On Tuesdays, we watch talks or interviews with artists and designers and discuss how to present our work clearly and with confidence. This week we’ll listen to Maryzyle Galinato, who is the Group Creative Director at Hakuhodo Vietnam, talking about her three favorite ads. (The first ad is Japanese. To see it with English subtitles, click the link at the bottom of this post.)
As you watch this interview, consider these questions: Does the designer speak clearly and with confidence? Does she use gestures and intonation to emphasize her points? Does she smile and look at the camera? Does she use professional vocabulary?
What does Galinato do well? To be honest, I think this speaker does everything well. She seems comfortable in her posture, yet conveys total confidence and passion about her profession. Her volume and speed are good, she speaks clearly, and she is easy to understand. She smiles and gestures freely, and she looks at the interviewer when she’s speaking. She avoids filler words and uses pauses very effectively when she needs a moment to think about what she’s going to say next. She also uses vocal variety very well to emphasize her points, and as a result, her enthusiasm is easy to feel. This designer does a great job of modeling good interview skills.
What professional vocabulary does she use? In addition to her speaking skills, Galinato uses a lot of great vocabulary to describe her favorite ads. With the first one, she talks about the insight and depth of thinking shown by the ad writers. She also describes how they concretize (to make concrete) and execute a complex idea in a simple way that people can relate to. She goes on to say that the ad is powerful, and the concept is tangible. It’s functional yet emotional. These contrasts between words really help us to understand her point of view. She also mentions “the spotlight” at one point, which is another way to talk about the focus of the ad.
In the second ad, she uses the phrase “against the grain.” This means going against the usual way of doing something. (It comes from woodworking where going against the grain of the wood is usually a bad idea.) She also uses the words hopeful, rooting for, and resonates to describe her feelings about the ad. These are words that convey a lot of emotion, and so they are good choices for an interview where you want to engage your audience by appealing to their senses.
In the final ad, she talks about using radio as a medium, and how this ad really creates visuals in your mind because it has been crafted so well. Again, her choice of words and phrases really help us to imagine what she’s talking about and relate to her experience of these ads. That’s what makes an ad writer exceptional, and with practice, you can have the same effect on your audience.
At Artglish, we help artists and designers to speak confidently about their work. We coach you to speak professionally using the best vocabulary and correct pronunciation. If you’d like to learn more about what we offer, click here to get exclusive content, or check out our Courses page.
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the original video, posted by Advertising Vietnam on June 28, 2017, click the link below:
https://youtu.be/pnqjQhkS6bg
To see the Japanese ad with English subtitles, click here:
https://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/34545088/where-does-the-time-go/axa-life-japan