The William and Kate duo bring a youthful freshness to Britain’s ancient Royal institution, which again demonstrated its unrivalled ability to put on a show of public-pleasing wedding pomp and circumstance. But just one thing jars.
Following this triumph, Wills’ and Kate’s popularity on their current trip to the Canadian Dominions continues - for now - to keep the romantic dream alive for the easily pleased starstruck masses. So what is wrong?
Well, in each speech he has made, the future King has read every single word in a boring unnatural monotone worthy of his revered but rhetorically-challenged Grandmother or stammering Great-Grandfather. His speeches, while carefully crafted and elegantly constructed, are bland on delivery and of course as a direct result, even the “jokes” fall embarrassingly flat, despite the fact that the guy has a good smile and indeed appears to be engaging on a one-on-one basis.
Surely after all the publicity around “The King’s Speech” the Royal handlers are aware that so much more is demanded of people in such privileged positions. As they and we all know, honeymoons don’t last forever.
No, it is not 1939 and he doesn’t stammer, but now that Wills is back from Canada he should put himself on a crash course in natural public speaking and never again get in front of a microphone with a fully scripted speech.
This tightly scripted “royal-speak” is not the way Kings, commoners, republicans and in particular, business leaders should communicate in 2011. Our lazy self-serving fear of making a mistake in wording or grammar is no justification for the tedium that we inflict on our captive audiences of listening to a wooden, passionless delivery.
Listen up CEOs, executives, team leaders! Our speeches are not about us; they are about the listeners. Or as Marshall McLuhan originally and insightfully commented “The medium is the message”. Think about it before your next public speech!
1 comment:
Point taken!
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