Why Ed?

by Graham Davies

Just as in the art of Stand-Up Comedy, the secret of success when you are running for the leadership of a political party is a combination of bravery and timing.

David Milliband is not the Labour Leader at this moment because he simply did not have the nerve to run at the right time. A crucial number of party voters remembered that he was the only potential challenger who could have saved Labour from Gordon Brown. But he just didn't have the balls.

And now Labour has a new leader who has massive presentational problems to overcome. The more he says that he is not beholden to the Unions, the more we all sneer. He may not like being called Red Ed, but it is a presentational label that he will have to work hard to scrub off.

No matter which Milliband we ended up with the Labour Leadership Election was the final link in a very disturbing trend. The leaders of all 3 major parties are all youngish guys who look good in suits but have never had a proper job outside Westminster.

They could all make the Micro-Statement, "I may not have any experience of the real world, but at least Daddy was rich enough to make sure that I never had to."

What a triumph of democracy.

Nick Sticks with Us????

by Graham Davies

"Stick with us. Please. Because we're not all that crap really. And I'm sure that I won't have to to dreadful Tory-type things forever. And I have got 'Deputy PM' on my CV which will be great for when it's time for me to cash in properly with my memoirs."

Sadly, Nick Clegg not to say all but the first 3 words of the preceding paragraph in his conference speech. It would have been a more compelling performance if he had put them in.

This was not a speech. It was an apology...from an elected Prefect who is rather embarassed at having unexpectedly joined the teaching staff. And he knew that the apology was just not going to be good enough.

I was wrong in my blog of yesterday about him moving about the stage. He stood behind a lectern, like an old-style politician, even though he wasn't using it for notes or a script. Essentially, he was using it as a barrier between himself and an audience that he was afraid would turn on him.

And he seemed surprised when they didn't applaud when he wanted them to. Surprised and also a little spoiled. I was cringing when he pressed the emotion button and only a rigidly faked tone came out.

But the most striking thing was his hesitant delivery. Long, uncomfortable pauses. Possibly because he wanted his prefect's lecture to sink in, but possibly because he was just couldn't remember his words quickly enough. He really needs to learn how to use an auto-cue.

If Nick Clegg sticks with this sort of speaking, he will carry neither the country nor his party.

What can Nick really say?

by Graham Davies

The three crucial ingredients of a speech are: who is speaking, what they say and how they say it. The speech to be delivered by the Leader of the Liberal Democrats tomorrow will be very different in each of these elements from its equivalent last year.

Nick Clegg's 2009 speech was a noteless political cabaret, a 55-minute exhibition of faulty policies delivered with a faultless memory. This was a Party Leader uninhibited by even the remotest thought that he would ever be able to put his ideas into practice. There was no hint of "Go back to your constituencies and prepare for government".

He will undoubtedly try the memory trick again, and wander around without a lectern, to show that Nick the Deputy PM, is still One of Them.

I look forward to hearing his Core Micro-Statement....the legacy at the heart of the speech that will be remembered above all else. The most accurate one I can suggest for him is: "Terribly sorry to have sold out on so many of our fundamental principles, but you should feel the leather in the back of our Ministerial cars!"

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Obama's Continuing Weakness

by Graham Davies

President Obama is one of the finest AutoCue Athletes that the world has ever seen. But the Q&A session about the economy that he did yesterday shows that he still has a long way to go before he is a great Presentational All-Rounder.

When he presents a carefully calculated and rehearsed text using AutoCue, he looks, sounds....and probably feels...utterly in control. But when he is answering a question in front of a live audience, you can see the certainty leave his eyes instantly, especially when there is a hint of aggression behind the question.

He then tends to speak.....with......pauses.....that are slightly.....too long........that come in.....strange places.........in his sentences. When a politician needs this much thinking time in the middle of a 60 second answer, he looks like a struggler, not a leader.

He needs more coaching. He certainly needs to read the Q&A chapter in The Presentation Coach (published by Capstone on 24 September). There he will see that Q&A can involve techniques which give you even more authority than rehearded delivery of a pre-prepared script.


