I was slightly startled when I discovered yesterday that I was sharing a double bill at Monterrey Tech yesterday with Malcolm Gladwell. I have never read Gladwell’s famous books, “The Tipping Point” and “Blink”. And - up until yesterday, I had never seen him speak. But I know he has sold zillions of copies and is a famously good speaker - good enough to fill theatres with paying customers in London.
My first thought was an ignoble one - I wonder how much they are paying Gladwell? But then I decided to try to thrust this troubling thought to the back of my mind and to watch and learn. If Gladwell is indeed paid a fortune for speaking, perhaps I could pick up some tips?
The first lesson came from simply looking at the programme. The photo of me was unexceptional - it said here is a middle-aged man in glasses. Gladwell’s photo was very different. It was taken from a distance and showed off his magnificent Einstein-like Afro - it said, here is a mad genius. Unfortunately - short of buying myself a fright wig - I am never going to be able to compete with Gladwell in the hair stakes. But there are other things he does that might be easier to emulate.
First, he is a master of the “look no hands” style of speaking. He just stands up there, with a button mike and talks - and it all sounds very spontaneous, with little asides and jokes, and messages tailored to his Mexican audience. Second, he tells stories - there are theories attached to the stories - but the bulk of the talk is made up of charming anecdotes to illustrate rather simple themes. Gladwell was talking about what makes successful people, and essentially his argument seemed to boil down to two rather old ideas: “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again” and “perspiration matters more than inspiration”. Except he would never dream of using such shop-worn phrases. Instead, we are told about how Fleetwood Mac didn’t make it until they released their sixteenth album; and about how Bill Gates used to break into computer labs as a child to practice his programming skills. Coincidentally or not, these messages about the value of perverserance and hard work, and the chances of doing your best work late in life (Cezanne, apparently) are just the kind of thing that might cheer up an audience of jaded, middle-aged businessmen.
Anyway, after watching Gladwell, it was my turn. I also make a point of not writing out my speech. My theory is that it is more interesting to hear someone talk, than to listen them read a prepared text. However, I don’t quite have the Gladwellian confidence to work without any notes. I always have a few bullet points noted down on a piece of paper - just in case I dry up or lose my thread. And I also have a watch I can look at, so I can see how I am doing on time. This method has a significant disadvantage. It means you can’t stray too far from the rostrum and pace around, Gladwell-style.
My method also means that you can get your timings wrong - which is what happened to me yesterday. I thought I did OK and was quite fluent and convincing for the first thirty minutes or so. But then I realised I was running out of time, and I had to telescope the last bit of the talk - which meant that it was a bit rushed and less coherent than I would have liked.
So how does Gladwell do it? Afterwards, I broke through the autograph-hunters surrounding him and asked him how he managed to time his talk so beautifully - so that it ended bang on 45 minutes, without ever looking at his watch. He answered - “I know it may not look like this. But it’s all scripted. I write down every word and then I learn it off by heart. I do that with all my talks and I’ve got lots of them”
It occurred to me afterwards that Gladwell’s success as a speaker illustrates one of his homespun themes - hard work pays off. But he has also made an important realisation. He is not giving a speech or a lecture - he is giving a performance. And like any good actor, he knows that you have to learn your lines.
February 10, 2010 11:01pm in Foreign affairs | 12 comments
via blogs.ft.com