Tag Archives: Presentation skills

Home Depot’s Sexy Voice

Have you heard the Home Depot’s TV commercials? The campaign is entitled, “Let’s Do This.” I hadn’t been aware of it until a couple of months ago because I guess they weren’t playing much in my local market.

Anyway, these ads immediately caught my attention. And the reason why is the voice-over. Turns out it’s Josh Lucas, the actor. Lucas isn’t a particularly big star, but he’s definitely a name. If you haven’t heard them, go online and see for yourself. You may or may not recognize his voice, but you will find it very appealing and charismatic.

Now, I come from the professional voice industry… used to do jingles and voice-overs myself… so I have an interest and ability to grasp the impact when I hear something good. And Lucas’ voice is really, really good. He makes the Home Depot sexy. Think about that for a minute – a sexy home improvement store.

(Here is a funny thing… the client clearly decided not to spend money on the radio version of this same campaign, so they found a voice-over artist whose voice is similar but not close enough and the difference is stark.)

This is the beauty of a great narration done by a great speaking voice with just the right pitch, inflection, and tone. Lucas’s tone is commanding, yet fun. Of course, the cool, original music underscore, a rock/blues vibe moves things along. The copywriting is also very good.

But it’s really all about the sound execution – first the voice, then the music that makes me want to run to Home Depot and buy something.

Imagine if your voice compelled people to buy something.

“Nothing’s Ever Off The Record.”

This statement is always included when I’m media training a celebrity or public figure and goes into the comprehensive written summary, as well.

It used to be a celebrity could depend on a reporter when they agreed something would remain off the record. And any well-trained reporter will be respectful of this time-honored arrangement. It’s the others just looking for a scoop and, more and more, the “citizen journalists” with no training or ethical boundaries. And sad to say, they’re everywhere looking for their own 15 minutes of fame.

But it’s not just celebs who have to be careful… we all do. When you’re in public, you’re a target and that goes for all public appearances including social media. As we have seen time and again, the media can either expedite a person’s public ascension, or quickly and devastatingly take him or her down. All of this is controlled through proper training and management. We all must become adept at navigating appearances and media interactions in order to benefit from the upside, while avoiding the “media slide” that is, unfortunately, so common today, where we all are judged and punished by a single misstep. Don’t risk your personal brand.

Quick to fall. Hard to get back up. Brutal. Doesn’t have to happen.

No Shortcuts To Mastery

Oh, man, can I tell you how sick I am of hacks talking about hacks? (That’s the unknowledgeable talking about quick fixes.) We’re living in a time of instant gratification. Fine. I like it, too… When it comes to downloading entertainment (and paying for it – stop sharing/stealing artists’ work, people, or they’ll stop producing it), books, staying current, sharing things I own, communicating, etc.

Here is a perfect example: A prospect will ask me to come in to do a one-day workshop. I respond that I don’t do one-days because they don’t work. Another example: Someone tells me they have a speech next week and they need it to be great. Can I help? I can, but it won’t be great. You cannot deliver a great presentation with only a week from start to finish. Sorry.

Here are the things you’ll never hear from me: “It’s easy. It’s quick. It’s painless.”

Here is what you will always hear: “It’s fun. It’s fascinating. When you’ve reached your goal, you’ll feel exhilarated.”

Truth.