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Blair's Brand

by Graham Davies

Tony Blair has spent the last few days devaluing his Personal Presentational Brand. I say this even though his autobiography may boost his professional speaking fees to beyond the merely stratospheric.

Of course, the thing that the punters in Waterstones want to see is one politician making bitter personal attacks on other politicians, preferably long-term friends and allies. Tony has been happy to oblige. This tells you more about him than the people he has targeted.

He has launched an assault on Brown et al, not because he wants to put the record straight for the good of the country, but because he wants to sell a few more books.

He may be the most expensive speaker on the planet, but he is looking cheaper by the day.


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Another Cop Thug

by Graham Davies

If there had abeen no CCTV footage available, how likely do you think it is that Sergeant Marc Andrews of the Wiltshire Police would have been prosecuted for assaulting a 57 year old woman?

I will tell you: there would have been no chance at all.

Never fall asleep in your car in Wiltshire.


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Out of Office?

by Graham Davies

Imagine sending an email like this to a colleagues, a supplier or a client:

"Thanks for your email, but I just don't care enough about you to read it or give you a 5-word response. I am on vacation, so I don't give a toss about you."

That is precisely the message you are presenting about yourself whenever a piece of software sends out an Out of Office Auto-Response that indicates you will not be accessing emails due to your on-holiday mode.

There really is no excuse for this presentational callousness. And yes, you are still presenting yourself and your business when you are on vacation, whether you like it or not. Of course, people do come up with alot of excuses for being incommunicado:

• I work a 70 hour week, so I am entitled to a complete rest
• There are other people who can deal with anything that is likely to come up
• My spouse forbids me from looking at work emails when we are on holiday

The third excuse is so beneath contempt that I won't even point out how risible it is. If there really is someone you totally trust to deal with everything as well as you could, then fair enough (but are you sure??). But surely you cannot really rest on your sunbed in the knowledge that you might have hundreds of unexploded bombs waiting in your in-box?

Everyone can afford a blackberry. But no-one can afford to present the image of someone who sticks their fingers in their ears and says LA LA LA rather than spending at least 30 minutes a day checking their email....no matter how exotic their location.

If you don't follow my advice, it is just possible that you won't be spending quite so much time on expensive vacations in the future.

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Pointless Politician

by Graham Davies

The speech by Tony Abbot on the night of the Australian General Election was a remarkable achievement. You see, Tony is the Leader of the Australian Liberal Party.....and he managed to lead his audience nowhere.

One of the fundamental requirements of a good speech is that the speaker should take the people he is speaking to on a journey (see Chapter 1 of The Presentation Coach, published next month by Capstone). Sadly, Tony had nowhere he wanted them to go.

The circumstances were difficult. He was surrounded on stage by 4 tall Amazonian women who may have been his bodyguards, but were probably his wife and daughters. They had no business being there and the looks on their faces made it clear that they knew it. They merely served the function of offering alternative targets for snipers.

And there was a hard core of Part Yobs at the front of the crowd who were determined to cheer every other sentence Tony uttered, no matter how indifferent.

What he said was a collection of bland statements that merely confirmed what the audience already knew:

It's too soon to celebrate
Everyone has worked hard
I am very grateful
This is an important night
We have more hard work to do
We are the best Party
We need to work hard
etc etc etc

The most telling verdict on the speech was given by Sky News, who switched to a commercial break half way through.

My message to Tony, and anyone else who imposes themselves on an audience, is this: Don't just have a speech, have a point as well.


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Speak with your Elbows

by Graham Davies

Yet again, David Cameron has shown his talent for creating memorable phrases under pressure. His spontaneous use of the words "sharp elbows" nicely captures the combative attitude needed by parents to secure the best for their children from the Public Sector.

It is also a phrase that should epitomise your attitude to Presentation. There are alot of things competing to get the attention of any audience you speak to. And even if you manage to grab their attention initially, it can still drift away if you and your words are not compelling enough.

