First, you should watch the commercial below. Or rather, you should listen to it. This commercial has been meticulously scripted and contains beautiful images. Most speakers do not have a professional film and sound crew to produce a studio-quality film. (Nor do most of us guys have the cool, raspy voice of Clint Eastwood.)

So by all means, watch the video. But then replay it and listen to it while reading the transcript which I have added immediately below. The analysis follows.

It’s halftime.

Both teams are in their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half.

It’s halftime in America too.

People are out of work and they’re hurting and they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback and we’re all scared because this isn’t a game.

The people of Detroit know a little something about this.

They almost lost everything.

But we all pulled together. Now Motor City is fighting again.

I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life, times when we didn’t understand each other.

It seems that we’ve lost our heart at times.

The fog of division, discord and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead.

But after those trials we all rallied around what was right and acted as one.

Because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.

All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And how do we win?

Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And what’s true about them is true about all of us.

This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world’s going to hear the roar of our engines.

Yeah, it’s halftime America and our second half is about to begin.

———

So what was good about Clint Eastwood’s speech and what can we learn from it?

1. A speech does not have to be long to be effective. In a previous post in which I analyzed the Gettysburg Address, I noted that Lincoln’s speech was only 272 words. Eastwood’s is on par with that, coming in at 247 words. I’m not suggesting that Clint Eastwood’s speech is on the same level as Abraham Lincoln’s; however, I am saying that a few well chosen words can have a much greater impact that many poorly chosen words.

2. Rhetorical devices are just as important today as they were centuries ago. Eastwood incorporates a number of rhetorical devices in his speech.

(a) Metaphor: “It’s half time in America”; “The fog of division, discord and blame”; “This country can’t be knocked out with one punch”.

(b) Polysyndeton: “People are out of work and they’re hurting and they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback and we’re all scared because this isn’t a game.”

(c) Asyndeton: “I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life, times when we didn’t understand each other.”

(d) Anaphora: “How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And how do we win?

3. Repetition of key words or ideas is a powerful speaking technique. Note the following words that Eastwood repeated: “we” (14 times); “our” (3 times); “halftime” or “half” (5 times); “America” or “country” (3 times); “Detroit” or “Motor City” (3 times).

4. Pausing is one of the most important things that a speaker can do. Pausing allows the audience time to absorb the full force of your words. I counted a dozen or so extended pauses in Eastwood’s short speech.

5. The right words in the right order add rhythm to a speech. Listen again to the sentence that begins, “The fog of division, discord and blame …”. The order of the three words was not random. Going from three syllables to two to one gives the phrase a rhythm that you do not get with any other ordering of those words. Look for opportunities to create rhythm in your speeches.

6. Contrast is important. As Nancy Duarte says in her book, Resonate:

“People are naturally attracted to opposites, so presentations should draw from this attraction to create interest. Communicating an idea juxtaposed with its polar opposite creates energy. Moving back and forth between the contradictory poles encourages full engagement from the audience.” 

Eastwood’s speech is filled with contrasts: the first half vs. the second half; the past vs. the future; Detroit almost losing everything vs. Detroit fighting again; being lost in the fog of discord vs. rallying around what’s right; being knocked down vs. getting back up.

7. A call to action is a powerful way to end a speech. “Our second half is about to begin” is a great ending. It is both subtle and powerful. It reminded me of Al Pacino’s “Now, what are you gonna do?” in his speech in the film On Any Given Sunday.

I have two criticisms. The first is grammatical; the second relates to word choice.

(1) “The fog of division, discord and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead. But after those trials we all rallied around what was right and acted as one.”

Because the fog of division, etc. occurred in the past and because the trials were overcome in the past, the correct tense of the verb “to lie” should also be in the past. Thus, “The fog of division, discord and blame made it hard to see what lay ahead.”

(2) “Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And what’s true about them is true about all of us. This country can’t be knocked out with one punch.”

I don’t like the way in which Detroit and the United States are portrayed as them and us. Obviously, this was not the intention. Still, it would have been more effective, in my view, to substitute “Detroit” and “America” for “them” and “all of us”. Thus, “Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And what’s true about Detroit is true about America. This country can’t be knocked out with one punch.”

The repetition of “Detroit” adds rhythm. The use of “America” feeds nicely into “This country”, which begins the following sentence. Most importantly, the idea that Detroit is a part of America, that Detroit is on the same team as America, is reinforced.

Still, on the whole, I think that Chrysler and Clint Eastwood have given us a solid example of how to construct a motivational speech.

