Ever since I studied the sociology of sociology I’ve been fascinated by recursive activity. I’ve heard professional speakers speaking about speaking and read writers writing about writing.

The current edition of the New Yorker features a translation of Wislawa Szymborska’s compelling poem Reciprocity (subscription required). It is a wonderful play on the idea of recursive activity. Of worlds within worlds. Mirror shades.

I found this Italian translation which I have rendered into English for the benefit of anyone who does not have a New Yorker subscription.

There are catalogs of catalogs.
There are poems about poems.
There are plays about actors played by actors.
Letters in response to letters.
Words used to clarify words.
Brains occupied with studying brains.
There are griefs as infectious as laughter.
Paper emerging from waste papers.
Seen glances.
Conditions conditioned by the conditional.
Large rivers with abundant contributions from small ones.
Forests overgrown by forests.
Machines designed to make machines.
Dreams wake us suddenly from dreams.
Health needed for regaining health.
Stairs leading as much up as down.
Glasses for finding glasses.
Inspiration born of expiration.
And even if only from time to time
hatred of hatred.
All in all,
ignorance of ignorance.
and hands employed to wash hands.

The last two lines alone summoned, for me, images of manicurists who don’t know what they don’t know, but (working backwards through the stanza) with every breath they take, have an opportunity to speak tolerantly with occasional customers.

And, of course, the whole silicon chip industry and Moore’s Law has been driven by machines designed to make machines that have enabled tremendous advances in cognitive science by corporations where careers are downsized as often as they advance; where patents filled with footnotes are written on recycled paper; where the sum of knowledge is made up of a multitude of small contributions; where the Light of Consciousness itself can awaken us from this dream of our limited and limiting conditional existence. Klik-Klak, pattern patterning.

At least that’s what the poem seems to be saying, at first glance.

Rob Biesenbach is an independent corporate communications pro, actor, author and speaker. He is a former VP at Ogilvy PR Worldwide and press secretary to the Ohio Attorney General. His first book, Act Like You Mean Business: Essential Communication Lessons From Stage and Screen was published in 2011.

Today marks the publication of his new book, 11 Deadly Presentation Sins.

This handy guide is a great resource for, as the subtitle says “anyone who has to get up and talk in front of an audience.” There’s just 100 short pages (I’m guessing no more than 20,000 words) of distilled wisdom based on the author’s direct experience as an actor who has appeared in 150 stage, commercial and film productions and has written hundreds of executive speeches. Biesenbach walks the walk.

He acknowledges that the speechifying bar is set low:

…it won’t take much to dazzle people who are accustomed to the usual Bataan Death March that is the average business presentation today. By adopting just a few of the tips that I give you here, you’ll quickly stand out from the crowd of bad presenters.

The sins of the bad speaker are listed chronologically, from a failure to understand audience needs in the planning stages, to delivering a flat opening, a lack of focus, low-energy delivery, inadequate rehearsal time, through to a weak finish.

How to avoid deadly presentation sins

Each chapter provides the “sinner” with redeeming advice to save their soul the next time they worship the Church of PowerPoint, or kneel at the altar … I mean lectern. There’s great stuff on ways to avoid missing the mark by taking onboard his tips on speech structure, the use of quotes, how to be humorous, tell a story, and much more.

In addition to solid advice on content and structure, Biesenbach’s experience as an actor informs much of the book. He rightly claims there are strong parallels between performance and business presentations: make an emotional connection with the audience, express yourself creatively, share the stage, and be aware of what you do with your body.

He quotes many of the “good and great” in the world of professional speaking: Carmine Gallo, Patricia Fripp, and Nancy Duarte.

It’s from Duarte that he shares one of the most challenging of the suggestions: how to avoid The Sin of Inadequate Rehearsal. Time and again, busy executives will short-change themselves on rehearsal time. Understandable, but sad. Investing in preparation shows–not in a scripted, memorized, delivery, but in the spontaneity and comfort that comes from real planning and adequate rehearsal time.

Rehearsal time

How much time is adequate? Nancy Duarte states that she spent 30 hours rehearsing her 18 minute TED talk! It’s been seen by hundreds of thousands, and will delight new viewers long into the future. Carmine Gallo details the hours Steve Jobs put into each of his product intros. So, how much time do you spend doing email in a week? Sitting in meetings? Consider setting aside time to rehearse your next talk to the point you internalize it and the pay-off will be a better performance.

