Leadership Turn

Come on up to the Podium

by Mary Jo Manzanares on November 6th, 2006

As you promote within your company, you will find increased opportunity to be visible, both within your workplace and without.  One way that you may be asked to represent the company is by speaking at an event, organize a conference, or participate in a public forum.

These are wonderful opportunities for both personal and professional growth.  But these are not opportunities for you to just “wing it.”  They required preparation, perhaps even more so than in your normal business routine.  Delivering remarks, giving a speech, moderating a panel, and introducing a conference participant all look like easy tasks.  They are easy, too, when you spend time to learn and practice the skills involved.

One common error that I see in speaking situations is the improper use of the words “podium” and “lectern.”  This may not seem like a big deal to you – and in the scheme of life, it really isn’t– but it’s your attention to small details like this, however, that get you noticed.  In the right way.

So here’s the scoop — and hopefully you’ll never call someone up to the podium, when you really mean lectern.

The word lectern comes from a Latin word (legere) meaning “to read.”  The term has a biblical history, as lectern were originally used to old big, heavy, handwritten bibles.  They were, in essence, a special reading stand.  Over the years, lecterns have been adopted for many other uses, and today you will find them in all shapes and sizes (see photo at right).  There are floor lecterns, table lecterns, and a variety of customized ones.  The lectern is most commonly the place from which most speakers will deliver their presentation, or the location from which an individual will be introduced.  You will generally see a table lectern in the center of a head table at a banquet or wedding reception.

The word podium comes from a Greek word (podus) meaning “foot.”  Podiums are small platforms, and are frequently seen as a mini-stage for a speaker, an orchestra conductor, or at the Olympics when athletes receive their medals.  (See photo at left.)

Other terms used in speaking situations include rostrum and dais.  A rostrum is a stage for public speaking, generally a raised platform on a stage.  A dais is a platform raised above the floor of a hall or large room.

The devil is in the details, and while the average person won’t notice these verbal faux pas, it’s these little things that separate the novice from the polished professional.

Photo credit:  flickr and flickr

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POSTED IN: Communication, Leadership Skills, Uncategorized