Bill Gates has never been confused for Winston Churchill or the Rev.Martin Luther King, Jr. But as an orator, but Gates has improved dramatically as a public speaker. At the 2006 Consumer Electronic Show, his keynote address was a solid “B+” in speechmaking, without having to give him any grade inflation just for being a billionaire.
(Watch it here http://www.microsoft.com/events/executives/billgates.mspx)
Gates is smart not to stand behind a lectern; instead he faces the audience unobstructed. This makes him seem friendly, approachable, and confident. Sure, Gates still looks and sounds a little geeky, but he seems totally at ease with himself when talking to thousands of people. Gates kept a conversational tone thought his address. Notes and scripts were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Gates appeared to be talking, as if he were just giving a demonstration to one person in his own office. If Gates were nervous, he didn’t display it in any of the normal ways. He gestured freely, walked around the stage, and interacted with his computers in a relaxed fashion.
Gates isn’t trying to be Anthony Robbins, but the software billionaire did use lots of positive emotion in his presentation. He spoke of “the magic of software” when unveiling some of the tricks of his new Windows Vista operating system. So much of Gates appeal as a public speaker is because of what he DIDN’T do. Gates didn’t do any of the following:
* Dump excessive Data
* Use abstractions without giving examples
* Use PowerPoint slides with lots of bullet points and numbers
* Use too many PowerPoint slides
* Read from a script
* Attempt to use a teleprompter
* Rock back and forth nervously (as he once did for Justice Department depositions)
* Turn his back most of the time on his audience
* Rush
Gates used his visuals in a compelling way by showing images of a family and a real home. He demonstrated how a real person could use the new software in a real world office, home and car environment, whether using a PC or a cell phone. His ideas were easy to understand, follow and “see.” Because he wasn’t reading a script or staring at notes, Gates appeared to be supremely knowledgeable about his product, and therefore more believable. Gates understands what most software geeks and engineers fail to grasp (for that matter most business people land politicians), that the real power of a speech comes from the strength of your examples. Gates gave example after example on how his product could be used at home, in the car, at the airport and on the run. He never lost the audience and the never got lost in technical details.
Gates understands that everyone knows he is smart on the technical side, so he doesn’t have to prove to people how brilliant he is technologically. Instead he focused on what he thought might appeal to his audience the most. He painted a vivid picture of how his products could benefit consumers.
Whether you are a billionaire like Gates, a pauper, or a second grader giving a class report, one thing remains constant. If you focus all of your energies on what your audience will understand, appreciate, and benefit from, you will be a good speaker.
