“PUNCTUATE YOUR SPEECH” with Julia Douglas
/What can we learn from Ron Burgundy about public speaking? Whether you’ve seen the movie Anchorman or not, it is worth watching this 18 second clip of Ron Burgundy (played by Will Ferrell) wrapping up the Channel 4 News to find out!
Ron demonstrates a phenomenon referred to as Upspeak, the improper placement of question marks when speaking. As a one-off moment, or even occasionally, this isn’t a big deal. However, when it becomes a pattern, or habit, it becomes a problem. To be fair, Upspeak is one of the more common missteps speakers make. That said, it comes with some pretty hefty, and potentially career-limiting, consequences!
Consider, for example, what repetitive Upspeak from one of your team members might sound like. Reading the paragraph below as it is punctuated, will give you a sense of for it.
“So I ran that report you requested? Comparing test scores and GPAs across multiple graduating classes? It looks like scores and GPAs are lower now than they were? Before the pandemic.”
While a slightly extreme example, I wonder if it might remind you of someone you know.
WHAT’S THE IMPACT OF UPSPEAK?
So, why do we care about eliminating Upspeak?
As we see with Ron, his delivery conveys a lack of confidence to his audience. Additionally, Upspeak diminishes our power, our appearance of credibility and assertiveness, and our ability to connect effectively with any size of audience (1 to 1000+.) That means it can dramatically impact the impression we are making on people.
More specifically, when we speak a statement as a question or break a sentence into “question fragments” - like sentence fragments but punctuated with question marks - it comes across as though we’re constantly asking for buy-in, or checking for understanding as we go. Actually, it can feel like we’re stopping just short of uttering the word “right?” (or “eh?” for the Canadians out there).
“So I ran that report you requested, right? Comparing test scores to GPAs, right?”
Suffice it to say, Upspeak highlights precisely why Punctuation Matters… even when we speak.
TIPS FOR ELIMINATING UPSPEAK
Consider making an audio tape of your presentation or speech. As you listen back, pay close attention to areas where your vocal tone rises. Does it sound like you’re asking a question instead of making a statement? In those moments, do you come across as confident and as assertive as you’d like to? Now practice delivering those line again, focusing on bringing your voice down instead.
If you’re having trouble self-correcting, try delivering the speech and actually say the desired ending punctuation out loud. “So I ran that report you requested on our customers spending habits period.” This hyperfocus on the intended punctuation will help steer your voice in the proper direction.
Ultimately, if you really focus on it, you’ll start to notice a shift as you form new, more engaging and powerful speaking habits.
Julia Douglas is a facilitator and coach who has designed and delivered team effectiveness and leadership development programs across multiple industries and time zones for three decades.
With Inspiring Educators, she has trained current and aspiring leaders through a variety of IE partnerships including Lynch Leadership Academy, Uncommon Schools, and New Leaders. She is also President of her own leadership development company, Momenteam.
