Peter Mandelson - The Third Man, Effective Speaking And Public Speaking Expert.
Whatever you think of Peter Mandelson, there is no denying both the role he has played in shaping the Labour Party and politics in the UK over the last 15 years and his effective speaking and public speaking abilities. Mandelson has just published his memoirs in his book The Third Man and not surprisingly they have created some controversy.
His effective speaking abilities were on display at Foyle’s bookshop in London. Times columnist James Harding interviewed Mandelson on stage and his performance was a brilliant example of both effective speaking and how to have an audience eating from your hand.
When we want to know how to do something we no longer need to reinvent the wheel. We can simply role model an expert and in this case the expert at effective speaking and public speaking is Mandelson. So what did Peter do, how did he do it and what can you learn from him regarding effective speaking?
There are seven important routes to effective speaking; it is clear that all seven of these paths where addressed as Peter answered James’ questions and those of the audience. This article concentrates on paths 1 and 4. Path 1 is to be well organized and path 4 is the words and language that you use.
This article explains how he addressed paths 1 and 4.
Path 1 – Clearly he knew his subject very well and was prepared for the event.
Rather then jumping in to answer a question either from James Harding or from the audience, he paused for between 2 to 4 seconds, to give himself time to think and only then answered.
In addition in respect to planning, the interviewer, James Harding, made it clear that the questions from the floor where to be short and not statements or speeches. An example of effective speaking from the ‘Mr’ as well as the ‘Lord’.
Path 4 - He cleverly chose his words regarding his subject matter to appeal to his audience. A must for effective speaking.
He is obviously a heavyweight intellectual and perhaps surprisingly Peter’s choice of language made him very easy to understand. His language was accessible rather than being lofty and difficult to follow.
Surprisingly he used self deprecating humour to good effect although he managed to make himself look good.
How someone can do this was one lesson that I took from seeing an effective speaking and public speaking expert operate.
To summarize, two things I’d like to highlight that we can learn from Peter Mandelson are these; first for really effective speaking when answering questions from the stage, or in a presentation, take your time, stay calm, and give yourself time to think and secondly, keep your words and language at a level that can be understood by all. If you do these two things you too can be an expert at effective speaking and public speaking.
Learn the Art of Effective Speaking - Secrets and Strategies of the Very Best Speakers in the World. Go to www.thespeakingwell.co.uk to find out more.
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