41st Edition, Spring 2011

The King‟s speech

Ewan Pearson After Carl‟s article in December, this is the natural segue. The film „The King‟s Speech‟ has been storming away with prizes, collecting 7 Baftas and 4 Oscars. I could join others in a critique of an excellent film that touches on my world. Instead I want to look at the subject matter – stammering, and what professionals like us with the medical qualifications of Lionel Logue (none) can offer key communicators, none of Grant Pearson Brown whom have such afflictions. Consulting Ltd. Let‟s be clear, communication coaches are By the age of 8 his stammer was already The Presentation & not normally medical doctors. We are evident, apparently particularly with the Business Development people who help the average to good letters „K‟ and „Q‟ (e.g. King and Queen). Specialists become good to great using techniques Whilst the cause is unknown, a very and knowledge acquired along the unhappy and unconfident childhood is Advice squeezed coaching road. Very few are qualified to often suggested. straight from the help someone with the sort of affliction experts that George VI had. In 1925, aged 29, at the request of his father, George V, he gave the It is said by those who know closing speech of the Empire better than me that George VI Exhibition Games to 100,000 was not as afflicted as Firth people in the new Wembley portrayed. Art defeated history Stadium. This speech opens the in many parts of this film. It is most painful to watch particular film, for example (see YouTube), made more so by the severity of the affliction, his father‟s presence, the BBC and the relationship broadcasting it live to 10 between coach and client; million others, being his first Logue was more deferential broadcast, comparison with his to his King than Geoffrey elder brother Edward‟s excellent Rush was to his. But the film is speech the year before. George based on the true story of how had an almost allergic reaction. In this edition: one man coached another to He got sympathy from the crowd, The King’s speech become a much better not the intended emotion. He had By Ewan Pearson communicator. It‟s what we at GPB, already tried 9 speech therapists, to Ewan looks at how the Oscar and doubtless many others, aspire no avail. winning film has lessons for us all. to do every day of our lives. Lionel Logue was in that Boring! What were George VI‟s Wembley audience. He had By Alastair Grant speeches actually like? I arrived with wife Myrtle WAKE UP! Ever fallen asleep in a presentation? Here’s how have watched many clips only the year before from to keep people awake. of George Australia. He had been a speaking, and yes he speech therapist for 6 years, Where did all the time go? was severely afflicted with starting by helping returning By Tim Farish ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be an acute stammer, particularly with Australian WW1 soldiers to late!’ Time management tips words starting with h, k, p and t. There get their voices back, with some notable from Tim. were many hesitation pauses. Overall, the success. impression is of uncertainty and lacking Silence is also speech By Carl Schreiter confidence, the latter was true, the former George‟s appointments with Logue th Carl examines the power of not. He also had an R-W lisp, although he started with a 2-hour session on 19 the African oral tradition largely got away with that. Continued on page 2

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October 1926 to prepare him for his Nov 19: Never made a mistake during the impending 6 month world tour. We often hour, despite fact very tired. start the same way today. The tour Nov 20: Lower jaw became pliable. included the opening speech for the new Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Logue coached intensively through those Logue‟s notes recall: first few months, seeing George almost daily, and counting 82 sessions before “He entered my consulting room at three George left for his tour. Logue gave him o‟clock in the afternoon, a slim, quiet man self-coaching activities for every day he with tired eyes and all the outward was away. Again we still do something symptoms of a man upon whom a habitual similar. speech defect had begun to set the sign. When he left at five o‟clock, you could see that there was hope once more in his heart.”

Logue also noted:

“Good chest development, top lung breathing good. Has never used diaphragm or lower lung - this has resulted through non-control of solar plexus in nervous tension with consequent episodes of bad speech, depression.