Seven Deadly Sins?

I do have a couple of quibbles with the book.

First, it’s mystifying why the chosen title is “11 Deadly Sins” since there are an additional eight bonus ones in the last chapter. So we actually get 19. However, it’s well known there are Seven deadly sins. Indeed, the numbers we all remember with ease are 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10 (for reasons that have to do with Freud, zip codes, phone numbers and, finally, phone numbers + area codes). Never 11 or 19. But, I digress.

He advises keeping notes on index cards, not floppy pieces of paper. I agree, and in my experience these should always be blue 5×7 index cards with text in 20-point font – proven to avoid glare in the lights, look good on video and easy to carry with you while onstage.

He concludes by saying that comparing yourself to a world-class TED talk is not fair. “Nobody who watches Tiger Woods on TV expects to get off the couch and join the PGA Tour.”

Perhaps so. It could be argued, however, that today’s audiences are schooled by TED talks to expect that level of performance. They now know what a good business presentation looks like. They have higher expectations than in the pre-YouTube era. Commit any of the sins the book lists and you’ll risk your audience turning to their smart phones for amusement, while you bomb.

In sum, however, this is an excellent book that is a quick read for anyone with an hour or so to spare. It will motivate you to take the necessary steps to avoid committing the deadly presentation sins that are on display every day in conference rooms worldwide. Recommended.

Breaking the mold of uptight, upright executive presentations, here’s a peek at former Dutch finance minister and chairman of ABN Amro, Gerrit Zalm, delivering a stunning impersonation of his alter-ego, brothel owner Priscilla.

The presentation was designed to motivate the Dutch bank’s 23,000 employees with a risque monolog that would not make it past first base with the HR gatekeepers at any American company. She started by telling employees that she was “blessed with a good front office” – pointing to her bosom – “and a top notch back office.”

Take a look:

The photo that accompanied the FT report on this stellar performance was firmly above the fold, as one would expect from a newspaper that reports breaking news “without fear or favour”.

NSA/NC Meeting Report: Saturday January 12, 2014

Last Saturday the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association hosted NSA National President Ron Karr, CSP, and the best and brightest of NSA/NC, including Chapter founder Patricia Fripp, and a brains-trust of experienced, successful speakers.

Ron Karr: Sales Leader

Ron talked about “How to Turn a Speech into a Six-Figure Relationship”. He shared how speakers can create a powerful value proposition and how the approach he uses routinely turns speaking engagements into mid to high six figure deals. Ron is the author of Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers.

His approach starts with understanding the mindset we have and the client’s frame of reference. Many NSA members think of themselves as a “speaker”, which positions them too narrowly. They can generate additional revenue as a consultant, coach and trusted adviser to clients. Many of us have mindsets that set boundaries. We position ourselves too small, commoditizing ourselves.

Man of Influence

Rather than “sales” Ron prefers to think in terms of “influence”.

In order to exert maximum influence, it’s not the words (elevator pitch or one-sheet script) that we use, it’s the context within which we use them. Our attempts to influence others often land on deaf ears. The way we use words is based on our unique biases and experiences and we need to continually clarify the point of view of the client to make sure we are on the same page.

This means creating a context to find out what is important to the person on the other side of the table. According to Ron, effective sales professionals spend 60% of their time making a good first impression and qualifying a prospect before they start demonstrating features and closing. It’s safe to assume most clients have already done a quick search online to compare product features and benefits, and are bored if we jump into this aspect when selling our programs.

The high-point of the presentation, for me, was when Ron worked with volunteers from the audience who shared their pitch to potential clients.

2014 Speakers Academy member Sandra Patino was impressed by the lessons of this “hot seat” exercise:

What I loved about Ron’s presentation was that, while he delivered great content, the way he ended it with those exercises was the real benefit. The thing I noticed about the woman volunteer he brought up on stage is that she started selling right away. She went into the details of her program. Yet this is a woman who has a great cause: teaching parents to connect with the children on a deeper level so they can open up. Ron encouraged her to converse about the beautiful purpose that drives her business, rather than doing what everybody else is doing—simply going into what it’s about and when and where and why. He showed all of us how to connect—why it’s about connecting at the heart. He showed that we have to genuinely care about the other person. Don’t just see that person as a dollar sign. We’re not dollar signs. And he proved it.

Ron listed questions that speakers (or consultants) can use to increase their value to an organization:

1. What are the goals of your organization?
2. What are the three biggest challenges facing your organization?
3. What’s at risk if these challenges are not properly addressed?
4. If my program is considered a success by you, what would that success look like? (This is a question Alan Weiss asks.)
5. What do you want to see from your people as a result of my program?
6. What do you want to see as a result of my program?
7. What is your biggest fear once the meeting is over?
8. What worked for you in the past and what hasn’t?

Each of these questions can take your relationship with the client to a whole new level. The answer to #7, for example, allows you to offer consulting services to expose the audience to the solutions you spoke about, so they can keep the conversation going after the event is over.

Susan RoAne: The Mingling Maven

Despite a bad case of laryngitis, Susan spent 20 minutes suggesting ways we can all benefit from the break and lunch-time to network with each other. She touched on suggestions that are listed in her perennial best-seller How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections–In Person and Online.
These included:

• RSVP to invitations: Say “Yes” and GO!
• Arrive 15 minutes early
• Plan a 7-9 second self-introduction
• The best icebreaker: Hi! or Hello! and a smile.
• Approach anyone standing alone.
• Act like a host: greet and welcome others.
• Introduce people with enthusiasm.
• Start with small talk.
• Be in the moment. No glancing over shoulders.
• Listen actively with your face – pay attention.
• Follow up. Do what you said you’d do when you said you’d do it!

Presidents Panel: Secrets of Successful Speakers

Following lunch, a panel discussion with (RK) Ron Karr, CSP; (PF) Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE; (MSL) Michael Soon Lee, CSP, and (CH) Craig Harrison examined the ways each has built a successful speaking business and how their experiences translate into success.

Among the many tips they shared:

What was the one thing you wished you’d adopted earlier in your career?

• Start collecting your list of contact names as early as possible. (PF)
• Stop chasing speaking gigs and start building a speaking business. (MSL)
• Avoid trying to do too many things yourself, outsource website design etc. (CH)
• Consider your hourly rate. Would you cut a check for this amount to someone to collect your mail, stuff envelopes, etc? Of course not! Hire someone else to do the routine chores since your time is worth far more. (RK)

What is the best use of your time?

• Read as much as you can to ignite creativity. (RK)
• Join the NSA and volunteer in your chapter to accelerate your career. (CH)
• Research your client’s needs. Arrive early at the events you are speaking at and ask what their biggest challenge is. (MSL)
• Look for people to model yourself on and learn best practices. Try being a mystery shopper in your clients industry. Include what you have learned in your presentation. (PF)
• Call up two weeks after an event and ask for a meeting to “review my findings and recommendations, to give you an idea on how you can move forward to overcome the challenges I heard at the event.” Every gig becomes to stepping stone to the next event. Don’t look at a speaking engagement as a one off.” (RK)

The day ended with two presentations on practical ways to make money and stay productive.

Michael Soon Lee: Creating product out of your IP right now

Michael gave a rapid-fire 30 minute verison of the presentation he has delivered to each Academy (Pro-Track) class. In the past, he’s called this How Professional Speakers Make Big Bucks While They Are Sleeping.

Lisa Montanaro: the productive entrepreneur

Wrapping things up, Lisa took us through elements of her system to become more productive. She addressed the challenges of time, paper, email and information management. Her “DECIDE to be Productive” system suggests we

• Discover what you have and want in your business/work and life.
• Eliminate what is unnecessary and does not further your goals.
• Categorize what remains.
• Implement a system designed to match your needs, habits, work and lifestyle.
• Dedicate yourself to maintaining your effective new system and integrating it into your work and life.
• Enjoy the freedom and positive benefits that being productive brings.

If you are interested in staying current with meetings organized by the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association, be sure to join our new Meetup Group. Next up: “Corporate Dominatrix Training: How to Use Sex and Power to Your Advantage”– really!

In response to an interview with Silicon Valley VC Peter Thiel in the Weekend FT on Dec 20, 2013 my letter defending hippie values was published a week later:

Of the many sweeping statements made by libertarian billionaire Peter Thiel during his “Lunch with the FT” interview (“People are not trying hard enough”, Life & Arts, December 21), none seems as wide of the mark as his claim that “when the hippies won … the idea of progress came to an end”. As someone who lives and invests in Silicon Valley, Mr Thiel should be familiar with the well-documented connection between 1960s radicals and innovations around open systems computing and the origins of the personal computer.

Open systems grew out of the variation of the Unix operating system developed at the University of California at Berkeley – hotbed of the 1960s counter-culture in the US. Open systems innovation led to a revolution every bit as real as the one hoped for by those manning the barricades on Telegraph Avenue.

Homebrew Computer Club founder Fred Moore was an anti-war activist. Club members Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs engaged in “hippie pastimes” such as phone phreaking, experimenting with LSD, and seeking spiritual enlightenment in India. They then went on to found Apple Computers, hardly a sign that progress had come to an end.

Now, a long article in the Jan 13 edition of the New Yorker by Evgeny Morozov, details various elements of the rebellion against establishment ownership of the means of production–from the Arts & Crafts movement of the early 20th Century through the Whole Earth Catalog of the 1960s to the hackers of the 70’s and the Maker Movement today.

Whole Earth Catalog founder and computer revolutionary Stewart Brand contrasts the nature of the rebellion on different sides of the San Francisco Bay:

Around Berkeley, it was Free Speech Movement, “power to the people.” Around Stanford, it was “Whole Earth Catalog,” Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, people like that, and they were just power to people. They just wanted to power anybody who was interested, not “the people.” Well, it turns out there is no, probably, “the people.” So the political blind alley that Berkeley went down was interesting, we were all taking the same drugs, the same length of hair, but the stuff came out of the Stanford area, I think because it took a Buckminster Fuller access-to-tools angle on things.

Morozov writes that, in addition to Fred Moore, another leader of the Homebrew Computer Club was Lee Felsenstein. A veteran of the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley, he wanted to build a communication infrastructure that would allow citizens to swap information in a decentralized manner, bypassing the mistrusted traditional media. He founded the Club to help counter the power of IBM, then the dominant manufacturer of large and expensive computers, and make computers smaller, cheaper, and more useful in political struggles.

Morozov’s notes the irony that today “we carry personal computers in our pockets—nothing could be more decentralized than this!—but have surrendered control of our data, which is stored on centralized servers, far away from our pockets.”

While he criticizes the lack of a willingness of these movements to address institutional and political change, the overwhelming impact of the innovations that the counter-culture unleashed is undeniable.

Jeff Hurt is the Executive Vice President, Education and Engagement, at Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. In 2012, he was recognized as the PCMA 2011 Educator of the Year. Jeff has worked in leadership roles with five associations, five government organizations and several companies in the education, events and meetings departments, including Meetings Professionals International and Promotional Products Association International, one of the top 50 shows in the industry.

This article was first published in his Midcourse Corrections blog and appears here with his express permission.

Just Because You Speak Does Not Mean Your Audience Learns: Eight Presenter Principles To Master

By Jeff Hurt

Most speakers are really good at talking!

But talking to your audience does not mean that your audience is learning.

Our Brains Have Limits

As speakers, we have assumed that talking to an audience results in their learning. We think that their minds are like sponges absorbing what we are saying.

But just hearing information does not equal learning it. You know that from talking to your kids and spouse. Just because you spoke it doesn’t mean they heard it or did it. Plus, if just listening leads to learning, we would play recordings while we slept and say we learned it.

Our brains have a limit to the amount of information it can hold in short term memory. We can hold about three to seven pieces of information for 30 seconds. We have to repeat it or give attention to it to move it to working memory. (Dr. Terry Doyle, 2011; Dr. John Medina, 2008; Dr. James E. Zull, 2002)

So the more a speaker talks, the less the listener actually retains. If you want your audience to learn your info, you have to speak less and get the audience to think and talk more about your content.

Your Speech Or Their Learning?

So, as a presenter, which is more important: your speech or your audience’s learning?

If you said your speech, then you don’t need an audience! You can talk to yourself in an empty room.

If you said the audience’s learning, then you really care about their ROI. You know you need to design your presentation so that the audience has time to think about what you’re saying, digest it, reflect on it and consider applying it. That can’t happen while they are listening to you.

It’s time for all speakers to shift the focus from their talk to the audience’s learning!

Eight Adult Learning Principles

Here are eight adult learning principles grounded in neuroscience and andragogy, the study of how adults learn, that can help guide your presentation.

1. Principle of Active Learning

Active participation through discussion, feedback and activities creates more learning than passive listening or reading. As a presenter, focus on critical content needed to succeed and allow the participants to discuss that content with each other.

2. Principle of Problem-Centric

Adults come to your presentation expecting to get their problems solved. They are not there just to get more information. If your presentation does not help them solve their pressing issues, it will be forgotten. Adults are problem-centric, not content-centric.

3. Principle of Previous Experience

New information has to be linked to previous knowledge and experience or it will not be remembered. Allow participants time to discuss with each other how the new information connects with what they already know.

4. Principle of Relevance

If the information being presented is not relevant to the listener’s life and work, it will not get their attention. As a speaker, your content must have meaning and immediate relevance. Explain why your presentation is important and how it relates to their work.

5. Principle of Emotional Connection

Presentations that connect with a learner’s emotions are more likely to be remembered, recalled and learned. Fear is not a good motivating factor for learning as it causes the brain to react in a fight or flight syndrome. Share stories that emotionally connect.

6. Principle of Self Learning

Adult learners have some strong beliefs about how they learn. These beliefs, whether accurate or not, can interfere or enhance their learning. As a speaker, always explain why the audience should participate in specific activity and how the process and content benefits their learning.

7. Principle of Alignment

Adults expect that a presenter’s content, learning outcomes and activities are aligned together. If the learning outcomes do not match the content, the learner feels disconnected and learning is hampered.

8. Principle of Fun

Learning should be fun! As a presenter, if you are not having fun presenting your information and facilitating learning, then you should stop. By all means, make learning fun, enjoyable and filled with laughter!

Which of these principles resonate with your personal experiences? What additional principles would you add to the list?

Neuroscientists and Education Researcher Sources: Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark, Dr. Terry Doyle, Erica J. Keeps, Dr. D. A. Kolb, Dr. John Medina, Dr. David Rock, Dr. Harold Stolovitch and Dr. James E. Zull.

The Weekend WSJ listed The Best Financial Advice I Ever Got from a couple of dozen well-known financial experts, and Scott Adams, the creator Dilbert.

Adams’ advice is of specific interest to members of the National Speakers Association and other professional speakers:

The best financial advice I ever got was “Price yourself high and see what happens.” Humans aren’t good at knowing their market value. When I started doing paid speaking engagements I had no idea how to price myself. A mentor told me to quote an absurdly high price. The client accepted it without hesitation and offered to pay my travel expenses as well. I no longer underprice myself.

What does Adams mean by “absurdly high”? How about the $30-50k range? And he accepts speaking engagements in the Western US only.

There are professional speakers who make a good living earning five- ten- or even twenty-five thousand dollars per speech. Then there are speakers who are paid hundreds of thousands for one speech and earn tens of millions of dollars annually. The former include members of the National Speakers Association. The latter are often retired political leaders.

Palash Ghosh reports in the International Business Times that ex-politicians earn huge money from making speeches.

Gosh writes that

ex-President Bill Clinton has received as much as $750,000 for one speech (before an audience of executives and employees of telecom firm Ericsson in Hong Kong) and has raked in at least $89 million (and perhaps more than $100 million) from similar appearances around the world since he left the White House 12 years ago.

He’s not alone.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani revealed that he had earned $9.2 million over the past 13 months in speaking fees alone, or about $700,000 per month. Former Vice President Al Gore has also maintained an extremely busy and profitable “retirement” from politics. Former President George W. Bush is no slouch either. Generating as much as $110,000 per talk, Bush has reeled in at least $15 million from making speeches since he left office.

Value for money?

The question is, why would any meeting or conference organizer pay such huge amounts of money for what is typically a canned speech? Organizations are willing to pay the speaking fees of leading politicians because of the prestige they bring. At the end of the day, the income these politicos can command is typically proportional to how much power and influence they once wielded.

The lesson for emerging speakers? Get elected leader of the free world and it’s a piece of cake from there on.

Here’s an interesting series of comments and informative views that were posted recently to the National Speakers Association (NSA) Facebook Page when a speaker asked “Do you think stories are overrated in presentations and audiences are starting to see through them as manipulation tactics…?” The responses clearly show why professional speakers use stories in their speeches. The comments are filled with useful tips and tricks on the most effective ways to use stories in a speech. The names of the contributors have been removed.

1. I would say a story is to help connect with the audience…to help them relate to the message…but it would depend on the message and how the story is presented.
2. It’s like the whole salt metaphor. Any element of a speech if used too much can ultimately spoil a dish, but when used right it actually brings out the best favors of the other elements. I know that’s an overused metaphor, but I think we sometimes focus too much on one element of speaking. Stories… PowerPoint… Hand gestures…. Humor… Music… Etc rather than thinking about how all the ingredients play together and for what purpose.
3. Stories are the cornerstone to creating a memorable message long after the presentation is over. Presentation is key – if your audience can “feel” your story, you have succeeded.
4. I think that a speaker who does not use stories will more than likely lose the interest of their audience. Stories done properly are powerful tools. Just look at how much of the Bible is based on stories being told and it is still selling well.
5. Two things are key: Relevance: Is the story relevant to the present time, historically. Make modifications to make it relevant. Relationship: What is the speaker’s relationship to the story. If there is no meaningful reason to choose to tell a certain story, don’t tell it.
6. To me the key is authenticity! If it is yours, and it is true and it makes a point integral to the learning experience of the audience then stories can be powerful! Tell someone else’s story as if it is your own … you are asking for trouble!
7. Stories are the fingerprint to your platform. I can think of no other single element that differentiates you from others. For me, the ability to connect and be authentic is directly attributable to my ability to be conversational through sharing my story. Without stories, I think we run the risk of being viewed as a talking head – full of facts, figures and other researched data. Stories personalize the message. I have always been of the mind that the audience wants conversation. Stories are what most conversations are all about. I don’t believe they are overrated at all. I suppose if they were, TED talks would not be so popular. I do, however, believe the audience can tell the difference between a well-delivered story by a trained professional – versus a poorly delivered story trying to be disguised as something relevant.
8. One it the founders of NSA often told me it is easier to change audiences than to change speeches. He was one of the best platform speakers I have ever known and he had but one speech. It was all original material and he did it so well the people would come to hear him time and again just because of his manner and the info given. My suggestion is that when you create something, just do two things. First put the time into being as professional as possible and then don’t get tired of your material because you have heard it before. Remember, we are there not to please ourselves, although if we do it right we will, but rather to add value to the lives of those we touch. Second, remember that to a new audience the information you are sharing is the first time they have heard it from you and no matter the number times you have given it, don’t let them down by failing to deliver it with the excitement you gave the first audience that heard it.
9. The audience connects more with stories than with facts and figures. Tying the two together to create an actionable takeaway makes the tales worthwhile.
10. People love stories… if you’re a good story teller. If you’re not a good story teller, then it seems like you went off on a tangent and just talking about yourself. When speakers are also great story tellers it enhances the speech. However, there is a type of story that is overdone and that is the “personal struggle to triumph” story. Seems like every speaker wants to start off with this “I was in a horrible situation and got out of it and need to speak now to tell you all about it” approach. Most of these situations aren’t relevant to the audience, and might even seem that bad (i.e. “I was living in a studio apartment…” Yeah, we all did at one point … but I’m here to learn XYZ). Whenever I tell a story or make an analogy I try to tie it in as closly as possible to the point I’m making so people stay with me and it makes sense.

photo credit: digitalrob70 via photopin cc

Nice to see that one of my favorite authorities on public speaking has a new bi-monthly column in the Financial Times.

Sam Leith, the author of the critically acclaimed You Talkin’ to Me? launched his Public Speaking column in today’s FT by discussing the importance establishing the trustworthiness of a presenter. This is known as ‘ethos’.

His comments on the “he said/she said” testimony by the editor of The Guardian (pictured) in front of British MPs last week illustrates how trust and respect is uppermost in an audience’s mind when there is an “absence of a decisive open appeal to the facts”. Since the topic was the leaking of classified information by international fugitive Edward Snowden and the freedom of the press to publish this, it pits the word of editor on one side and that of the spymasters on the other:

The territory under contention is trust: should we trust a respectable newspaper against a rogue security establishment, or a respectable security establishment against a rogue newspaper?

Trust me

The art of persuasion involves being seen as trustworthy by an audience. Lose that, and they won’t buy a used car, or your argument, from you.

It’s interesting to consider how the concept of trustworthiness functions in different times and places. In the 1960’s young people were encouraged to “never trust anyone over 30”, until they themselves reached that age. The poor and disenfranchised often distrust the words of the rich and powerful. Different races and ethnic groups distrust others. A man’s word is his bond, until it isn’t. Popular figures one year command standing ovations when they speak, only to be scapegoated off the stage and out of sight the next. Modern corporations, and the North Korean political establishment, are petri dishes for this eternal game of hero worship transforming into a blame game.

I’m looking forward to more insight into the nuances of rhetoric from Mr. Leith in future columns.