Tag Archives: public speaking tips and tricks

Elon Musk Isn’t Polished, But He’s Funny

I have been aware of Elon Musk for the past couple of years. I see Teslas around town and I must admit, I want one. (A car aficionado friend told me the only person who doesn’t want a Tesla hasn’t driven a Tesla. I have not driven a Tesla, but I would like to.) I think they’re beautiful.

Anyway, back to Elon. I decided to watch some YouTube videos of him speaking and he’s far from polished. He seems not to know what he’s going to say next, he stumbles a lot, uses a lot of non-words and fillers. In short, he seems unprepared. So how does he get away with it? A number of things, but mostly he is funny.

The kind of humor he likes to use is self-directed, also known as self-effacing humor. When he’s poking fun at himself, he’s likable. he connects, you feel like he’s just like you. So not only does the guy make a beautiful, aspirational, market-changing vehicle, he seems not take himself too seriously. And that makes his generally weak delivery easier to bear — even somewhat enjoyable.

There are other things he does, too… he’s confident, calm, answers questions respectfully, and he is mostly polite.

So what does this mean for you — and me, by the way? Can you rely on your well-developed sense of humor to get you through a speech? No. You see you’re no Elon Musk. Neither am I. We haven’t created an object of great desire. We haven’t done all the hard work of getting these disruptive products to market. We don’t own a company called SpaceX. He’s a superstar. And when you’re already a superstar, you can get away with being a not-so-great speaker.

The rest of us… we have to be funny AND do the other work. But maybe if we do, we can buy a Tesla.

“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.