Contracts teeth and mouth and Logue believed that George could mechanically closes throat. Gets chin overcome his stammer, but it would take a down and closes throat at times. An tremendous amount of work. He also Advice squeezed extraordinary habit of clipping small thought the Duke‟s problems stemmed straight from the words (an, in, on) and saying the first from faulty breathing. He invented and syllable of one word and the last in prescribed breathing exercises, frequent experts another clipping the centre and very often gargling with warm water, intoning vowels hesitancy.” for fifteen seconds each in front of an open window, and hard work - at least one Logue‟s notes show nearly immediate hour of concentrated effort every day. progress in 1926: Many of the sessions would be with Logue at his Harley Street office, where the Duke Oct 30: Diaphragm much firmer, a of York would be treated the same as all distinct advance. other patients. Plus ca change. Nov 16: A good all around improvement much greater control, diaphragm almost George was relieved to find that his under complete control. stammering was not “a mental problem,” Nov 18: As he progresses the click in the as some had suggested. throat becomes very noticeable as other faults are cleared up. Diaphragm is now Not only was the Duke‟s opening of forcing air through throat muscles. Parliament a triumph, the whole tour was successful.

But George was not destined to have an easy time. On 10th December 1936, his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated. George was badly affected by this; his stammer and associated bad temper returned. Whilst the intervals extended, George and Logue continued to work together for many years – through a very successful speech at his own coronation on May 12th 1937, the opening of the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow in 1938, and Continued on page 3

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his famous speech at the start of WW2 skills and experience that matter given at exactly 6pm on 3rd September 4. Coaching must be positive, encouraging 1939. By 1951 when he spoke to open the and show hope and optimism Great Exhibition, George was as cured of 5. Set goals that are personal, not relative his stammer as one can be. You can hear to others who you might admire the changes for yourself over the decades. 6. Build up to major events, don‟t start with one. Logue left a painstakingly detailed archive 7. Coach intensively when needed, but the which explains how the successful relationship should be seen as long-term coach-client relationship worked. It‟s also support for key events. clear that George was a man of great courage, who took the less easy route to Here are some of Logue‟s techniques for speak rather than to delegate that to George‟s stammer: Breathing exercises, another. It‟s also very clear from the Intone vowels, Get angry, Stay calm, Sing, archive material that he was very close to Swear, Gargle; Say it to me; Find a phonim and fond of his Australian coach. to tack on the front (a-pavilion, a-palace, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, agreed that a-the). There are many that apply broadly, the story of her husband‟s affliction could such as: Exchange hard-to-say words for be told, but only after her death. easier ones; Mark up the script with stress marks and pauses, pause often, speak So what can we learn from this highly slowly. emotive story? George spoke at 75 words/minute in 1939 1. You have to want to improve, as this is and over 100 by 1957. There is no known often hard and long work recording of him from the 1920s, but we 2. There are techniques that work very can guess he would have been well, but these need to be tailored to the considerably slower. The normal speech individual rate these days is 120-150 w/m. Therein 3. Qualifications don‟t count; it‟s coaching lies a measure of his stammer.

Boring!

Sometimes I hear a client tell me that they think their presentation will be boring. Such self-fulfilling prophecy adds weight that this might be so. I see the procession of PowerPoint slides stuffed with bullet points and many words. They tell me there are 10 speakers talking that day. Then I know it is going to be a boring presentation.

My claim is that even the most mundane My response here is to ask a simple subject can be made interesting. But is question: What do you expect the that fair advice for a business audience to remember afterwards? Alastair Grant presentation? Results to the City are surely stacked with figures. A bit of Here are some ideas to lower the positioning is needed. Results announced boredom threshold and increase to journalists and analysts will be one end memorability: of the spectrum. The listeners should know the framework of the subject well. A good start point is to establish what There is a detailed hand-out in front of you want the audience to recall after the them. Some presentations do involve the event. It may be helpful to tell them what audience in following some grinding you are not going to talk about. This gives detail. you an excuse to leave out unessential detail yet not appear to have had a But there is a limit to how much detail memory lapse. A handout or web link can they can absorb if they are not already point to the detail that some might need versed in the subject. afterwards. Continued on page 4 3 41st Edition, Spring 2011

