - presentations to management and our board and whatnot - and I'm lucky that I don't have much in the way of nerves. (Thanks momma for those years of piano lessons.) But what also helps me (and the others in my office) a lot is knowing what the questions are gonna be ahead of time and already knowing what my answer is. If the Dean camp isn't already doing this before every debate or interview than they need to start. Before every big meeting my whole office sits down together and everybody goes through their presentations and we grill each other. Try to think of every possible question the intended audience could ask so we can work out the answers ahead of time. It really cuts down on the stammering and not knowing quite what to say.

But I never got the sense that Dean stumbles because he's thinking of what to say. It seems he stumbles actually getting what he wants to say to come out of his mouth.

And, I forgot to mention this earlier...he tends to talk, REALLY REALLY fast.

I remember when he was done with that speech I went "what did he just say?" because he plowed through it without taking a breath, it seemed.

talking fast and stammering a little bit probably means he's thinking fast and his mouth just can't quite keep up with his brain. I have been known to have that problem sometimes. :-)

northeasterner.

when he was next called on and when his time came he was trying to remember exactly what he had planned to say. In doing that instead of "going with the flow" of his key points, he had to hesitate between each of the points he was recalling. I have done that as well, at times, and it is correctable by planning "key points" and then talking off the cuff around them. Hope this makes sense.

so I'm not sure about the particulars of his style last night.

I do know from having seen him in Bryant Park earlier this year what his speaking style is like in favorable conditions & I would say it is a very effective style. He speaks without notes which creates the impression of sincerity.

I don't have that much "public speaking" experience, but I was in debate in high school, on the state team for my school, and did extemp in forensics also.

From that perspective, I think Dean is a fairly decent public speaker, despite some quirks. I think those quirks make him seem a bit more human than a lot of politicians.

as a presidential candidate you are constantly being told what to say and exactly how to phrase a response. Instead of using a base of the candidates natural responses and style, they are coached into sound bytes and slogans. While the content may be essentially their personal core beliefs, the delivery is practiced.

Must say, I am a bit fed up with campaign managers taking the fun out of being human and saying what is in yuor heart. Course, who knows if that leaves you electable.....

then maybe you should concentrate more on his substance. You will learn more about the man.

Dean has a lot. Sadly, most voters will judge him on style. The radical right will attack him for every misstep, perceived or otherwise.

....is stump stuff. By the time it's been given fifty times it comes out easily because it's memorized. Sentences and paragraphs have been committed to memory, and can be retrieved at will.

Tying thought to speech, though, is the problem. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head sometimes -- racing. Think about Kucinich, or Gephardt, or Edwards, or Clark -- they don't seem to have the same problem. When asked a question, they smoothly reply.

Maybe Dean hasn't wanted to work with a coach. But he should.

Anti-Deanitism! Catch it! It's all the rage!

It's this attitude among Dean supporters that drives me further and further from supporting him...this inability to recognize legitimate criticism of your candidate.

to tell all of his thoughts and trying to get them out. He was speaking very fast, imo.