Jamie Dimon is Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase. We identified Jamie as one of the best public speakers because of his humble style and intention to “teach” through his analogies, stories, and examples.
by Stephanie Bickel
The best public speakers event we reviewed: His conversation with LinkedIn about navigating JPMorgan, regulations, and the roles private enterprises have in communities that are falling behind.
Jamie’s greatest public speaking skills:
Warm facial expressions and great eye contact: Jamie thinks a smile as he is listening to the interviewer’s question. This immediately increases a connection and demonstrates comfort in this interview. He also demonstrates he is engaged through his direct eye contact. (:55, 1:20)
Strong, confident posture: He leans back slightly and keeps his shoulders back, while positioning his feet shoulder’s width apart on the floor. He creates a big presence in the room by his posture alone. (1:00, 2:50)
Uses a variety of intentional gestures: Jamie uses a variety of different gestures to support his messages. You can observe him using the following gestures: football hold (1:29, 2:27, 3:08), karate chop (1:40 - 1:48, 4:39, 8:25), pointer to count (1:51, 2:14, 3:52, 7:38, 11:03), steeple (3:09, 3:46, 7:30), and pincer (10:28, 12:48).
Great use of analogies and examples to answer questions and “teach” while he speaks: He is masterful at telling stories, sharing analogies, or giving concrete examples. This storytelling style helps the audience understand his points easier and also helps them visualize what he is saying. He is very humble and comes across with the intention to “teach”. (1:14, 4:57, 11:35)
Incorporates emphatic language to reinforce important points: You can hear the emphasis Jamie places on certain words to highlight where he wants you to focus. This is most evident when he is listing different ideas. (2:14, 3:52, 10:50, 12:40)
What Jamie could do to improve his public speaking skills:
Slow down: Jamie starts out with a faster pace and this continues at various points throughout the interview. He could benefit from slowing down and articulating his words so the audience can more easily hear and follow everything he shares. (1:14, 3:08, 3:25, 6:20)
Minimize breaking in the wrist as he gestures: Jamie does use a nice variety of gestures and he could make them even stronger if he made them more linear. He could add more strength and confidence behind these gestures by not breaking his wrist. It could be perceived as weak. (1:35, 2:36, 3:28, 5:40, 13:02)
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