Your Speech Backdrop Really Does Matter

Your speech backdrop really does matter. That's because it helps to frame you and your speech as you speak. Plus it's also very important for the visual record. That's been particularly noticeable in recent weeks, such as at the recent APEC CEO Summit in Thailand.

Now, no one is seriously suggesting anything untoward at the APEC CEO Summit. But, surely an image consultant or brand specialist over the age of 20 would have suggested something looked a bit odd?

President Biden's choice of speech backdrop in August was seized upon by his many detractors. Their comments focused on the red and black colour scheme and the 'satanic' imagery. Additional commentary focused on the images of US Marine Corps guards in the background and the possible use of green screening. Outlandish? Perhaps. But it goes to show how these matters are picked over.

This Speech Backdrop Didn't Serve The Purpose

Wow! Yes, it certainly did become quite a talking point. So a simple choice of speech backdrop took much of the attention away from a Democrat campaign speech.

At the Conservatives party conference in Manchester in 2017 when the Prime Minister was almost lost for words, she also lost part of her speech backdrop.

At first we spotted that the background lettering began to give up the ghost with this nightmarish occasion. We lost an F, and then near the very end we lost an E. The net result?

BUILDING A COUNTRY
OR EVERYON

You'd expect a better quality of glue or velcro at a Conservatives party conference.

People Speech Backdrops Work Well

More recently Sir Keir Starmer's Labour conference speech used a more conventional speech backdrop. Yes, his shadow cabinet sat behind the podium as he gave his 55-minute leader's speech to the conference in Liverpool. And, of course, everything went swimmingly.

We have seen this type of speech backdrop before and it's definitely a winner. Also popular is the "normal people" backdrop. Ed Miliband, another former Labour party leader, favoured this approach to speech backdrops.

But no matter who you include in your speech backdrop, they have to stay awake. Because you really don't want to replicate the performance of the Kalamazoo student sitting behind President Obama in 2010.

Still no one was hurt and he's probably now making millions somewhere!

You can discover everything you will need for your next conference speech with a public speaking course or one to one coaching from Time to Market. Why not give us a call when you are ready to find out more. Because we might even discuss speech backdrops…