Wherever Canada’s current minority government Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, makes a public address, no matter how small or seemingly casual, he uses a script and a teleprompter. I’ve seen him in the middle of a wheat field, sleeves rolled up, trying to look as farmer-like as possible, yet with two glass teleprompter screens to each side of him.

This past weekend he attended his high school class reunion, a function that one would think that even political candidates would allow themselves to be a little less scripted, and be one of the same class. But, no, there he was making jokes, reading from yet another prepared text, awkward teleprompter erected to his right, and his left (or his “other right,” as he might call it).

A prepared and practiced text is important for formal speeches. A teleprompter is a useful tool when addressing a large crowd. But I think any good speaker – and especially a politician – should have the confidence and talent to make comments that appear off-the-cuff and casual when appropriate. There is a point when reader from a prepared text, never mind a teleprompter, creates a gulf between a speaker and a small audience.

For some reason, the television media almost always cuts out the teleprompters in the camera shot if they can. I think that they should show the glass screens. It can be an important indicator that the speaker is detached, incapable or ill-prepared.

Speaking to the United Nations is formal and critically important; speaking to your former classmates at a reunion should look spontaneous, fun and casual. Granted, Harper is in the middle of an election campaign, and his team tried to convert the party into a political opportunity. They alerted the media, so his comments would be seen on the evening news. But what I saw was a stiff politician trying to use his friends to gain political points. For me, the ploy backfired because it was another set of rigid, over-controlled comments that had none of the spontaneous intelligence that I look for in a leader.

It’s all about practice. Even if the comments might be reported to a much larger audience by the media, it is far better to address a small crowd by appearing as naturally smart as possible.