Why Donald Trump isn't all that bad
If a politician gives a speech and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Ignore the politics for a second. Trump is teaching politicians across the spectrum an important lesson in public speaking, be authentic.
The results are clear. Be entertaining and you’ll see genuine cut through with the public and media.
Trump chooses not to speak with an autocue and its a breath of fresh air. Its not slick but it works. With no rigid script he gets to feed off the audience. When they cheer at a subject, he follows it. When he gets a laugh, he stretches out the joke. And when they go a bit flat, he whips out some call and response engagement to get the energy levels back up.
Autocue can be the bane of a speechwriter’s life. You craft a carefully choreographed line only for it to be misread or stumbled on whilst the speaker reads it. All in all, speeches can become too robotic and formulaic.
In contrast, the result at Trump’s rallies are thousands of fans actually wanting to hear a politician speak. The campaign has a media generating machine: endless clips of a politician being charismatic and sounding like a human in front of cheering fans.
Hopefully this will be a reminder to politicians that speech still has the power to drive a campaign, as long as they are willing to show some authenticity and personality.
In just 5 minutes you can see him playing to the audience to good effect.
“Wait Sam, we all know slick and choreographed speeches still have a big impact in portraying someone as charismatic and therefore gaining attention for their cause” I hear you all cry.
Yes they do and autocue is still vital when done right.
Obama is a classic example. His 2008 campaign speeches are textbook claptrap theory. He uses every established rhetoric device in the book, but ultimately makes it his own.
Saying that, he was at his most authentic and potent when he wasn't chasing applause. A speech written by himself (not by his speechwriter) featured hardly any applause, it was essentially him reading a response to a negative story. No raised voice, no pace and no Stevie Wonder playing him on. It was sombre and from the heart.
What happened next: 85% of the electorate viewing the speech in some part (Pew Research) and 25% of Democrats turning to consider voting for him (CBS poll).
A clip of that speech is below. Damn he’s good.
In short: Modern political speeches have lost their authenticity. They all seem to be chasing the safety of mediocrity. But mediocrity in a congested media environment and a time of political apathy will do you no good.
My plea to the political class: Watch Trump and think before you subject us to another mind numbingly boring speech…please.