Lincoln’s Wit/Wisdom 189

'Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. It scorns to tread in the footsteps of any predecessor however illustrious. It thirsts and burns for distinction.'

- Abraham Lincoln

JUST BEFORE THE BIG SPEECH: 5 of 5 SURE-FIRE POINTERS

 If, say, your go-on time is an hour into the program, sit in the back of the room so you can get up and walk around without disturbing anyone. If possible, imitate Robin Williams [jumping jacks back stage before going onstage] and Mick Jagger [tread mill back stage before going onstage].

Lincoln’s Wit/Wisdom 188

'And having thus chosen our course without guile and with pure purpose let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts. '

- Abraham Lincoln

JUST BEFORE THE BIG SPEECH: 4 of 5 SURE-FIRE POINTERS

Just before you go on be aware that the nerves are there, even for the most experienced presenters. So find a private spot and shake out the nerves, literally. Reach up as far as possible and tickle the ceiling; roll your head from side to side; shake your legs one at a time. Let the tension flow out. There’s a straight line between “relax before you talk” and “dynamic while you talk,” isn’t there? 

Lincoln’s Wit/Wisdom 187

Up until Lincoln’s nomination in 1860 the heir apparent to the Republican Presidential nomination was New York’s Senator William Seward. Lincoln appointed him Secretary of State, but Seward took a while to figure out who was really in charge; initially he took the attitude that he was prime minister with Lincoln as a kind of figurehead president. In those first few weeks he even conducted secret negotiations with Confederate emissaries without his boss even knowing. He also submitted to Lincoln a most curious document blandly entitled ‘Some Thoughts for the President’s Consideration,’ a document based on the assumption that the administration had no stated policy or strategy for coping with the looming constitutional crisis that came to be the Civil War. Lincoln, who remarked to his private secretary, ‘I can’t let Seward take the first trick,’ held a private meeting with Seward at which he politely but firmly rejected his advice [for example, Seward had suggested that a war with England would unite the country, North and South; Lincoln countered, ‘one war at a time’]. Lincoln pointed out that his policy was to hold Forts Pickins and Sumter as stated in the Inaugural Address, a document Seward himself had read in advance, edited and approved. Finally, if there were to be any change or modification in the administration’s policy, the president had said, ‘I must do it.’ When all the dust was settled Seward wrote his wife, ‘Executive force and vigor are rare qualities. The President is the best of us.’ Curiously, Lincoln’s putting Seward in his place was the basis for this initial sense of respect – which in turn was the basis for a friendship that was to last until the day Lincoln died.

JUST BEFORE THE BIG SPEECH: 3 of 5 SURE-FIRE POINTERS

Just before your presentation, if you haven’t already, meet and shake hands with your audience members. Ask outright, "What are the issues you grapple with that you want this talk to address?" Presumably you’ve already asked that question of the meeting planner in your Pre-event Questionnaire, but do it again with the rank and file. Then delve into their answer. Doing this with as many people as possible is irresistibly effective - the way we humans are wired, they're going to pay attention to you for the simple reason that you started the relationship by first paying attention to them. It’s like people smiling back at you after you first smile at them. Works every time - get it?! If nothing else, it’s a way of countering the fear of the audience because you’ve met some of them already. Conclusion: they probably don’t bite!