Going into this acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, Pesident Obama knew what the negatives were and faced them head on. He acknowledged he was the new kid on the block and not seasoned as most other recipients have been. He acknowledged the contradiction of receiving a peace prize just as he approved sending more troops to Afghanistan. Facing up to the obvious down sides to his receiving the prize took away a lot of the sting of the criticism.
It’s human nature to be upset when we disagree with someone and the “someone” pretends it doesn’t exist. We can learn from others by the way they face up to the general mood or don’t. And we can apply the same principle to our own speaking. If you’re facing a hostile crowd or one antagonistic to your views, acknowledge their point of view, don’t take it personally, and then make your case.
Getting Over Yourself 