Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, was called “Silent Cal” because he was a true “man of few words.”
His predecessor in the White House, Warren Harding, was an expansive orator, who described his own style of speaking as “bloviating,” by which he meant “speaking a lot and saying nothing.”
Coolidge was a refreshing contrast. Once, after the president had attended church, a reporter had this conversation with Coolidge.
“What was the sermon about, Mr. President?”
“Sin,” answered Coolidge.
“What did he say about it?”
“He was against it.”
There’s another story about Coolidge’s brevity.
A woman in a receiving line at the White House once gushed to him, “Mr. President, I bet my husband that I could get you to say more than two words.”
“You lose,” was Coolidge’s reply.
While this is not an entertaining way of speaking, and actually conceals a contempt for the power of speech to enchant an audience, it is concise, matter of fact, and reveals a bone dry sense of humor.
Most of us talk too much. I know I do. I just got feedback from one of my clients, letting me know in no uncertain terms that they wanted to do more of the talking at any seminars I might have the privilege of running for them in the future.
My goal is to say what I want as efficiently as possible so that people actually are pleased when I open my mouth to talk.
Talk is cheap. There’s an over-supply and little demand.
Silent Cal was onto something.
Sims Wyeth & Co. provides public speaking courses, executive speech coaching, presentation skills training, voice and speech training, speech writing, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.