Chpater 9 Question 1

The best speaker that I have ever heard was my college baseball coach. What made this particular speaker influential and dynamic was his ability to think he was talking directly to you. Timing is critical when a speaking to a group. He seemed to understand the pulse of the group and understand the timing when his message was going to be received. It wasn't that my coach was real emotional or gave us this great story. The presentation of their delivery was honest and committed. I could see that this person believed to the core of their being that they believed what they were saying was going to help the team. Usually he would give examples of situations of when to apply his methods to real life experiences. His leadership skills were exceptional because in every talk he gave to us he talked about his principals were something greater than himself. I think most speakers believe talk and motivate to get a result of what they desire. But, this person in particular always addressed messages that go beyond sports, having success, and playing well. In most instances his message would be about playing the game but it would resonate with character, personal relationships, and how we go about our daily lives. It was his timing, content, and delivering a message that was insightful to our everyday lives.
The worst speaker I ever heard happened to also be a coach. He would do all these antics and try to get us emotionally involved. But, in his speeches he would make claims that were totally false. Saying absurd things that this was the biggest day of your life, or you will never forget this moment. He was right I never forgot those moments because they had no effect on my life. These stupid emotional talks may have motivated someone for a little while but, had no greater meaning. Most of his talks and messages were very cliche. He would just add a bunch of common phrases or quotes and nothing would really make sense. It was like he took all of the cliche sayings in one speech and felt that would solve all our problems or get us ready to play. There was just no direction in his speech.
I still listen to interviews and speeches in politics or managers in a work environment and they have no point or message in their words. In my experience I prefer people who discuss and examine a couple of points clearly and drive home a common message. Most people will throw information into a talk and have no real direction of their language. It seems when people try to make a world changing speech they usually fail. But, those who go make a speech to answer a question or focus on solving a problem are usually the ones who surprise us and become the talks that stick with us the longest.