On the biggest stage in sports, Peyton Manning addressed a worldwide audience of millions while accepting his Super Bowl MVP trophy. Colts fans brushed back tears, but Frank Druin was not among them. As Manning’s high school speech teacher, Druin saw much room for improvement.
“Every good speech starts off with a ‘hook’ to grab the audience’s attention and Peyton completely ignored this vital aspect,” said Druin, who instills in his Isidore Newman High School students a five-point public speaking program he calls “Dru’s To-Do’s.” “Peyton’s poor eye contact, distracting hand gestures and lack of a visual aide also didn’t help capture his audience. At least he didn’t capture me and I’m the only one who’s opinion matters.”
Druin gave Manning a C- for his speech, and sent back an edited copy with a large sad face and “You’re better than this, Mr. Manning” written on it in dark red ink.