That is why you have to be a practitioner of Sharp-Elbowed Presenting. This is a highly assertive form of speaking where you think of yourself as constantly jostling for the attention of the audience. You are prepared to push just a little to get to the head of the queue in their collective mind. But you are determined to retain that Dave-n-Sam charm even when you are at your most determined.

It is then that you will achieve the exquisite presentational balance encapsulated by the following impossibly mixed metaphor: the sharp tongue in the velvet glove.

Wasted Thank Yous

by Graham Davies

Never present when doing so is a waste of time for you and your audience. You might think that the previous sentence is crushingly obvious. However, yesterday I saw 2 people speaking to an audience 40,000 strong, when it was quite clear that the exercise was utterly pointless.

The people in question were the captains of the Australian and England Rugby Union teams. 5 minutes after an exhausting 85 minutes of enormous physical and mental effort, they were suddenly required to "say a few words". There was nothing that they could possibly say that would have been more eloquent than the effort that they had put into the game.

They both stumbled up to the microphone and said highly predictable Thank Yous to the fans who had turned out to support their respective teams. It was quite clear that they though they were wasting their time and their breath. Their presentations certainly added nothing to the occasion. In fact, it was an embarassment to see 2 people who are at the very top of their profession being forced to do something that detracted from their credibility as leaders.

Never allow yourself to be in a situation where you know that what comes out of your mouth will achieve nothing apart from a huge amount of personal discomfort and a devaluation of your personal presentational brand.

BA too Twittery

by Graham Davies

Satan likes to make work for idle hands. That's why he invented Twitter. And it is because of Twitter that I am travelling to Heathrow this morning not sure that my flight to China will take off.

Last Saturday, Derek Simpson of UNITE was not entirely focused on the way that Willie Walsh was presenting BA's case. He gave what can only be described a running commentary on the negotiations via the medium of his Blackberry. This stream included a description of Walsh as "vindictive".

Only twats twitter like this. There was nothing to gain and everything to lose. Negotiation content should be kept confidential while the negotiation is still going on. Blurting out his thoughts to the whole world was always likely to make the process more difficult.

And the very fact that Simpson had the urge to Twitter in the first place showed that his mind was not really in the room. He should have been zeroed in totally on assessing BA's presentation and calculating an appropriate response. The audience he should have been focusing was in front of him, not at lurking at the end of a Twitter-feed.

I urge you not to Twitter when you should be zeroed in on something else. Which is just about all the time.

Bland lead the Bland

by Graham Davies

I am currently working with several clients on their Maiden speeches in the House of Commons. This type of speech is often a very bland affair, with the meat of it consisting of merely a few nice pleasantries about the Mp's own constituency.

Of course, this will not be their very first speech as MPs: they made their first ones immediately after their victory was announced by the returning officer on election night. Every single victory speech that I saw on television consisted of a boring sequnce of predictable pleasantries and thank yous. The perpetrators had the chance to say something striking and memorable in the spotlight, but they decided to follow convention instead.

No presentation will ever be memorable if it it merely follows convention at the expense of saying something new. Never allow yourself to say something just because your audience expects it. It is only the unexpected that will get you what you want.

Robotic Cameron

by Graham Davies

Now that the political dust has settled a bit, I have decided who was the most unrealistic presentational role model during the build-up and aftermath of the Election.

Cameron has become frighteningly efficient under pressure. The speech he made just before he entered number 10 had an androidal effficiency: no notes, no stumbles, no vocal imperfections (well,maybe he flubbadubbed 2 words). He was so good that you should look at what he achieved and then follow my advice:

Don't try this at home.

There is rarely any need for the typical presenter to force themselves into the potential horrors of the no-notes vortex. The potential upside of looking-as-good-as-Dave is massively outweighed by the possible downside of looking-like-a-prat if you forget to say your best point.

Dignified Exit

by Graham Davies

Right at the end, Gordon Brown was almost someone that you could like. His farewell speech was a triumph of dignity.

He achieved the tricky balance of leaving Downing Street elegantly and eloquently, without letting any residual bitterness show through. His tribute to our armed forces at last sounded genuine, because he had no electoral advantage to gain from it. His acknowledgement that he was unable to form a government was a measured statement of political fact and not, as it easily could have been, the whine of a beaten man.

