Award shows are filled with presentation lessons thanks to the quantity of presenters and variety of styles. The 2010 Tony Awards were no exception. They provided equal measure of emotional exuberance, stilted thank-yous and 'what was he thinking' ramblings.
THE PRESENTERS
The award presenters had limited ability to be creative or engaging as their job was to read the words on the teleprompter accurately and in as little time as possible. However, even within those parameters, certain presenters excelled.
Bebe Neuwirth and Nathan Lane clearly had chemistry [granted, they're working together in The Addams Family] and humorously sparred back and forth to the delight of the audience, while still accomplishing the task at hand [reading the award nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical]. Contrast that interaction with Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Holmes who were robotic, appeared nervous and looked like they were both in need of a magic wand to whisk them somewhere far away.
Lessons for the Business Presenter
When introducing someone or presenting an award:
- let your personality shine through
- make eye contact with the audience
- even if you're reading from a script or teleprompter, put expression in your voice -- sound like they're your words, not someone else's
- smile
- if there are two of you doing the introduction or presentation, acknowledge and interact with the other person
THE RECIPIENTS
The award recipients had much more ability to be creative and engaging in their acceptance remarks. Fortunately, they were not scripted; unfortunately, some of them were not prepared. The acceptance speeches that stood out were the ones that told a story and showed some emotion...not the ones that were a boring recitation of a long list of names being thanked.
Winning the Tony for his role in Fences, Denzel Washington, a brilliant actor, was the poster child for how to come across as unprepared, inarticulate and just plain unimpressive. Maybe not so surprisingly, I couldn't find a YouTube video of his acceptance non-speech to show you. He claimed he hadn't expected to win [hello, everyone who is nominated has the possibility of winning] and stumbled through some disjointed remarks and poor attempts at humor.
As a dramatic contrast, Katie Finneran, winning for her role in Promises, Promises, was poised yet filled with emotion, personal, poignant and funny. She was even inspirational as she encouraged young people to follow their passion, assuring them that if they did, the right people and opportunities would appear. [Her remarks start at about 1:00 of the video]
Closing off the evening, Catherine Zeta-Jones, winner of the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical [A Little Night Music], gave a brilliant acceptance speech -- funny, quirky, gracious and infused with an authentic exuberance. She was equal parts humble, outrageous and charming. Certainly bending the rules of "traditional", Zeta-Jones' remarks were refreshingly entertaining and engaging for the audience, both in Radio City Music Hall and at home.
Lessons for the Business Presenter
When accepting an award or some sort of recognition:
- let your personality shine through
- smile
- make eye contact
- dare to do something different
- as you prepare your remarks, think about the audience and what they would enjoy hearing -- more likely a story or anecdote about your path to your achievement than a list of thank yous
- don't come unprepared, assuming you'll think of something brilliant to say in the moment
Most of us probably won't be asked to give or accept a Tony award anytime soon...but no matter what award stage we stand on, these lessons from the Tonys will prepare us well.
Photo Credit: www.flickr.com Eda Cherry CC 2.0
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