moderator

Lessons from the Debates for Public Speakers

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Debates are not just for politicians. Debates happen in meetings, in schools, and in personal settings when sparring with a friend. There are techniques from debates that apply to win others to a different point of view. While everyday situations don’t follow formal debate rules, we can take a lesson from watching debates.

Staging is important. The decision to stand or sit can have an impact on the process. Standing will definitely increase energy; however a seated position will create a more intimate feeling and will work to control more volatile personalities. In a meeting or panel discussion, be intentional about seating order.

Show some passion. How you speak is as important as what you say. The best idea won’t land unless it’s spoken with conviction. Soft spoken people need to push their energy.

Mind your facial expressions. In a contentious debate, it’s common for the opponents to smirk, shake their head, or roll their eyes. On a panel, or in a meeting this is unacceptable. Be cognizant of too much smiling. Even when smiling is meant to be condescending to the person speaking, it can backfire. This is especially true for women because of a double standard. Use it sparingly. It’s better to discredit the other person with logical statements and evidence.

Respect the rules. As in a debate, meetings and panel discussions are timed. When presenters interrupt or go over their time, it’s disrespectful to the listeners. Cut off interrupters by saying, “Excuse me, I wasn’t finished.” “My time isn’t up.” “Let me finish my point.” “Please don’t interrupt.” Talking over someone to shut them down, will cause valuable ideas and information to be lost. And the listeners will feel resentful.

The moderator is EVERYTHING. A debate is only as good as the moderator. The role of the moderator is to establish rules and expectations, manage the timing, make transitions, ask thought provoking questions, keep the debate focused, and manage personalities. A debate or meeting can quickly derail if the moderator is weak. And a lackluster moderator can create a boring experience. Be sure to vet the moderator and choose the most skilled, confident and versatile person to lead the debate or meeting.

3 Presentation Screw-Ups By the GOP Debate Moderators

RepublicanlogoAfter watching the first GOP Debate on TV, I was struck at the lack of skill of some the moderators. These are professional broadcast journalists and you would think their public speaking training in front of the camera would be evident.

Here are three mistakes a professional moderator should avoid:

1. Grammatical Errors. One of the male moderators actually said, "Was wrote" instead of "Was written." Don't they teach grammar in school anymore? It made him sound uneducated and I wondered how he was selected for this position. It takes more than good looks to moderate a television debate. He lost credibility.

2. Citing an Opinion or Irrelevant Remarks. A professional moderator asks provocative questions but doesn't make remarks like one of the moderators did tonight. Governor Perry said that in his first day in office he'd need a bottle of white out to erase all the executive orders of the previous administration and it would be a long day. The moderator quipped, "Yes, that would be a long day". There was no reason to comment. This is not a one-on-one discussion. The moderator is not there to validate the candidate. The goal is to stay neutral.

3. Not Getting to the Point. A female moderator didn't seem to understand the difference between asking a question and giving a speech. She delivered a lead in of about three sentences before she posed the actual question. We don't need background information. Just ask the question!  Not only is this frustrating to the audience, but it signals that the moderator is not a clear thinker or communicator. It's a communication style of a novice.

The good news is you don't have to fear public speaking. If professional broadcasters are making these mistakes you don't have to worry that you'll derail on the platform. Learn from their mistakes and keep these points in mind whenever you're the moderator or a public speaker.