Marco Rubio Loses The Last Page Of His Speech
The Internets are buzzing today with a video clip featuring Florida Senator (and possible Romney running mate) Marco Rubio.
During an important speech this morning to the Brookings Institute, Mr. Rubio lost the last page of his speech. Many commentators used the opportunity to remind their readers that Mr. Rubio has repeatedly blasted President Obama for using a teleprompter, and that he once called Mr. Obama, “the most articulate and talented teleprompter reader in America.”
I’m not sure the teleprompter (or lack thereof) is really a significant issue here. Sure, a prompter could have avoided that momentary gaffe, but a plastic binder clip could have prevented it as well.
As a presentation trainer, I see three bigger issues here:
1. He’s Reading: Little is more sleep-inducing to an audience than a speaker who reads them a prepared text while looking down. If that’s all he planned on doing, he should have simply handed the audience the transcript and let them read it for themselves (people can read an average of five times faster than they can speak, so they would have beaten him to the finish line). Instead of reading, he should have looked down, gotten his next line, and delivered it while making eye contact with the audience.
2. He’s Passionless: Okay, “passionless” may be over-stating it a bit, but there’s not a whole lot of “oomph” in his delivery. Here’s why that’s a problem: His speech, at least in that clip, suffered from a “message disconnect.” Listen to his words. His message is important, even generation-defining. But his voice and body language? They’re flat, as if he’s introducing the next speaker at a charity luncheon. And that flat delivery undercuts the vitality of his words.
3. He Just Keeps Going: Sen. Rubio handled the missing page moment with a smile, but dug right back into his text as if nothing had happened. Since the audience all saw it, I would have preferred to see him ad lib something…anything…to demonstrate his grace under pressure. Something such as “Well, since this moment will end up on YouTube, it’s a great chance to tell people about our vision for the 21st Century.”
Please follow me on Twitter at @MrMediaTraining.
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It was little reported that Sarah Palin’s teleprompter sped wildly out of control during her 2008 stemwinder at the Republican National Convention, yet it was never apparent, even in repeated viewings, where or at what point that may have occurred. She was a natural.
James,
You’re exactly right. Game Change (the book and the movie) noted that fact, and it was incredibly impressive, as you suggested. I know few anchors who could have pulled that off with the grace and ease Gov. Palin did.
Thanks for writing,
Brad