Boring! ...continued

Strong Start What you say in the first 100 volume of sales in the world but it is all in seconds will, if done well, make the China. Someone suggested we should put audience lean forward in their seats to in the comparative amounts in hectolitres hear more. If done badly, apathy and mind but even if converted into gallons the wandering set in. Michael Morpurgo figures are so big as to be meaningless. recently delivered the Richard Dimbleby The image of a can of Bud and a can of Lecture. He spoke with what I can only Snow made the point: The Chinese like describe as controlled passion and deep drinking Snow Beer. This is part of a trend anger about the rights of children. It was of their affluent class to adopt western never going to be a boring presentation as habits. Not boring. he started by saying: Many of us prefer a story to a lecture… It will not be Tell stories People will listen to a story stuffed with statistics. Less is more…….. a and on the underbelly of the story you can few will do……..every year 8 million hang some detail. children die in the world before they are 5. That‟s a holocaust every year…… It won‟t be boring if you link the two strands together - the story and the Relevance Imagine the audience business message; a bit like a ladder muttering SO WHAT! after an idea you have where the rungs link the two strands. The passed to them. You should be able to story works best if it is personal, relevant, riposte with „the reason why I tell you this short and surprising. is because…‟ Better still is to get there first. Fact followed by relevance or benefit Surprise them This can be cheesy, but if it to the recipient. is done well it can really help to avoid boredom setting in. Verbal Imagery This, perhaps more than any other will help you escape the Write a small play or skit This sounds too accusation of being boring. Example: ambitious but can be a spectacular Advice squeezed Listening to a presentation recently on success. Working with a company of food straight from the trends in Asian Markets, we were told that producers we produced a play around what one third of all hair in the world is grown their customers thought of them. The experts in India. So what? Well as they get more customers were Marks & Spencer, Tesco, prosperous, so demand for shampoo will Safeways. increase. Therefore……… It started out as boring and repetitive. But we hit on the idea of each speaker being a school boy reading out his end of term report. I am Tesco – I have had an excellent term, profit is up by 15%. We have mainly Ford Mondeos in our park and we have beaten M&S into a cocked hat. We wrote straight scripts but as we rehearsed so the humour was added impromptu.

The audience loved it and it helped end the conference on a high note. The trick is to keep it simple and rehearse from a script.

So the challenge is to reduce the boredom level of your talk by applying a series of ideas and you will be surprised at how the most mundane of subjects can be made interesting. PowerPoint can also be used to provide memorable images. At the same presentation on Asian markets we were shown a slide of a can of Budweiser followed by a can of what we were told is Snow Beer. Snow Beer has the largest

4 41st Edition, Spring 2011

Where did all the time go?

One of the biggest challenges facing any person is how they spend their time. It is the one resource that is finite and you can never get back. With the level of distractions in our culture now reaching epic proportions, time management is becoming a major concern.

In fact, it‟s a crisis multi-tasked affair of an increasing broken conversation number of whilst messaging on a professionals now Smartphone. see as their biggest Unknowingly, a whole Tim Farish challenge. At the generation of beginning of the last „message-alert‟ slaves decade, email was are being created. still in its infancy and technology was What this has really going to change the created is a culture world and our whose communication paradigms as we quality is falling knew it. dramatically and with it, the landscape of Technology was how we spend our time seen as being the is shifting too. new vanguard. It Without doubt, email is would make our now the preferred form lives quicker, easier, of communication in Advice squeezed more enjoyable and business. It has straight from the of course, infinitely surpassed the phone more profitable. It and now people spend experts hasn‟t quite worked far more time on out like that, has it? email.

While the internet For the averagely busy has undoubtedly been one of humankind‟s person, it is nearly impossible to stay on most impressive inventions we, as human top of the flow and most people are beings, have paid a high price when it having to ring-fence time in their diaries to comes to how we spend our time. With the deal with getting on top of their inbox. explosion of the internet age, with email and social media part of our everyday Now, more than ever, it is important to fabric, the average person has become a have firm boundaries in place to deal with slave to interruptions. the increasing demands on our time with ever increasing deadlines. So, what can This is starting to have an impact on our you do? attention spans and today‟s generation Y (currently under 25) now have 25%* less Well, the first thing to do is to figure out ability to focus on tasks than the previous how to prioritise. Probably the best and generation. You only have to look at most simple tool for this comes from conversations between young people on Stephen Covey‟s „7 habits of highly the London Underground to see that successful people‟ (see below). everyday conversation is now a