His cleverest and most touching presentational moment was completely unexpected. He described being PM as the second most important job behind being a husband and father.

It's a shame that he was unable to present this level of humanity when he was actually in office, rather than just when he was leaving it.

Clegg's Presentational Oxygen

by Graham Davies

There is widespread disbelief today that the Lib Dems could have done so badly after Nick Clegg's top class presentational performance in the election debates. The fact is that the electorate realised that crap policies presented well are still crap policies.

But presentation was still vitally important to Clegg's party. If he had not been so brilliant, their vote share would have dropped dramatically below what they managed to achieve in 2005. Without the boost that his debating skills gave them, they would now be able to have a meeting of their Parliamentary Party in a phone box.

For the Tories and Labour, good presentation is a vital tool in their fight for victory. For the Lib Dems it is what they will continue to need in their fight for survival.

Mike Paranoia Pays

by Graham Davies

Yesterday, Gordon Brown gave a Master Class in microphone-awareness. Or whatever the opposite of a Master Class is. Not realising that he was still wearing a live lapel mike, he described someone as a "bigoted woman"....when her views were merely different to his rather than bigoted.

It is always a disaster for a politician to be caught saying something in "private" that contradicts their public persona. It confirms the pre-conception that we all have of them being two-faced.

But all presenters can learn something from this: always assume that the mike is on.......and make sure that you get rid of the damn thing as soon as you have finished what you have finished doing what you put it on for.

There are a host of (probably apochryphal) stories about the sound of presenters' bodily functions being transmitted by mikes that were unexpectedly still switched on. This morning, I am certain that Gordon Brown wishes we had just heard him having a crap.

The Leader's Debate

by Graham Davies

Just to be sporting, I have decided to give advice to all 3 Leaders for the first televised debate:

1. Have alot of pre-prepared funny one-liners rehearsed and available at the tip of your tongue. This includes YOU, Gordon. These are the words that TV audiences like to hear and journalists like to report. A good gag at the expense of the other 2 candidates will get you more votes than a list of cost estimates.

2. Avoid sloganising: as a device, it only works in front of a crowd of your own supporters. Don't follow the example og George Osborne, who says We Are All In This Together whenever he can'y think of anything else.

3. Be as specific as posssible when you do talk about the amount and location of cuts. The sort of audience that is going to listen for 90 minutes will not want want their stamina rewarded with vagueness.

4. Don't practice gestures. If you think that your likely voters are concerned about where your arms are, you have been woking wiath an unrelistic (probably American) coach.

5. Don't touch the lectern. By all means use it as a place to write and perch notes.....but the white-knuckle death-grip is never inspiring. Speak and move as though the lectern simply doesn't exist.

In the USA, the generally percieved winner of the Presidential Debates has always gone on to win the Presidency. Here, Cameron's Premiership will be confirmed in the same way.

Specific Numbers Win

by Graham Davies

On this day in 1992, John Major's Tories receieved more votes than any other party in UK history. In 2005, Blair got fewer than Kinnock did in 1992.

Overall numbers of votes don't mattter: you have to mind the gap.

At last, it looks as though the Tories are opening up some clear blue water between them and Labour. Although there will be some narrowing in the 48 hours before the poll itself (fuelled by all the parties and the media having a fused vested interest in saying that it's desperately close), I expect the Tory lead to stay between 9 and 11 per cent.

Cameron has achieved this because he is now presenting more specifically than he has ever done before about actual numbers for specific actions. If he stays away from his previous tendency to spout worthy ideals and sticks to hardened, costed, detailed steps he will actually take, he will win a narrow, but working, majority.

Beware the Background

by Graham Davies

Brown had the gravitas and Cameron had the energy. Those were the two most obvious differences between the speeches that launched the election campaign proper.

Cameron now even manages to make indignation sound attractive, without ever allowing it to deteriorate into a schoolboy whine. His choice of location, with the south of the Thames, with the camera pointing aspirationally towards Westminster, even had a touch of the John Major Soapbox about it.

