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04.09.08

The Lack of Substance in Public Speeches

michael osborn
Public speaking expert Michael Osborn recently delivered a speech to the Georgia Communication Association, where he stated that he has watched a problem become a crisis. The crisis is the lack of substance in the speeches we hear. He states:
It is the declining quality of reasoning, the neglect of evidence both by speakers and listeners. It is the erosion of standards that lets so much slide by unquestioned—and that results sometimes in tragically flawed policies and practices. It is our impatience with debate and our unwillingness to play active roles as citizens in deciding public policy.

This crisis, we argue, could illustrate Plato’s famous (and infamous) attitude about the public audience. Plato believed that in general people don’t really want to be informed and improved by public communication. Rather, they want to be flattered and reassured that whatever beliefs they hold are justified and correct, no matter how ill-informed these beliefs may actually be. Their so-called “leaders” are really followers, who simply reinforce and exploit public opinion without attempting to improve it.
As leaders, are we leading or pandering? It’s time to build up our thinking, reasoning and reasearching skills to counter “an increasingly mass-mediated and cynical culture.”

Posted by Michael McKinney at 09:21 AM
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Comments

Malcolm Gladwell touches on this in Blink. There's a basic technique that people use to get you on their side - they say the most generic and innocuous statement they can so that you are immediately compelled to agree with them.

For example, politicians will say they're "for the rights of women and children" knowing that they won't risk alienating voters because very few people are against the rights of women and children.

To be a good consumer of public information, your sceptic-alarm should go off every time you hear one of these types of statements. As a listener, you either have to force these speakers to talk about the specifics or do your own research.

Posted by: Diane Flynn | April 10, 2008 06:06 AM

Michael,

Based upon Diane's observation, not much has really changed in the time between Plato and Gladwell.

With pollsters determining the alleged desire of the masses, politicians--and others--are able to "lead by following" with even more precision. And by starting off a speech with "You've spoken and I've listened," the collusion is sealed.

Good topic.

Posted by: Steve Roesler | April 11, 2008 04:39 PM

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