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Any task can be placed in one of the much time immediately dealing with email quadrants above. Quadrant 1 deals with requests and interruptions/offers from urgent deadlines i.e NOW!, crises and others (Quadrant 3 activity) and not illness. It really shouldn‟t deal with much enough time saying „NO‟ or dealing with more. It deals with anything that is requests later while Quadrants 1 & 2 need „mission critical‟ and should really only to be dealt with. consist of tasks that have to be done now otherwise there will be severe This is the real challenge that today's consequences. culture and technology have created in Advice squeezed how we spend our time. They have blurred Quadrant 2 deals with strategy, our boundaries between what is important straight from the relationships, problem-solving, planning, and urgent and we have become more re- experts goal-setting and exercise (wellbeing). It is active in how we deal with requests. The the Quadrant which allows us to have expectation of response-times in commu- direction and feel in control. If we spend nication has dramatically changed over the too much time in Quadrant 1 and not last decade and we are now suffering from enough in Quadrant 2 then we are going an „immediacy effect‟ where we believe we to suffer as we will never get the mental have to respond almost in real-time. And space to move forward and out of unless you have got firm boundaries in fire-fighting mode. Time in Quadrant 1 is place then you are going to feel no more of course important but too much of it in control than Pavlov‟s dog. leads to becoming overwhelmed and eventually burn-out. Quadrant 4 activity consists of Not Important/Not Urgent and is where the Quadrant 3 activity lowest priority activities should be. Most deals with anything internet browsing falls into this category! that is requested of you by other people that Personally, I leave Quadrant 4 activities isn‟t „mission blank but I like to recognise that there critical‟ but is are times when I just need to important to „zone-out‟ to relax and respond re-charge the quickly. batteries. 99% of all client emails fall into this category as well as verbal requests from colleagues and subordinates and especially bosses! I stress this as it is only natural to want to respond but to put every single request into Quadrant 1 without Everybody has different checking activities that they might put in priority is this quadrant but the only going important thing to to make realise is when too things a much time is spent lot harder there. „ You Tube‟ for anyone? yourself. *Pease International The challenge with how most people prioritise is that they spend far too

6 41st Edition, Spring 2011

Silence is also speech

I have so many television channels that I have lost count. Most of them I have never watched or wouldn‟t even care to watch, for that matter. I suppose the American adage “50 channels and nothing to watch” holds true. But there is a flicker of hope, because way down that never ending list of ITVs, CNBCs, MTVs and their + and 1 2 3 bolt ons, there is TV5.

TV5 is to the world of television what written records. Instead, information was Marmite is to the palate. You love it or passed on by word of mouth. To ensure hate it. And yes, if you don‟t speak French, accuracy, memorability and don‟t bother for it will only leave that persuasiveness in messaging, people Carl Schreiter bitter aftertaste closely associated with became yeast extract on your non-French speaking reliant on tongue. good delivery skills, both TV5 caters for the entire French vocal and speaking world outside France. Whether non-verbal. you‟re living in Montreal, Mauritius, or Also learning Morocco, Mauritania and you love the words by rote sound of “la langue de Moliere”, you will is a necessary tune in. I do. basis for oral tradition. My favourite show is le Journal Afrique, (Africa News) and here‟s why I‟m a fan. I African societies are not alone in having enjoy watching African leaders, presidents an oral tradition. Indeed it can be found in and prime ministers speak because I love most, cultures, and all monotheistic their “Music” and their “Dance”. They go up religions. Christianity, Judaism and Islam and down in pitch, they vary their pace, are all proud guardians. they pause for impact, they speak louder and go softer, they hold eye contact on I contend that in Western society the oral key points. Their gesturing is varied, tradition has partially been lost as we have Advice squeezed appears natural and is often refreshingly made ourselves increasingly dependent on straight from the animated. This is the African oral tradition written communication and so place experts at work; a tradition which gives those who greater trust in what we read than what we embrace it an incredible advantage in any hear. Just ask the Romans, or one Roman speaking situation. rather, who maintained that “Verba volant, scripta manent ", literally translated In Africa, oral tradition is the way that “Spoken words fly away, written words attitudes, beliefs and culture are remain”. communicated. It is intimately linked to the African way of life and explains why This quote is commonly attributed to most Africans place great worth in it. For Caius Titus of the Roman Senate, but centuries, Africans have depended on oral apparently there is no conclusive evidence tradition to inform, to teach and to that he actually said it! Maybe someone persuade. It is designed to make sense of forgot to write it down. Ironically, it is life on earth and the spiritual life thought that he uttered these very words hereafter. during a speech in The Senate, a forum in which rhetorical prowess and verbal agility drove and fuelled the political process.

