It is hard enough following Steve Jobs, a very articulate, compelling and passionate public speaker, who obviously spent a great deal of time preparing for the iPhone announcement.
Mr. Sigman's performance has been widely criticized, with many pointing to the usage of note cards as a big no-no. I disagree -- not practicing at length was the biggest issue.
Using notecards that allow you to occassionaly glance down and re-gain your footing, while not my first choice, is better than trying to memorize an entire speech, losing your place, and flubbing it.
However, using notecards to highlight the biggest selling points of your business, and reading off of the notecards directly, certainly points to a lack of confidence in the material and a lack of preparation.
I think a lot of critics would have overlooked the notecards had the speaker utilized movement, vocal variety, passion, and some positive body language -- all things that can be improved by practice.
There is no specific speaking style that works for everyone. What works for you will probably not work for me. Practice works for everyone.
Prior to giving your next presentation -- practice, preferrably with an expert. If not, at least try to do it in front of other people and videotape it -- a mirror doesn't necessarily give the greatest feedback.
