The secrets of Malcolm Gladwell | by Gideon Rachman

I was slightly startled when I discovered yesterday that I was sharing a double bill at Monterrey Tech yesterday with Malcolm Gladwell. I have never read Gladwell’s famous books, “The Tipping Point” and “Blink”. And - up until yesterday, I had never seen him speak. But I know he has sold zillions of copies and is a famously good speaker - good enough to fill theatres with paying customers in London.

My first thought was an ignoble one - I wonder how much they are paying Gladwell? But then I decided to try to thrust this troubling thought to the back of my mind and to watch and learn. If Gladwell is indeed paid a fortune for speaking, perhaps I could pick up some tips?

The first lesson came from simply looking at the programme. The photo of me was unexceptional - it said here is a middle-aged man in glasses. Gladwell’s photo was very different. It was taken from a distance and showed off his magnificent Einstein-like Afro - it said, here is a mad genius. Unfortunately - short of buying myself a fright wig - I am never going to be able to compete with Gladwell in the hair stakes. But there are other things he does that might be easier to emulate.

First, he is a master of the “look no hands” style of speaking. He just stands up…

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