Titus‟s argument is that spoken words can easily get forgotten whereas written documents are permanent and therefore more conclusive. Rest assured, what you have just read will be kept for posterity. Whether they care to read it or not is a different matter.

Only a fool would dispute the importance of literacy and the significance of the Historically, most African societies didn‟t Cwritten word; it is one of the have an alphabet, so they couldn‟t keep Continued on page 8 7 41st Edition, Spring 2011

Silence is also speech...continued

fundamental building blocks upon which Not bad for an 84 year old and as they say humanity has developed and been allowed sometimes less is more. Conversely too to flourish, but apparently at the expense much of one thing is rarely a good thing. of the spoken word, and our ability to tell In stark contrast see Ian Paisley stories. passionately propagating partisan politics from the podium, through volume and how to pause before and after key volume alone. http://www.youtube.com/ statements, how to create impact through watch?v=8zSWlAHD29M . better eye contact and why a poker face is often the surest of way to undermine your I would be very surprised and profoundly own credibility. disappointed to discover that Protestant oratory art professed screaming as its So what can we glean from the African way preferred means of vocal expression. of speaking? Finally, I would like to introduce you to Oral tradition relies on the human voice to Gabon‟s president Ali Bongo Ondimba. In communicate messages. Just listen to this infomercial, he urges the Gabonese Thomas Sankara, Africa‟s own Che educated Guevara. In 1984, he appeared at a press elite conference in Paris as the elected living president of Burkina Faso. Sankara makes abroad to full use of all vocal parameters and in return to particular pitch modulation, pace and the land volume. and help Our Services rebuild it. Grant Pearson Brown Consulting Ltd is a respected adviser based Listen to the He in London and Oslo. We enhance music for this is skilfully the performance of businesses, vocal control combines the art of reading from a helping clients to excel in the use of the spoken and written and projection teleprompter with seemingly effortless word, improving the of the highest vocal variation and gestures that could performance of individuals and order, even to best be described as natural and teams. Over the long term our work improves the way a firm the non-French refreshingly unpretentious. This of course does business. speaking ear. is in French, but you don‟t have to Not to mention understand the words, just enjoy the We coach and advise individuals to perform at their best in the his eye contact “Music” and the “Dance”. And should this toughest situations including: and pausing performance be to your liking, I strongly Presentations, New Business after key points, urge you to check out Ali the rapper. Pitches, Business Development, Negotiating, Media Interviews, which as you know is nothing more than a That‟s right this president got rhythm and Telephone Calls and Document simple but powerful non-verbal delivery a Sorbonne education to boot. http:// Writing. technique. See for yourself: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?

We also produce scientific voice www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWN- v=ner5I69Tr_s&feature=related and visual analysis reports, then qQJbBOs&feature=related provide voice coaching and Sources include: „Silence is also speech ‟ a non-verbal communications advice. Hiding comfortably behind his shades, in West African proverb and John S. Mbiti, this speech Robert Mugabe asserts his role Introduction to African Religion (Oxford: Our clients‟ needs are the only as president and the protector of Heinemann Educational Publishers, 75) focus of our work; we listen to them and closely tailor our Zimbabwe. Like Sankara, he is a response to deliver first class revolutionary of sorts and takes to the po- Our African journey along the paths of coaching and advice. In support dium with seemingly great ease, urging oratory wisdom ends here. May it not be of this we selectively pursue new ideas and approaches, the crowd to join him in the never ending our last? I would willingly go back any continually hone our advice and struggle against the enemy, the British. time... create tools such as Voice, Visual Over to you Robert: http:// and Content Analysis, Prospect Relationship Management (PRM) www.youtube.com/watch? and the Information Iceberg. v=EwIIY4blakw&feature=related .

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