Gordon Brown did not have to agonise where to make his own speech from. Standing out side 10 Downing Street says I'M HERE, YOU'RE NOT better than anywhere else.


But they both need to think about their backgrounds. I don't mean Old Etonian versus Son of the Manse. I mean the people they choose to be seen with when presenting.

Cameron chose a group of young PPCs who clearly have not been playing the game for long...hence them frequently looking looking away into the middle distance as their Leader trotted out something else that they have heard many times before.

On the other hand, Brown chose to speak in front of his battle-scarred Imperial Guard. Jack Straw's supportive smile was welded on with a metallic intesity....and Harriet Harman's approving nods make her bounce up and down like an over-keen pupil who still thinks she can be Head Girl one day.

Their professional efficiency had the air of a group who have been on duty for just a bit too long.

So advice for both main presenters: Dave, find a few older people to look keen on what you are saying. Gordon, find a few younger people to do the same job. If you can.

Poster Own Goal

by Graham Davies

The Millibands are a rather strained double-act at the best of times. If one brother ever challenged for the leadership of the Labour Party, he certainly could not be certain of the other brother's support.....unless they had come to a highly specific, preferably written and witnessed, agreement about it.

They looked deliciously uncomfortable on Sky News, trying to defend Labour's latest election poster. It depicts David Cameron sitting on top of an Audi Quattro, looking like a younger, cooler version of the iconic 1980s policeman, Gene Hunt.

Their contention was that the poster cleverly illustrated the electorate's fear that a Cameron government would turn the clock back a couple of decades. The problem is that this is precisely what a significant proportion of floating voters would like: a return to the robust business-oriented prosperity that epitomised the heyday of the last Tory regime.

But their limp defence highlighted something more presentationally profound than that: if you have to explain why something is funny and clever, then it really isn't all that funny or clever.

I hope that policians never really grasp this....because the blind spot they have for comedy is one of the things that can actually make some of their more ridiculous pronouncements rather entertaining for the rest of us.

Blair's Guest Appearance

by Graham Davies

Today, I almost felt sorry for Tony Blair. Almost. Until I remembered the size of his bank account.

The speech in his old constituency didn't have particularly special content. His core Micro- Statement was merely a re-hash of an old theme: in a crisis, the country is better off with a safe and experienced pair of hands holding the keys of 10 Downing Street.

The distinctive over-emphasis of key words was still there as was the equally distinctive perma-tan. But a new feature was a strange mid-Atlantic accent. He sounded like an Americanized British Rock Star. In public speaking terms, that is precisely what he is.

No Blair speech will have a significant effect on the election. But each one reminds his corporate client base of how affably available he is. Nice marketing, Tony.

Predictable Chancellors

by Graham Davies

All 3 were smooth and sleekly rehearsed, with opening statements that were the epitome of bland vanilla efficiency.

But it was immediately clear that Vince Cable held a political and physical position that Osborne and Darling both envied: smugly central and devoid of past responsibility or potential future high office. He was the only one who was prepared to say where the biggest cuts should come and how much they should be.

I could sense the other 2 thinking, "You wouldn't be so keen on telling the truth if you had any chance of actually being Chancellor. You lucky sod."

The main football match was between Darling and Osborne. But Cable had the delicious privilege of playing for a third team that didn't need to defend, but was allowed to score by kicking the ball into the goal of either the other 2 teams.

Naturally, there were no big scores or big misses. Final score: nil-nil-nil.

The only thing I really disliked was when they agreed with each other. We can't have top politicians doing something as stupid as that.

No Barriers Cameron

by Graham Davies

I realise that I am running the risk of saying too many nice things about David Cameron at the moment. However, he keeps on adding facets to his presentational persona.

His performance on the Politics Show yesterday was a spectacular demonstration of barrierless presenting. There was never a hint of him hiding from anything, with the possible exception of the specifics of tax bands.

His default body language is very open. His natural tendency is to engage rather than confront. He is now just so damned likeable....for a politician.

I suspect that his minders may tell him that a certain level of aloofness may be desirable over the next few weeks. It is just possible that the British people may not want a Prime Minister who is quite so approachable!

