Here are three quick lessons for speakers and audiences from this
week in our ever more Connected World.
1. Self-deprecation can evoke humor and
create a bond with the audience when done right. “It is a privilege to be here
tonight to open for Lady Gaga,” said President Obama, in opening his speech at
the Human Rights Campaign dinner.
Consider, as well, how Hugh Grant bolstered his likeability in many of his movies, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, by evoking self-deprecation.
Albert Einstein was once introduced to the eighteen-month-old son of a young friend. The infant looked into the physicist's face and began to bawl. Responded Einstein, "You're the first person for years who has told me what you really think of me." Kien Dag notes, “The smartest people I know are also the most humble, making others comfortable by downplaying their abilities.”
2. In this Twitter-powered world:
• Speakers may get live audience feedback whether they want it or
not.
• Audiences can engage in their own conversation about the speaker.
• A speaker may be unaware of what’s happening in the audience. Ah
mortification.
• A mob psychology can erupt, causing ever more vicious (or
positive) waves of Twitter commentary to roll out.
This incident brings a whole new meaning to “higher education.”
3. Attendees should
be able to absorb the meaning of a slide in three seconds or less. So suggests Nancy Duarte who offers a
Glance Test in her book.
