Media Training Worldwide

TJ’s Insights

October 5, 2005

The Danger of Condescension

Nothing can mar a good speech faster than appearing condescending to the audience, especially if you are a political figure covered by the news media. In late September 2006 Bush Administration official Karen P. Hughes gave a speech to 500 women in Saudi Arabia. Hughes told that women that she hoped that they could one day earn the right to be able to drive a car and be able to “fully participate in society.”

To Western ears, these don’t seem like radical or even interesting sentiments. But Hughes’ comments elicited a stinging rebuke from the audience. One woma challenged Hughes by saying the following:

“The general image of the Arab woman is that she isn’t happy. Well, we’re all pretty happy.”

Then the room erupted in applause, seemingly in defiance of Hughes. The news media, of course, loved this. All coverage focused on the conflict between Hughes and her audience. It’s always fun to bash the news media, but some of the blame must go to Hughes and the Bush Administration.

Why send a diplomat who doesn’t speak the language to tell people that she believes in God (hint: so do the Arab women) and that she thinks her way of life is a lot better. For many in the audience it was three condescending strikes for Hughes and she was out.

Hughes has a reputation for being a talented communicator and as one who has earned the trust of the highest elected official in the land, but in her maiden voyage to the Middle East, she stumbled badly because she didn’t spend enough time trying to understand her audience in advance. Consequently she came off as condescending and the speech was written off as a failure.

If you would you like to learn how to use the principles described in these insights, you may want to consider attending TJ’s next public speaking training workshop http://www.mediatrainingworkshop.com/

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TJ Walker
Media Training Worldwide
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Media Training Worldwide provides more media and presentation training workshops and seminars (54 separate courses) than any other company in the world. Media Training Worldwide also publishes more than 100 presentation training books, DVDs, CDs, and other information products and is the largest presentation/media training publisher in the world. For a product catalog or more information on training services call 800-755-7220 or visit http://mediatrainingworldwide.com/mediatrainingcatalogapril2004.pdf.

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