Eulogies

by Graham Davies

Eulogies are at the extreme emotional end of the presentational spectrum. Sadly, I have recently had to advise several clients on how to do them effectively.

Don't tell the whole life story of the deceased. Instead, pick out the real highs: the things that he and his still-living friends and relatives would really like to remember him for. And don't be afraid of humour. Funerals should have laughter as well as tears.

This is one of the few scenarios where I recommend that you use a fully written-out script. It is very difficult to use brief notes as memory-joggers when you have to use the majority of your mental strength just stopping yourself from breaking down.

The most important piece of advice is this: even though it will be painful, rehearse the speech properly, out loud, all the way through, as many times as you can. This allows you to experience the emotion of those words in private before you have to share them in public.

This is the best way of making sure that you control your feelings on the day, rather than letting them control you.

Cameron Performs

by Graham Davies

David Cameron needs the adrenalin surge of a live audience to present at his best. His budget reply yesterday was his most compellingly combative performance for some time.

Admittedly, he doesn't do indignation well. It always comes across as rehearsed pantomime. But he now has a knack for memorising and delivering one-liner gags so sharply that they do not sound rehearsed. Which of course means that have been. Rather alot.

He has now become a political presentation all-rounder. Despite the recent Gay Times video problem, he has real charm in a one-to-one interview. The Faithful now adore his gee-up set pieces. And now he can even get Opposition MPs laughing at his jokes in the House of Commons.

These are 3 very different skills in very different settings, and he is at the top of the game in all of them. This is the political presentation equivalent of playing for England at tennis, squash and badminton...all at he same time.

I would love to finish this piece off with a nice double entendre about rackets, but I can't give you one.

Cameron's Fluff

by Graham Davies

Okay, he should have been better briefed before the Gay Times video interview. He should have known more detail about Tory MEPs' voting record. He should also have given alot more thought to the very fundamental question of what issues should be the subject of 'free' votes.

I am certain that his media bodyguards at Tory HQ were screaming at the screen when they saw his performance. However, I am certain that Dave's stumbling has done him no presentational harm....and may actually have done him some good.

This is a politician that does not always try to bluff and bluster his way through on camera. He actually takes the radical step of carefully considering the points that are put to him. He is then capable of changing his mind and politely correcting what he has just said. I cannot imagine any other politician pulling this off with such charm.

The stumble-and-self-correction is a surprisingly endearing ploy...as long as it does not become a habit in election battle conditons.

The Samantha Factor

by Graham Davies

Samantha Cameron is a superbly presented all-rounder. She is a successful businesswoman and a major contributor of time to several charities. She has gone through both the joy and sorrows of motherhood. She is the practical personification of David's compassionate words about the family.

Politically, her profile has been deliberately subterranean. However, she has certainly been a significant voice of reason in content-brainstorming meetings before her husband's most important speeches.

Her most distinctive presentational skill so far has been the knack of appearing comfortable and relaxed on camera, without ever seeming to actively seek the attention of the lens.

In fact, her Personal Political Brand is so strong because she has shrewdly not made any public pronouncements. This is one of the occasions when silence should be warmly applauded.

Will the Debates make a difference?
by Graham Davies

The televised Election Debates between the main party leaders will epitomise the way that our attention span for life in general and politics in particular is getting shorter and shorter.

It is likely that each debate will last 90 minutes. This is a long time on television....and I suspect that many people who are watching the beginning of each programme will not make it to the end. The novelty of the situation will not ncessarily generate enough magnetic adrenalin to keep thumbs away from remote controls.

The main problem for both Brown and Cameron is that they both have every incentive to play safe and almost no incentive to take presentational risks that really differentiate themselves and their policies.

Brown does not want to harm the solidity he gains by virtue of being the sitting Prime Minister. Cameron does not want to harm his own solid lead in the opinion polls. Only Nick Clegg can be a bit more edgey, because he is never going to lead a government himself.

The likely result is that even the viewers with the most stamina won't feel any more enlightened about the real differences between a government led by Brown or Cameron.

