The Patriot's Flag

Today I am flying the South Carolina Flag.  This is one of the first patriot flags on record. I fly this flag when politics are “relatively quiet.”  I had to chuckle when the left “caught” Sarah Palin with notes written on her palm. What was amazing was how the media and (left) internet picked up on it as some sort of “cheating” with “crib notes” as defined by MSNBC.

The Joke's on Them!

Oh Pleeeeze! After reading her book and seeing how the attacks on Sarah Palin are manufactured from the basic whole cloth of life, one becomes very suspicious of any attack on this woman.  Support her or not, the attacks are becoming more and more juvenile as this most recent “HandGate” demonstrates. This is probably the best example of why we need to Laugh Out Loud (LOL) at these so-called attackers.

The “Controversy”: For those totally out of the loop, a picture of Sarah Palin showed up on the Internet with a view of her left palm that had some writing on it.  The left blogosphere went crazy with how could we ever again attack the President for speaking to a sixth grade group using a double-mirrored TelePrompTer now that Sarah is “doing it too.”  Most times when I see an attack like this I get a little angry … but on this one I simply burst into laughter. This is, by far, the DUMBEST attack I’ve ever seen on this woman. And Andrea Mitchell is right at the top of the “stupid” list for this one.

Palm Notes are nothing new. I had to give speeches in my former employs, at conventions (a couple with even more people than were at Nashville).  So I know the feeling you have when you walk out on the stage and the light hits you. And you know you are putting everything you are at risk.  So how do you overcome the fear?  You PLAN DAMNED WELL!  You start with THREE SALIENT POINTS that you want the people to “walk-away” with when you are finished. You may speak for 45 minutes about many details of a subject, but THREE SALIENT POINTS must linger in the minds of your audience.

Plan around the points: You then plan your presentation around the three points, making sure they are reiterated often (tell ‘em, tell ‘em again, then tell em’ again!).  Then you practice, practice, practice.  I used PowerPoint most of the time and after the practice, I knew every word on every slide and what was coming up on the next one.  I only would “glance” at the screen to make sure the slide I was discussing was there … then turn back to the audience and tell them what was on it … most of the times, verbatim. But a “key” to making sure you hit the THREE SALIENT POINTS was to employ the Palm Notes.

Oh me! $elling it!

Last Minute “Burn in” Just before you go out onto the stage, you write the THREE SALIENT POINTS onto your palm.  If you can’t remember them at that point, then you should just fold your tent and go home before the presentation. So you write them down, securing all three in your mind ONCE AGAIN.  This is not so you can “remember” them … this is so you “won’t forget them!”   Then as you are giving your presentation, you occasionally glance at your “palm notes” so you can emphasize one of the points. Of ten this “moment” happens when you are getting an applause or a laugh.  And more often than not, you could restate on of the points to underline a statement you made.  I saw a CEO that used a similar technique (we were on a panel together).  Just before we were introduced, he was writing on a little slip of paper, then stuck it into his shirt pocket.  I asked him about it and he said, it helps me remember the “key things” I need to cover.  Even though he never took the little paper from his pocket, the action of writing them down again just before the presentation worked for him.

Your audience deserves your BEST. When you are giving a presentation, whether it is a simple sales call (and there is no such thing!) or a major paid-for presentation, your audience, be it one person or thousands, deserves the best you can give them. They are giving you their precious time, entrusting you to fill it with knowledge they WANT to hear or they would not be before you. If your commitment is to your audience, and not a commitment of self-aggrandizement, then all your thoughts are on “what is good for my audience,” not on “what is good for me.”  If you can pull this off, you will have no fear because you are giving people something they want and obviously need.  But you need to use every trick in the book to make sure it happens.  Palm Notes are “my way” … Pocket Notes, like my friend used, may be your method.  Don’t mock it, try it!

Hi Mom!

Care about your audience! But to make fun of Palm Notes is making fun of someone who CARED ENOUGH to make the Palm Notes … not for herself, but for her audience … look at the contents:

Energy

Cut Taxes

Lift America’s Spirits

I’d like to see President Obama make a 45 minute speech with 3 little notes like that!   But for me, the ultimate laugh came the next day when Sarah Palin gave a speech at Rick Perry’s rally. And once again, there was the Palm Note. Only this time to “stick it to the media” …

and…

…her note said…

“Hi Mom!”

And this from the Cypress Times describing the media frenzy:

The Cypress Times: This [HandGate incident] reached high levels of absurdity very quickly, with slow motion replays and all. Frankly, it was simply delicious. It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the left is done. They literally have nothing left. They have been defeated soundly by this housewife and mother from Wasilla, Alaska!

1. Check the COMMENTS for some interesting information
2. Conservatives4Palin: More “fun” here with the Palm Notes

Doug S.C. Flag - Relatively Calm