Archive for the ‘Speaking skills’ Category

Peter Baker of the New York Times has written an article about President Obama’s use of the teleprompter. Some critics say Obama risks his credibility by being so scripted and tied to the machine. Others say he’s very precise with his words and why fool around with the success he’s had.

I’ve had clients ask about using a teleprompter and my response is a based on the event, the speaker, and the audience. Using a prompter sets a tone of formality and it can be misinterpreted as a sign of pretentiousness in the wrong setting. And if a speaker has an informal approach in most circumstances, I would stick with what works with their personality. That said, it’s not a bad idea to know how to use a teleprompter, especially if you plan on doing a lot of public speaking. You never when you might be asked to address a stadium full of people!