| Surveys have shown that speaking before an | | | | and, lo and behold, the audio technician was supplying |
| audience is one of the most common fears among | | | | the special effects. I later learned that Robbins brings |
| people from all walks of life. In talking to many | | | | his own sound man with him to all speaking gigs - |
| individuals over the years who harbor this fear, I've | | | | which is about as far from winging it as one can get. |
| often heard them say, "I'm just not a good speaker." | | | | Again, no mystery why he's a world-class speaker: |
| Those words imply that they believe the ability to | | | | incredibly detailed orchestration.By contrast, I recall a |
| speak in front of an audience is determined at birth.As | | | | famous NFL quarterback telling me years ago, when |
| with just about any skill, to a great extent that's true. | | | | he was in the national spotlight, that he did quite a bit of |
| Natural ability is always helpful. But natural ability is not | | | | public speaking in the off season. I asked him how |
| what carries the day.One of the best speakers I've | | | | much time he spent practicing, and he replied, "Shucks, I |
| heard in a long time is Michael Cloud, who is also a | | | | don't practice. I don't believe in giving canned speeches. |
| first-class speechwriter. A couple of weeks after I | | | | I come across better when I'm spontaneous. I just get |
| heard him speak, Michael sent me an excellent article | | | | up and talk about whatever's on my mind."There's a |
| he wrote titled "The 7 Deadly Public Speaking Sins ... | | | | term to describe this kind of attitude: arrogance of the |
| and How to Avoid Them."I don't have room to review | | | | ignorant. As you might have guessed, after his career |
| all seven sins here, but I can tell you that the first | | | | ended, this fellow disappeared from the speaking |
| deadly sin he lists is the failure to practice properly. He | | | | circuit entirely. So much for just getting up and talking |
| says that a lot of speakers simply don't practice | | | | about whatever's on your mind.But orchestration isn't |
| enough. Others practice cavalierly and haphazardly, | | | | confined to public speaking. On the contrary, it's one of |
| merely going through the motions. And - incredible as it | | | | the keys to success in all professions.In the early |
| may seem - some speakers don't practice at all.Cloud | | | | eighties, I saw Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme |
| goes on to say that many speakers just try to "wing | | | | perform at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. At the time, |
| it." Their attitude is, "Good enough is good enough." | | | | they were at the top of the entertainment ladder, and |
| During a subsequent telephone discussion, he | | | | they put on a terrific show. What I enjoyed most about |
| extended this point by telling me something most | | | | their act were their humorous ad-libs and spontaneous |
| people might find hard to believe - that the best natural | | | | ribbing of one another. They were muffing lines, |
| speakers are often the worst-performing | | | | clowning around, and cracking up on stage.In fact, I |
| speakers.How can this be? Because speakers with | | | | enjoyed their act so much that I went back the next |
| great natural talent usually feel relaxed and in control in | | | | night to see it again. Surprise! Every line I had thought |
| front of an audience. Which in turn causes many of | | | | to be spontaneous was repeated verbatim the |
| them to believe they don't need to practice.I can relate | | | | second time around - right down to their facial |
| to this, because I fell into the overconfidence trap early | | | | expressions, the way they laughed, their body |
| in my career. From a very young age, I recognized | | | | language, and their timing. They muffed the exact |
| that I had a gift of gab, and I mistakenly believed that | | | | same lines and cracked up in precisely the same |
| this ability was all it took to be a great public | | | | manner and at precisely the same moments as the |
| speaker.The end of this ludicrous miscalculation came | | | | night before.There was no spontaneity whatsoever. |
| during a performance in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At the | | | | Zippo. The entire act was orchestrated from start to |
| time, my second book, Looking Out for #1, had just | | | | finish. It was truly perfected to the nth degree.I |
| ascended to #1 on The New York Times bestseller list, | | | | subsequently told a good friend of mine who had been |
| and I was drunk on the wine of adulation. I was | | | | Bob Hope's producer for many years about what I |
| scheduled to give a speech before an audience of | | | | had witnessed in Las Vegas. His response: "Welcome |
| 3,000 people, all of whom I assumed were Robert | | | | to the world."My friend assured me that everything in |
| Ringer disciples.After an introduction that would have | | | | show business is orchestrated, especially the lines you |
| made Johnny Carson envious, I strode onto the stage | | | | perceive to be ad-libbed. He went on to explain: "You |
| and began gabbing. I was all over the lot ... every | | | | know those spontaneous moments on variety shows |
| sentence flooded with "uhs" ... repeating myself | | | | when the performers are cracking up in front of the |
| endlessly ... and ad-libbing "jokes" that brought only | | | | audience? It's all orchestrated - every laugh, every |
| blank stares from the audience.Being the perceptive | | | | grimace, every pratfall." He emphasized that |
| young man I was, after about 10 minutes I sensed that | | | | professionals don't go in front of the cameras until they |
