It Ain’t What You Say – II

March 24, 2009 by Jerry 

toobin_weilThe first commandment in all communications is that the messenger is just as important as the message; or in the vernacular, it ain’t what you say, it’s how you say it. In the first blog in this series of variations on that concept, I described two illustrations of that delicate balance of power: Abraham Lincoln’s speech writing and Frank Sinatra’s singing. Today’s post involves two more current examples.

Jeffrey Toobin and Andrew Weil, M.D. are, by any standard, on the A-list of public speakers. Each man has—as what is known on the keynote speaking circuit—a solid platform. The term refers to a large installed base of loyal followers built by frequent access to and exposure in the media. Toobin, a legal political analyst for CNN, appears regularly on that cable channel; and Dr. Weil, a trusted health advisor, as his trademark reads, runs a vast online marketplace that sells personal care products, vitamins, and cookware. Each man also has a string of bestselling books, among them, Toobin’s The Nine, and Weil’s Natural Health, Natural Medicine. All these factors create an attractive draw for their public speaking engagements.

As part of the San Francisco Bay Area’s 2008-2009 Lecture series, both men drew sold-out crowds of more than 3000 people to the massive Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center. Both men are dynamic speakers, but their individual styles present an interesting study in contrasts.

Of the two, Toobin was the more effective, despite that fact that Weil’s subject, health, was of greater intrinsic and personal value to the audience than was Toobin’s drier subject, the Supreme Court. The differential was in their organizational structures.

During his hour, Weil touched on a wide array of subjects including, vitamins, diet, health care reimbursement, and even an audience participation breathing exercise that had all 3000 people huffing and puffing along with him. Although Weil covered each topic thoroughly, each one stood alone, without a link or transition to the next, making it challenging to follow. Toobin, on the other hand, had a single theme, the composition of the Supreme Court. Although he ranged backward and forward in time, discussing the varying combinations of the nine justices in different decades, and although he peppered each story with human interest anecdotes, it was easy to follow. That’s because each move and each anecdote supported and pivoted around the central theme. Toobin held the audience in rapt attention throughout.

What made Toobin’s structure work? What could Weil have done to improve his? The next post in the “It Ain’t What You Say” series will answer those questions.

Please share a noted communicator whose interpretive style made a difference to you.

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