Blair's Blag

by Graham Davies

Whether he was telling the truth or not, Tony Blair gave his evidence to the Chilcot Enquiry with his usual distinctive presentational style.

He has mastered the knack of forcing a pause before he answers a question under pressure. He uses that moment to make sure that the first line of his answer is firm and compelling. For instance, when asked about the notorious three-quarters of an hour that it alllegedly would have taken Iraq to launch an attack on the UK, he said:

I must say right at the outset that this 45 minute number has taken on vastly more significance in retrospect than it ever did at the time.

He also managed to use the same open hand gestures as he always did when addressing audiences in far more relaxed circumstances. The tan suits him and the graying hair suggests that sponsorship from Grecian 2000 would be a sound commercial move.

Overall, he is still at the top of his presentational game....even though he will find it difficult to get anyone to vote for him ever again in any context whatsoever.

Laughing Harriet?

by Graham Davies

Harriet Harman stood in for Gordon Brown today at Prime Minister's questions. Her opponent was William Hague, whose DNA is much more suited to the adrenalised rigours of spontaneous debate.

Of course, very little about PMQs is spontaneous, especially when Harriet is involved. She wielded the obligatory file of must-know-facts-and-figures in front of her as if it was a cross between a magic wand and insect repellent.

But she also made a valliant attempt to use a wepon not normally associated with Mz Harman: humour. When commentating on Hague's changed views, she said, "He is worse at reversing than I am".

I am delighted to say that this comic reference to her own recent driving difficulties fell totally flat. Harriet's presentation problem is that she takes herself so seriously, that no-one can take seriously her attempts NOT to.

It may take you 2 or 3 goes for you to understand the last sentence. That's how long it took me anyway.

Copy Bill Maclaren

by Graham Davies

Bill Maclaren, the distinguished Rugby commentator who died this week, used three presentational techniques that are accessible to people with much less talent than he was blessed with.

First of all, he prepared thoroughly. He researched and made notes about all 30 players on the pitch...and all the reserves. He could also tell you something about the referee and both linesman. He never had to struggle for a piece of personal knowledge, because he had it all carefully set out in front of him.

He also used strikingly distinctive language when under pressure. I will never forget forget him describing one hard-scrummaging wing forward as "rampaging like an angry octopus".

But his most important presentational asset was his sheer enthusiasm for his subject. Talking about Rugby was never a job. It was a passion.

Preparation, unique words and appropriate intensity are three things that everyone should use, whether they are presenting in a TV studio or a Company Boardroom.

Presenting Mrs Robinson

by Graham Davies

I never like to gloat when a pompous, arrogant politician falls flat on their face. OK, I'm lying. But I am particularly pleased to see the downfall of Ulster's leading Cradle-Snatching Christian.

Iris Robinson's presentational persona has largely been concerned with making pronouncements on the sinful behaviour of homosexuals. She has also preached extensively about the sanctity of marriage.

It turns out that she is a Born Again Hypocrite.

I would advise any public figure never to pontificate about other people's morality. It is a topic that simply should not be the subject of presentation from anyone outside of a pulpit.

My Favourite Moment of 2009

by Graham Davies

My favourite Presentational Moment of 2009 actually lasted about 5 seconds. That was how long it took for someone to prove that what comes out of your mouth and how it comes out is more important than your age, your background and what you look like. It was a moment that has brought joy and hope to millions of people....and Superstardom for Susan Boyle and her cat.

She clearly still has serious personal issues. But they are the sort of issues than can be worked on quite effectively when you've got a few million quid in the bank.

Some commentators have moaned that she is no longer the "real" Susan. They say that her new look and vitiality are merely a Corporate Creation.

But look at the photographs of her from 30 years ago, when she was a vivacious and attractive teenager. That was the real Susan. Her real triumph is that she is now presenting herself in the way that she should always have done, for the last 3 decades.

She has become what she was meant to be. And if you are feeling a bit down about the way you are presenting yourself in 2010, have a look at that You Tube clip.....and see if you can watch it without breaking into great big smile.