Media Training Worldwide

Style Is Never Versus Substance

I always ask my presentation training clients to tell me who their favorite speakers are and why they like them. Then, I ask them to name the best non-celebrity speaker they have seen in the last year and to tell me every single message point they remember from that speech. Invariably, after telling me one or two substantive message points about a speaker, my clients will start saying things like “and this CEO spoke with such passion and optimism; he made you want to hear more.”

Please note that I asked my clients to list the substantive message points they remembered from a speech and that they always quickly, usually in under a minute, start commenting on the speaker’s style. This happens regardless of the industry of my clients; this happens in high tech, finance, even insurance.

I have yet to encounter a client who says “I remember the following ten substantive ideas…even though the speaker was boring, lackluster, and spoke with no passion.” In theory that could happen, but in 21 years of training, it hasn’t happened to me yet.

The reality is that we as human beings confuse style and substance. I’m not saying that’s a good thing; I am saying that’s reality. If you want to have people give your substantive ideas consideration, you had better package those ideas with a proper style. As presenters, the single best way to impress people with your style is to speak with passion. Throw in a sprinkle of optimism and you are on your way to at least having your ideas considered.

So don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you can just deliver more facts or numbers than anyone else that you will convey to people your serious ideas. The only thing you will convey is that you are a serious bore, and then you will be forgotten. So remember, it’s not a debate between style and substance. Think of it in terms of the more substance you wish to communicate, the more style you need to package it.