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“Caroline Kennedy needs toastmasters”
Contribution by RDU Toastmasters VP of Membership, Silvia Pleasants
Caroline Kennedy gave an interview to the New York Times explaining why she’s ready to enter the political arena and be a part of her family’s legacy.
Unfortunately, her message was lost due to poor delivery. One hundred thirty-eight “You Know”s were counted during the 30 minute interview and publicized all over the media. I listened to a 2:17 minute excerpt found in the link below and counted 26 “you knows” and 13 “uhms”.
If Ms. Kennedy was to attend RDU Toastmasters, we would give her an honest and encouraging evaluation of her speaking techniques and help her improve significantly in a short amount of time.
An evaluation of her interview would be as follows:
“Caroline, your message today is why you would make a good choice for Senator of New York. You pointed out you are not a conventional choice since you don’t have experience in political office, but instead you bring a wealth of life experience into the post from being a mother, a woman, a lawyer, and an education activist. You’ve obviously prepared your points and anticipated some of the questions and objections people might have to your taking the post of Senator from New York. Your message is clear, concise, and well thought out.”
“But of course there are some areas regarding your delivery that need some work. What I would like to see you work on for your next interview is becoming aware of the filler words that we all use, usually without noticing. Words such as “you know”, “um”, “so”, “like”. During the 2:17 minute of interview time I heard 13 “ums”, 26 “you knows”, four “so’s”, and one “like”. The overuse of filler words becomes distracting to your audience and takes away from your message. One technique that might help you is to take a pause when you’re gathering your thoughts rather than trying to use a filler word. Another recommendation for you would be to experiment with your vocal variety. Using different levels of volume and speed of words will help your audience stay connected to your message taking away monotony.”
“Once again, I think you have a good, clear message to convey. And, with just a little bit of work, your delivery will equal the quality of your message. A Toastmasters meeting is the safest place for you to expand your wings, find your speaking style, and excel in public speaking!”
Link to excerpt of interview:
