When does a polished speaker become slick?
I ask this question because I occasionally see so-called “professional speakers” behaving in peculiar ways. They have developed a presentation “style” that doesn’t seem natural, that smacks of late night infomercials and snake oil charlatans.
What they do would get them fired in most corporations, not because of what they say, but because of what their style says about them.
First, let’s define the terms. Polished means at ease, organized, and skilled at structuring and delivering a talk.
Slick means gimmicky, schticky, schmaltzy, overdone, histrionic, overly theatrical, manipulative, and insincere.
A polished speaker does not let his desire to impress overwhelm his obligation to provide something of value to the audience.
A slick speaker has a routine that he uses to dazzle his audience, and seems more interested in wowing than connecting.
I’m not saying that style is unimportant. But the style of a speaker should suit the topic and the occasion. A style that draws attention to itself, or is out of sync with the content, undermines the credibility of the speaker and creates a gap between speaker and audience.
Most of us live at a safe distance from the polished to slick border line. But as we get more skilled and confident, let us beware of the danger.
Audiences crave intimacy with a speaker. Slickness turns them off.