| I was in big trouble. When raw eggs and tomatoes are | | | | have every word and gesture down cold.That brings |
| flying at you from every direction, you begin to suspect | | | | me to my final example of orchestration, Tom Brady. |
| that the audience is not real impressed with either your | | | | You may recall that I did a previous article on the New |
| message or delivery.And when virtually everyone in | | | | England Patriots' star quarterback, based on his |
| the room begins to nervously cough, it's all you can do | | | | interview with Steve Croft on 60 Minutes. At one point, |
| to resist calling out, "Mom! Come get me, quick!" (I'll | | | | Brady was talking about how many hours he spends |
| never forgive her for not coming to my rescue when I | | | | each day studying game films, which prompted Croft |
| needed her most.)Since that embarrassing fiasco, I've | | | | to rhetorically ask him, "So, everything is |
| witnessed many high-profile people giving speeches | | | | orchestrated?"To which Brady replied, "Everything is |
| that ranged from mediocre to abysmal. In every case, | | | | orchestrated. You don't just go out and wing it." Thus, |
| it's been obvious to me that the speaker was | | | | sports, speaking, show business - just about any |
| arrogantly and/or ignorantly winging it.Having said this, | | | | profession you can think of - have at least one thing in |
| here's the painful truth about one of the best-kept | | | | common: Orchestration is a major key to |
| secrets of great public speakers: They orchestrate | | | | greatness.So, why don't more people invest a great |
| their speeches down to the last detail. What I'm talking | | | | deal of time and effort in orchestration? Other than |
| about here is tireless, ongoing practice - not only every | | | | laziness, I think one of the biggest reasons is that they |
| word, but precise body language, facial expressions, | | | | believe orchestration is somehow dishonest. Pure |
| voice inflection, and more.In this respect, Zig Ziglar | | | | nonsense, of course. The person who orchestrates |
| comes to mind. When Zig steps onto the stage, it's like | | | | everything in advance simply cares enough about his |
| watching a great actor perform Othello. Years ago, I | | | | work to strive for perfection. Orchestration is nothing |
| went to two Zig Ziglar speeches in the space of about | | | | more than practicing precisely what you're going to do |
| six months, and not only was every word and every | | | | or say ... and that's a good thing.The same thing applies |
| sentence exactly the same - and delivered in precisely | | | | to "reality" shows like The Apprentice. When big, bad |
| the same manner - but he even got down on one | | | | Donald Trump says to Ms. Future Executive, "You're |
| knee at precisely the same moment. It was more | | | | fired!" and puts her on the verge of tears, hapless |
| dramatic than watching Larry Parks sing "Mammy" in | | | | reality TV viewers want to believe that this corporate |
| The Jolson Story.So, it's no mystery why Zig Ziglar's | | | | version of pro wrestling is real. They love sharing Ms. |
| speeches have enthralled audiences for decades. | | | | Future Executive's "pain."And when the teary-eyed |
| Clearly, he is a master craftsman who has | | | | object of Trump's ruthlessness appears on Oprah to |
| orchestrated his presentations to perfection.Tony | | | | tell the world how the other actors (er, job aspirants) |
| Robbins is another excellent example of high-level | | | | stuck her in the back to get the job from The Donald, |
| orchestration. Love him or hate him, he's arguably the | | | | it's enough to make a sober adult become physically |
| most dynamic, passionate speaker on the planet. | | | | ill.But, then, unless you believe that Survivor and The |
| When you watch Robbins, you get a sense that the | | | | Bachelor are real, I assume you already understand |
| words are spontaneously flowing from his mouth as | | | | that The Apprentice is one big orchestration. Rest |
| fast as he can think - and that his thinking mechanism | | | | assured that every one of the dozen or so hairs on |
| is always on fast-forward.But I noticed an interesting | | | | Trump's head is put perfectly into place before the |
| thing during a Robbins speech that I attended in Hawaii | | | | cameras begin to roll.What's good enough for DT is |
| some years ago. He was explaining how important it is | | | | good enough for you and me. To parody the words of |
| to display a high energy level. To make his point, he | | | | a now-deceased legal wizard who managed to set O. |
| dashed down the center aisle to the back of the room, | | | | J. free through shameless diversionary tactics and a |
| then started walking very slowly toward the stage.As | | | | dose of grade-school poetry, "If you yearn to be great, |
| he walked, his shoulders drooped and he spoke very | | | | you must orchestrate."Sign up for Robert Ringer's |
| slowly in an effort to comically demonstrate what a | | | | FREE wisdom-filled e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an |
| person with low energy looks and sounds like. In | | | | Insane World. Visit Ringer is the author of three #1 |
| perfect synch with his Step'n Fetchit imitation, a sound | | | | bestsellers, including two books listed by The New |
| resembling the clop of horse hoofs on a cobblestone | | | | York Times among the 15 bestselling motivational |
| street could be heard throughout the room.I looked | | | | books of all time.Copyright © 2006 by Robert J. |
| around to see where the sound was coming from, | | | | Ringer. Reprinted by permission of the author. |