One night I was watching a program on C-SPAN hosted by Frank Sesno, a former CNN reporter and current George Washington School of Media and Public Affairs Director. The program was a discussion on the “Role of the White House Press Secretary.” Four former Press Secretaries, shared their wisdom pertaining to the cultural, historical, political and their personal experiences of their time in this respected role. The panelist included DeDe Meyers who worked in the Clinton White House from 1993 through 1994, Mike McCurry who also worked in the Clinton White House from 1994 through 1998, Ari Fleischer who worked in the George W. Bush White House from 2001 through 2003 and Dana Perino who also worked in the George W. Bush White House from 2007 through 2009. All these well respected and articulate former Press Secretaries, some of whom were former journalist, used the term, “podium” when referring to what the President spoke behind when giving speeches.
Each time one of these educated individuals said the wrong word, I would scream out “LECTERN”. My wife who was watching with me even found herself yelling back at the TV. I had to ask myself why are they all using the wrong term? I wanted to understand the cause of their misuse for this piece of furniture they were referring to. My first task was to ask, what is the true definition of each?
According to Wikipedia the word lectern derives its origin from the Latin lectus, or the past participle of legere, which translates "to read". A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern also facilitates eye-contact and improves posture when facing an audience. Lecterns may have adjustable height and slant. Persons generally use lecterns while standing.*
A podium, (plural podia) is historically a “pew.’" Both words go back ultimately to Greek pódion meaning ‘small foot, or base’, which is a platform that is used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. Podia can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium. In sports, a type of podium is used to honor the top three competitors in events such as the Olympics.*
As a Toastmaster since 2005 I learned from my fellow Toastmasters, the important difference between the two words. Now, whenever I hear a person say podium when they should have said lectern, I cringe. In fact it has become one of my pet peeves and as professional as possible I try to correct the perpetrators misuse of the word. Why does it matter some may say? It matters because using the wrong word which seems interchangeable erodes our language and our ability to communicate clearly and concisely. It allows for a laziness which deteriorates our language into slang.
In doing some research I could not find how over the years a podium has incorrectly come to mean the object a speaker stands behind and sets papers or books upon even when it is at floor level, though the correct term for that item is lectern. The terms are not identical; one typically stands on a podium, but one typically stands behind a lectern. People go through their lives using the words interchangeably and few people will ever notice. There is however a difference, as these are tools of the trade for speakers, clergy and other professionals.* And yes, you can place a lectern on a podium, however you most likely would break a lectern if you placed a podium on it.
How can one go about re-enforcing the correct use of words? When I had the opportunity to conduct a Toastmasters-Youth Leadership Program* in my community, I taught the participants the difference between a lectern and a podium. At times I would slip in the misuse of the word to see if they would catch it. Every time I did, the young participants would in unison shout out, “LECTERN”
1. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectern
2. eHOW http://www.ehow.com/about_6170419_podium-vs_-lecturn.html
3. eHOW http://www.ehow.com/about_6170419_podium-vs_-lecturn.html
4.Toastmasters International http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MemberExperience/SatellitePrograms/YouthLeadership.aspx
