It's More than the Message

I've recently had the opportunity to hear two very different author speakers.  Each of these women is an accomplished presenter, has a terrific story to tell and has amassed many fabulous tips to share.  Though the audiences learned from each of these women, they both sabotaged their ultimate effectiveness.  They forgot that a presentation is more than just the message.  The delivery is also very important.

The first woman became so absorbed in her story that she disregarded 3 attempts by her host to end the presentation.  Because she spoke far longer than was expected, she lost the attention of many audience members who were initially absorbed in her story.  And because she failed to honor the event end time, she literally lost attendees who had to leave for other commitments. 

The second woman has an ego as large as her celebrity.  Many audience members overlooked her self-absorption because they were fascinated by the message and the messenger.  She was so focused on her success that she failed to grasp the importance of connecting with the audience. Though she wished success for everyone in attendance, she continued to tout her own superior success, leaving little room for widening her circle to include anyone in the room.

Any effective classroom teacher makes a connection with students and takes a whole semester to cover the material.  They are sensitive to message, audience, time and delivery.  Their executive summary on the first day, sets the stage for additional information spread throughout the semester. Speakers who are engaged to deliver a 20 - 50 minute keynote must deliver the executive summary and ideally, like the classroom teacher, leave the audience wanting more.