On eleven bad speeches and thanatophobia

Not strictly CRM at all, but The Chump stumbled upon this beauty of a recent post over at MPDailyFix.com (the “MP” standing for “Marketing Profs,” reflecting the bias of the blog).

Entitled, “Top 10 Worst Marketing Speeches,” the piece can be forgiven its banal list format for its tight succinctness. The Chump’s going to go with the comment submitted in response by Mark Hunter at no. 1, however. “Any speech is pathetic when the speaker is relying on PowerPoint…the most [pain-filled] death anyone attending a meeting can face is death by PowerPoint.”

Speaking of death, the entry’s writer Paul Barsch tosses in the well-worn cliché, “Surely, like most Americans you fear public speaking.” A few studies have shown that, in polls, more Americans claim to fear public speaking more than death itself. (Usually cited as the no. 1 and no. 2 fears in most such polls.) Jerry Seinfeld had an excellent monologue in which, based on this evidence, you should be happier to be the corpse at a funeral rather than have to give the eulogy.

Barsch’s entire piece can be found at MPDailyFix.com.

Founded in June 2000, MarketingProfs.com is an online publishing company based in Los Angeles specializing in providing both strategic and tactical post-MBA marketing know-how to internet and offline marketing professionals in medium-sized and large corporations. MarketingProfs.com promises to “cut through the marketing hype and puffery that has become so prevalent in the internet age.” Good. We need less puffery.