NYC Mayor Knows When Speech Doesn’t Cut the Mustard

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg rarely, if ever, minces words in interviews or appearances. At the 2012 annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, the Mayor read from a speech prepared for him that promoted the event and at the same time poked fun with plenty of puns. The language is very out of the ordinary for Bloomberg. When he reaches the end, realizing the crowd grew weary of the bad attempt at jokes, Bloomberg makes a joke of his own that makes the painful speech worth it. Granted, his choice of language isn’t what we would recommend, but it was a perfect way to disarm the crowd and make fun of himself without going overboard. It takes someone skilled in using the media and understanding an audience to pivot so quickly and deftly.

INTELLIGENCE: KNOW YOUR  AUDIENCE, WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH, AND NEVER BE AFRAID TO MAKE FUN OF YOURSELF.

Tags audio bad big apple captured coney island hot dog eating contest jokes mastering the media mayor media intelligence michael bloomberg new york city politicians politics promotion puns speech statement television video