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Feb. 3, 2012 "Speech as Show Business"
Not long ago the
public address was the world's leading form of entertainment. Most of us
can't remember a world without radio, television, movies, and
phonograph. But the world of our parents or grandparents was just such a
world. Entertainment meant, "live" not "canned." People went to
theaters to see "live" plays, vaudeville and burlesque shows. They went
to an auditorium or the local bandstand to waltz or sway to their local
city bands or to listen to their political aspirants seeking votes.
These were free (or as we say today without considering the redundancy,
"for free"). There were usually children in attendance, building a
future audience.
In today's environment
of limited attention spans, it's hard to believe that more was better.
Edward Everett was the
featured speaker at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at
Gettysburg. He spoke for more than two hours. The press and the public
gave his speech rave reviews. He was followed by President Lincoln whose
slightly-more-than two minute speech was a huge let-down. There were
other speakers on that day's program, making it probably more than four
hours of uninterrupted oratory. Had Lincoln not delivered his disaster
of a speech, there would probably not be a single reason for that event
to be memorable.
Think about what it
would be like today to sit or stand through an uninterrupted multi-hour
speakathon. I vividly remember the moment in the last Republican debate
before the Florida primary election this year when Wolf Blitzer
announced a final break and the camera caught Rick Santorum racing
offstage. Most people watching at home probably used the time to perform
similar necessary bodily functions.
Former House Speaker
Newt Gingrich is showboating when he proposes three-hour long one-on-one
debates with President Obama. Surely, as a historian, he's aware that
quality beats quantity every time, having full knowledge of the outcome
of that oratorical battle of Gettysburg. And he's also ignoring the very
strong possibility that he won't be on the stage with the President when
the nominating conventions are over.
I stand by my rule, which still makes
sense to me: to be effective, you have to be quotable and memorable, and
to do that your information must be simple, brief, clear, concise and
easy-to-understand.
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Arch Lustberg
Communications, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Arch Lustberg
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