New York Councilman Finds Governor Cuomo Speech Too Taxing

Posted in   Speeches   on  February 21, 2011  

Another State Governor has been dealing with speech hecklers this week. This time around the hecklers interrupted a Governor Cuomo speech. Andrew Cuomo, of course, is the newly inaugurated Governor of New York state and has had a good insight to the office today.

Governor Cuomo speech
Governor Cuomo Speech At The New York State Convention Centre

The hecklers attended the Governor Cuomo speech at the state Convention Centre where the state Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators was having its conference.

The hecklers were led by a fellow Democrat, City Councilman Charles Barron. And he clearly wanted to protest over the Governors plans to shift the weight of tax from the rich.

His speech was disrupted to a familiar chant of:

Tax the Rich

To which the new resident of 138 Eagle Street retorted:

How are you tonight, Charles? I can’t see who it is, but I know who it is.

It was a priceless retort that drew plenty of laughs from his audience of some 500.

Governor Cuomo Speech A Master Class For Dealing With Hecklers

He managed to defuse the situation involved with his chief heckler, Charles Barron, and supporters marching down the centre aisle of the auditorium. That defusion was probably not surprising. Many in the audience no doubt felt that Councilman Barron, who contested the Governor’s election last year, was still a bit sore at his defeat. Still, the hecklers didn’t halt this Governor Cuomo speech, unlike the Rupert Murdoch speech or the Ali Larijani speech. You can also discover more tips for how you can manage interruptions with one of our earlier tips.

Once the Governor had shifted the attention back to the speech and the speaker, he then set out the evidence for his tax cut plans. He had the platform and Councilman Barron didn’t.

As a technique for dealing with hecklers this speaker had it all worked out.

You Too Can Manage Interruptions At Your Next Speech

If you come across a heckler at your next speech, you can always keep your audience on side when you deal with a heckler with politeness and well-meaning. They lose their "anger" with this approach.

  1. 1
    Be Polite
  2. 2
    Listen To Them Or Ask Them A Direct Question
  3. 3
    Close Them Down By Thanking Them For Their Time

You can always discover plenty of public speaking tips and suggestions with our series of tips for speakers and presenters. And, with more than 100 tips, podcasts and videos you should find something that meets your needs for your next event. Plus, when you want to boost your own public speaking skills then you can always consider training and coaching. So, when the time is right, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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About the Author

The Principal Trainer at training business Time to Market. Now based in London, I run presentation and public speaking training courses, coaching sessions and seminars throughout the UK.

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