Tag Archives: Michael Parker

Obama “pitched it perfectly…”

The shooting in Tucson last weekend lead to very different responses from the two people who have the highest profile in the US when it comes to public utterances

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As the Sunday Times put it “Obama had at last recovered the voice that won him so many admirers in his 2008 campaign”. He was under heavy pressure and despite this, perhaps because of it, he earned unanimous praise and may well have transformed his election prospects. He was as the MoS said ” in preacher mode but pitched it perfectly, emotionally and politically.”

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For Sarah Palin her politics are all emotion. Seemingly any words will do, however appalling, as long as they push the emotional jugular, love or hate. What is scary is just how many get carried along by her.

In the typical business pitch the words are written and rewritten to meet the political/commercial brief, with emotion taking a back seat. A touch of Palin might not be such a bad idea. The ideal, an Obama. Get the words right and then invest time in practising to deliver them with the right emotional impact for your audience.

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The King’s Speech. Some pitch!

If you have not yet seen it, go. All the critics agree, this is is a marvelous film. It has everything, faultless casting, Oscar-worthy acting from Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham-Carter, superb script and, of course, a storyline that would be unbelievable if it were not true. An enthralling, uplifting experience.

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On a more prosaic note, the film is one that should raise the spirits of all who present with trepidation! In the opening scene we see the Duke of York ‘miserably make his way to give the closing address at the Empire Exhibition, looking like a condemned man making his way to the scaffold’. The manner in which he overcame his problems with sheer persistence, practice and, yes, coaching was inspiring.

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The closing scene sees the now King George VI deliver his first daunting war-time address. The bizarre execises devised by the eccentric Lionel Logue have enabled him to deliver coherent bursts of speech but interspersed with lengthy gaps. These were needed to focus and overcome the stammer before continuing.

No need to worry about the pauses, said Logue casually. They will give you more authority. And they did, in the film and in the historic recordings of the real thing. The King had no option, he had to pause. Most of us who can so easily pause for added authority, and should, don’t.

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Pitchcoach Awards 2010

The past year has been low on outstanding performances but high on major pitch events. A change in the categories is reflected in this third annual Pitchcoach awards.

Outstanding pitches of the year.

The Pope was not in any direct competition but he did have much to lose. Hostile coverage , negative reports on its cost and the risk of protest made this a challenging occasion. In the event it passed much better than anticipated and this was not a function of the ceremonial but the quiet certainty, clarity and compelling authority of his communication.

In ridiculous contrast we had the pompous self-serving FIFA running their farcical pitch to see which country was worthy of their trust to bring the FIFA/God given gift of football to the world. It was ridiculous from the outset and the England bid, which should never have been, was a lost cause two years ago. The William, Dave and Becks charm offensive was an embarassing waste of time

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The much heralded live Television debates even outperformed the X-Factor. Months of media build up and speculation. Three candidates, two of them with everything to lose, one who could only gain -assuming no Nixon moment. The tension was real. The debates were the essence of competitive pitching.

And the results really did matter. They influenced voting patterns less than might have been expected. However Clegg’s outstanding performance in the first debate was pivotal to enabling a workable Coalition. His was the stand-out performance in the outstanding pitch of 2010.

Outstanding Performers

This has been a year dominated by David Cameron. In the final phases as leader of the Opposition and in the debates he was strong and consistent but he truly came into his own forcing the Coalition through and then keeping it, and seemingly, the entire country, going . This was not through inspired oratory or even basic speech and interview skills. It was the supreme confidence and aura of leadership as someone born to lead. Remarkable.

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In broadcast, there were few surprises. More and more programmes revolved around a subject- cooking, art, property, nature, history-where the key differentiator was the quality of the presenter rather than the subject matter. Amid the predictable Nigels, Nigellas, Simons and Waldermars one who stood out was an Amanda. Her engaging spontaneity, ready wit and ease made Amanda Vickery’s ‘At Home with the Georgians’ a delight.

THE POPES VISIT
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“I found Jesus in the basement.”

With these words Mark Hargreaves, vicar at St Peter’s in Notting Hill, had everyone in the congregation sitting forward and listening, really listening. He started his short sermon, in the annual carol service, explaining how the subject came to him whilst rummaging around in the church basement searching for figures for the crib.

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He found Joseph, Mary and the three wise men easily enough but had to search harder for the small figure of the baby Jesus, eventually discovered buried under the christmas tree lights. From this simple and personal anecdote he developed the the theme of his compelling sermon.

The moral of this tale is that if you want your sermon or your speech or your pitch to connect with people, don’t just preach or lecture or present, tell a story.

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Pitching the flag.

With the less than pleasant after-taste of the machinations of FIFA still fresh, it was sad to read of the also less than pleasant machinations of the IOC as the draconian conditions imposed on London as host city were made public. Both are self-elected bodies wielding unreasonable and seemingly unaccountable power.

It is bad enough that you can’t wear your favourite T-shirt if it carries any branding, that 700 limos with peak capped chauffeurs must be available to whisk dignitaries around in the style which they assume is their right regardless of commuter agonies and that the French language takes precedence over English.

Even more demeaning is the condition, accepted, that the Union Jack must be smaller than the Olympic flag. This is an overt flexing of corporate power and glorified global branding. It is not a reflection of the astonishing spirit of the Games.

Fortunately the essential spirit seems to survive most things, even the less than glorious phase in the history of the IOC in 1936. Hopefully for London’s sake that spirit will overcome the conditions and cost of 2012!

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