Photo by snowpea&bokchoi
On my most recent trip to Whole Foods, I came face to face with a huge display of free, organic orange samples. I used the tongs on the display to get a piece of orange and bit into it. It was the sweetest orange I had ever tasted. It was so good I couldn’t help myself and I quickly took another sample. After a couple more “samples”, I pulled myself away from the display and went about my shopping.
Every time I looked back, I would see someone else try a piece of the orange. I would try to catch their eyes and let them know that I had shared in the same sweetness they were now experiencing. The orange was that good!
After picking up what I had originally gone to the store for, I went back, grabbed an orange and put it in my cart. The little samples were so good, I couldn’t possibly leave without buying one. As it turns out, I should have bought a few, because I gulped down the orange before I even made it back to my car.
What does this have to do with giving a speech?
After giving a speech or presentation, it’s likely you’ll be approached by many people who want to tell you what a good job you did. They could be telling the truth. They could be trying to encourage you even though you stunk out the joint. The problem is, praise alone is not enough to tell you if your speech was any good.
If, however, you’re approached by someone who wants to know what you would charge to deliver your speech to his or her organization, you know you’re onto something. Maybe you won’t be approached immediately after you give your speech, but you’ll receive an e-mail or phone call from someone who was at the speech or someone who was told about how good your speech was.
If you’re not being asked what your speaking fee is after you give a speech …
If you’re not receiving e-mails or calls after you give a speech …
If no one is willing to pay you after getting a “sample” of what you can do in front of an audience …
Go back and put some time into working on your speech. It’s not good enough yet.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
You’re dead right about taking instant feedback at face value – and I think there may be cultural differences between the UK and the USA. My impression from the academic world is that we Brits tend to be more ‘adversarial’ and, believe it or not, more direct than Americans.
I once went to a conference in Washington, where a colleague and I got into terrible reputation for daring to be critical of the methodology used by quite a famous US academic. At the same conference, I sat next to an American friend on the back row of a huge lecture theatre. During a presentation by one speaker, famous for his boring monotonous deliver (and for his not very original reserch), I sat next to an American friend – who spent the whole talk whispering and/or passing notes to me along the lines of ‘What rubbish’, ‘As if we didn’t know that already’, ‘Are you still awake?’, etc.
Then, at the end, he got up and dashed down the stairs towards the speaker at the front. Curious to know what he was up to, I followed. On reaching the speaker, my American friend shook him vigorously by the hand and said “Just wanted you to know that I really enjoyed your paper – it was fantastic – could you let me have a copy of it.”
I was stunned and asked him later what he was playing at. “Well,” he said “There might come a time when I want him to write a reference for me or to apply for a job at his university.”
Fair enough, I suppose. But it’s a pity the poor old speaker went away thinking he’d done a good job.
Hi Max,
Thanks for sharing you’re story. It proves the point I wanted to make.
I know, from experience, that British audiences are much more forward when giving feedback. On my first trip to England, I had quite a few evaluations that put me in my place for trying to use American statistics and not understanding the British culture. That type of feedback hurt, but it helped me improve.
Hi John
I think that you and Max are more used to politicians and professional speakers than I am, but when someone is just getting started… I give them lots of praise and encouragement, point out the good points and suggest ways to improve.
Standard formula but it gets results.
It’s a fine balancing act with new speakers and I err on the safe side by pointing out more positives than negatives.