September 30, 2008Poison Phrase ~ A great job of…
It was a powerful presentation to a great group of women, and they were right there with me as I spoke. I listened attentively when the organizer slowly…and deliberately…told me:
- I want to thank you and acknowledge you…of all the speakers I’ve had…you’ve done the best job…better than anyone else I’ve had in…a really great job and most people don’t…it was really great the way you…ended on time.
I am glad she appreciated my timeliness, but I confess: that wasn’t the kind of praise I expected after her build-up.
Funny.
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Ouch. Did make me chuckle though. Some organizers thrive on logistics and a success for them would be to start and end on time. Others focus on content and would define success as going into extra innings w/ content rich interaction between speaker & audience. Success is often defined in the eyes of the beholder.
Comment by M Anderson — October 1, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
Thanks M! I took it as a complement but wondered if she had any idea of what she was setting me up to expect…
Comment by merylrunion — October 1, 2008 @ 1:43 pm
Dear Meryl,
I share with you the same frustration since all speakers are seeking feedback on their talk, whether contents or delivery.
But you know organizers have their own measurements.
Putting myself in your shoes, I’ll benchmark myself aginst other speakers by saying “Well that’s a basic rule any professional speaker should stick to”. Then I’ll catch a feedback opportunity and ask “What else did you like about my talk?”
Wihy you a great day.
Nader Al Adawi,
Training Manager,
janssen - Cilag Pharma,
saudi Arabia, Egypt and Gulf Countries
Comment by Nader Al Adawi — October 1, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
Thanks for bring to light one of the drawbacks to such huge demands on our time.
Too often we become more concerned with when we get away and NOT what we take with us when we leave.
Punctuality will help smooth the bumps but not nearly as much as learning to navigate them in the first place.
I always smile when I get your newsletter. Today, I did more than that. I added the URL to my twitter feed so that others could enjoy it as much as I did.
It was a compliment! You have a gift for stating the truth in few words. You also have a gift to inspire us to do the same–something I find hard to quantify appropriately.
Comment by Erin Snyder Dixon — October 1, 2008 @ 5:58 pm