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475 - 1564) Italian Renaissance Sculptor and Painter

“If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” — Michelangelo

It’s hard to imagine anyone not being touched after seeing this. In their 18-picture, 115-word slide show, Josh and Grace convey a message of love, understanding, openness and respect for others—virtues that are too often lacking nowadays.

There are also several things that we can learn from Josh and Grace when it comes to public speaking and presentation skills.

• Have a clear message.

• Don’t use complicated words when simple ones will do.

• Facial expressions and gestures enhance the effectiveness of your words.

• Eye contact is crucial to forming a bond with the audience.

• Humour is good.

• Humour balanced with a serious message is even better.

• Having a memorable line will help your message resonate with the audience long after you are finished. “Real friends don’t count chromosomes.” Superb!

• Don’t worry about being perfect. Your audience doesn’t expect to be perfect; it wants you to be present.

• A call to action — “I’ll give you a chance, if you give me one too.” — is a powerful way to end a speech or presentation.

• Speak from the heart.

• Be yourself.

• Smile.

Please leave a comment if you picked up any other lessons, whether they have to do with public speaking or not.

In the meantime, my sincere congratulations to Josh and Grace for making this slideshow and my best wishes for the future. I am happy to be able to help spread the message.

For those of you who would like to support the great organizations that promote the rights, abilities and dignity of people with Down Syndrome, you may make a donation to the Canadian Down Syndrome Society. Alternatively, here is a link to numerous Down Syndrome organizations in North America and around the world.

This post is part of a series on rhetoric and rhetorical devices. For other posts in the series, please click this link.

Origin: From the Greek ὑπόϕορά (ipofora), meaning “carrying under” or “putting under”.

In plain English: Asking a question and immediately answering it.

Effect:

• There is a sense that the speaker is having a dialogue with the audience. The speaker asks a question (usually one that is on the minds of his listeners) and then answers it.
• Asking the question arouses the curiosity of the audience about the answer. Thus, a well-timed pause between the question and answer can heighten the effect.
• The speaker appears confident and in control.

Notes:

• Technically, hypophora is the question; anthyphophora is the answer. However, hypophora is frequently used to mean both question and answer.
• Hyphora is similar to a rhetorical question. The difference is that when a speaker poses a rhetorical question, he does not answer it. The answer to a rhetorical question is implied by the way and context in which the question is asked.
• The question or questions in a hypophora will often be used to set up a long answer, which is point that the speaker wishes to make.

Examples:

“You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be.”

— Winston Churchill, 4 June 1940

———

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’ We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr., 28 August 1963

———

“And how’d you get that [becoming King], eh? By exploiting the workers! By hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society.”

— Monty Python, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1992)

———

“What is George Bush doing about our economic problems? He has raised taxes on the people driving pickup trucks and lowered taxes on the people riding in limousines.”

— Bill Clinton, Democratic National Convention, 16 July 1992

———

“Are they meeting and having discussions on these things? Yes. Have they been meeting for some weeks and months? Yes. Does that imply a certain amount of understanding that that process might be useful? Yes.”

— Donald Rumsfeld, 26 October 2006

“The effectiveness of rhetorical questions in argument comes from their dramatic quality. They suggest dialogue, especially when the speaker both asks and answers them himself, as if he were playing two parts on the stage. They are not always impassioned; they may be mildly ironical or merely argumentative: but they are always to some extent dramatic, and, if used to excess, they tend to give one’s style a theatrical air.”

— John Hays Gardiner and George Lyman Kittredge

1. Practice with a timer. This is the best way to know if your material is suitable (time-wise) for the occasion. If you have 30 minutes but find that you can only cover half of your material within that time, you have a problem and need to rethink the presentation. Better to rethink it before the day of the event rather than find yourself in a difficult situation on stage.

2. Have a plan to cut material. Logistics will not always be within your control and your speaking time might be unexpectedly reduced. If you are told, 20 minutes before you begin speaking, that your scheduled one-hour presentation must now be delivered in 45 or even 30 minutes, can you adjust quickly and calmly? You should know which material to cut. If you have a slide presentation, you should also be able to open Slide Sorter (in PowerPoint) or Light Table (in Keynote) and know exactly which slides to pull.

3. Double down. Prepare two versions of your presentation, one long and one short. This way, a quick switch can be made if the situation calls for it. I especially recommend this approach if you have a speech or presentation that you deliver on a regular basis.

