YouTube Your Way to Better Speaking

The Google site is just one of many video resources public speakers can consult to learn from the world's best presenters

by Carmine Gallo

I'm spending more time these days on YouTube. No, I'm not spending my hours watching the funny videos submitted by teens channeling their inner Will Ferrell. What I'm taking advantage of is a treasure trove of material that can help you become a better presenter and public speaker.

After CNN's Democratic Presidential debate with questions submitted by YouTube users, jury consultant Jo Ellen Dimitrius evaluated the body language of the candidates, and was quoted as saying Hillary Clinton stood confidently and maintained strong eye contact. Dimitrius also credited Barack Obama with using confident hand gestures. Now, instead of simply reading about them, you can watch the speakers for yourself on YouTube by conducting simple Internet searches such as YouTube and Presidential debate and Obama.

While Presidential candidates often have body language that appears to be over-rehearsed and contrived, some of their techniques will serve you well in your next speech or presentation. For example, strong speakers will stand (or sit) with poise and confidence, use hand gestures, maintain eye contact, and avoid fidgeting. Each of these qualities can be improved by watching professional debaters such as the candidates. (On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney offer good examples of confident body posture.)

Building Bridges

As I am a communications coach, I also watch and listen for how the candidates formulate answers to questions. They use a classic technique called "bridging," whereby they answer difficult issues by using the question to segue—or bridge—to what they want to talk about. Done badly, it's a disaster and looks phony. But when it's done well, bridging is a powerful tool to advance the conversation to areas the speaker wants to talk about.

With YouTube, you can also search for famous speeches. We have all seen clips from John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, but check out his "Man on the Moon" speech at Rice University. The language he uses, his sentence structure, energy, and optimism lead me to believe this was one of Kennedy's greatest speeches (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/16/06, "To Be a Leader, Talk Like One").

Politics is just one area in which YouTube can help you become a better speaker. You might be surprised at the proliferation of video clips showing persuasive business leaders in a variety of settings including keynote speeches and PowerPoint presentations. I wrote a recent column on the effective rhetorical devices used by Steve Jobs in an iPhone presentation (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/6/07, "Steve Jobs' Greatest Presentation"). Search for Steve Jobs and iPhone on YouTube and watch him for yourself.

The Pros in Action

Today we're enjoying an explosion in the availability of high-speed broadband connections as well as vast improvements in the digital delivery of video over the Internet. YouTube is just one of many resources available to watch the pros in action. Here are some of my other favorite sites:

Charlierose.com: Google (GOOG), which owns YouTube, is clearly attempting to capture a large share of the digital video market. The company recently entered into a partnership with Charlie Rose to archive 4,000 hours of programming. On Charlierose.com (still in beta), viewers can now search for clips showing a collection of 6,000 guests dating back to 1994. Search the business category for some amazing people talking about how they approach business. Everyone from U2's Bono to Lee Iacocca is represented. I watched a very interesting interview with two dynamic communicators, Cisco's (CSCO) John Chambers and Intel (INTC) co-founder Andy Grove.