Over on the Biteback Publishing website, The Voice’s Mark Pack has been penning some words of advice for those planning party leader conference speeches:
Technological change has frequently altered the speaking styles of political orators. The exaggerated hand movements and booming voice projections of the pre-electrical era were essential for being seen and heard. As film footage spread, that approach increasingly came over as histrionic. The total distanced travelled by the hands and arms of politicians during their speeches therefore declined, thanks to the adoption of a more homely, direct style. Radio and TV both brought about their own changes, followed by the impact of the teleprompter in the 1980s…
TV presenters have used supporting graphics successfully (and when the art department goes wild, disastrously too) for years. There is a simple reason supporting graphics are popular on so many channels and in so many countries: they work.
Now why wouldn’t a politician want to take an idea that works and adapt it for their own use?
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2 Comments
101 Ways to Win an Election. Looks like a rattling good read.
At £9.99, down from £12.99 it looks like a bargain. Let’s hope Nick gets a copy prior to 2015.
Supporting graphics are an intriguing suggestion, and I have a feeling you might be onto something. But I can see several pitfalls:
* Being derided for giving “a powerpoint presentation”.
* Being derided for graphics which look a bit low-budget.
* Being derided because some hiccup in the cueing of the supporting graphics leads to an unfortunate juxtaposition.
The answer to all of the above would, of course, be rehearsal time and a decent budget for a graphic/video designer to work closely with the leader’s speech team. Which may or may not be welcomed with open arms by the various parties!