4. Prepare a detailed handout. Having a document (not a copy of your slides) that contains all the necessary information about your subject will allow you to focus on what is most important during the presentation. You will not feel compelled to cover every possible point. Not only will this make for a better presentation, it will make for a shorter one as well. And if, for whatever reason, your speaking time is cut, you can simply state that although you will not be addressing Topics X and Y, they are covered in detail in the handout that you will distribute.

5. Arrive early. Make sure that the room is set up properly and that all necessary equipment is working. Having technical difficulties just before you start is not only stressful, it can also eat into your allotted time.

6. Reconfirm your speaking time. Before starting, it is always a good idea (as well as polite) to reconfirm your speaking time with your host or the event planner.

7. Let the audience know of any time changes. If the previous speakers have run over time and you have to cut your presentation from one hour to 40 minutes, let your audience know that in the interests of time you will keep your remarks to 40 minutes. Doing so will put many members of the audience (who will likely be annoyed at the previous speakers for going over time) at ease, especially if yours is the last presentation before lunch or a break. It will also put you in many people’s good books. But be professional about it. Don’t mention the speakers went over time or the delays that the organizers had in starting the event; the audience will know anyway.

Have you ever attended a presentation that went on so long that your watch started to look like this?

8. Monitor your time during the presentation. You should have a clear idea as to where you should be in the presentation at a couple of key points, especially half time. If you reach the half way point and are behind on time, you will need to think about cutting, which should not be too problematic if you know what to cut (Point 2) and have details on the cut material in your handout (Point 4). For ideas on how to monitor your time, see Point 9.

9. Wear a watch. The room in which you speak might not have a clock on the wall, or the clock might not be easily visible. I recognize that it is not very elegant to be checking your watch on a regular basis while speaking. However, there are a few things that you can do to be more subtle about it.

(a) If you are speaking at a lectern, or have a table to which you will return during the talk (for example, to pick up a prop) place your watch on the lectern or table with the face up so that you can quickly check it.

(b) If there is nowhere to place the watch, wear it with the face on the inside of your wrist. Some of the most natural hand gestures are ones in which the palms face upwards. During those gestures, the face of watch will be towards you. You will not have to turn your wrist the other way around to check the time.

(c) Be sure that the sleeve of your shirt/blouse/suit is loose enough that you don’t have to struggle to slide it over the watch. This tends to be more of an issue for men who typically have bulkier watches than women. If that’s the case, consider buying a simple watch with a thin face for your presentations. Alternatively, you can leave the sleeve of your shirt unbuttoned (provided it does not look out of place).

(d) You can also use a smartphone for which there are all kinds of timing applications. A smartphone has the advantage of having a bigger face that is easier to see from a distance. The disadvantage is that a smartphone is bigger than a watch and cannot be worn. Only use a smartphone as a timer if you can place it on a lectern or table. Taking it out of your pocket in front of the audience is cumbersome, noticeable and might give the impression that you are checking your messages.

(e) Another alternative is to have someone at the back of the room signal you at set times during the presentation (half time, 15 minutes left, 5 minutes left, etc.).

10. Allow time for questions. Some speakers encourage the audience members to interrupt with questions at any point during the presentation. This approach is good for demonstrating confidence, being responsive to the concerns of other and building rapport with the members of the audience. However, it can throw off your timing. If you are going to take this approach, be sure to build in some buffer time. If you prefer taking questions at the end, I recommend that you stop your prepared presentation just before the conclusion and entertain the questions. Then, while there is still time left, stop taking questions and finish on a strong note.

11. Invite people to approach you afterwards. If you are running out of time but there are still questions, invite people to continue the conversation with you during the next break. It’s simple, efficient and shows respect for the next speaker. 

12. Seek permission to go beyond your allotted time. Sometimes, the audience will want to hear more from you about the subject. If you are one speaker among many at special event, you should not go over time. Instead, continue the conversation at the break (Point 11). However, if you are the only speaker, the polite thing is to confirm with the organizer and audience whether continuing would be permissible and, if so, for how long. You can do this while remaining on stage. If you do continue, allow those people who only planned for the originally scheduled talk to leave if they must. Once they have left, continue with those who have remained.

Steve Jobs (1955-2011) American Businessman and Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

“We make progress by eliminating things, by removing the superfluous.”

— Steve Jobs

Photo courtesy of Kazuhiro Shiozawa / Flickr

For some great insights into what we can learn about presentations from the clip, check out this post by my friend and fellow presenter, Jon Thomas.

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