Written by: Vickie Sullivan | December 12, 2017
How I Turned a Disastrous Speech at Harvard Into a Smash Hit
Every thought leader who speaks at events has a story about when everything goes wrong. I created that new story last month when presenting to the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University.
It was just one of those things—a sad combination of a head cold, knee injury and logistical Murphy’s Law. But out of that chaos, a miracle occurred. Good material became a smash hit.
How did that happen? I went off script (the structure was gone anyway). I gave most of the content and amped up the humor. That worked because the previous panel discussion covered North Korea—a massive bummer topic. What attendees told me after my presentation: “This is brilliant.” and “I just needed to laugh.”
The lesson learned: The difference between a great presentation and a smash hit is how you deal with the emotional environment of the audience. In this case, folks needed more than my ideas about how to stand out in crowded markets. They needed to laugh. I would’ve missed that if everything had been perfect.
So, here’s an idea: Pay attention to where your presentation is in the overall event schedule. Then ask yourself this: Based upon what happened before and what’s going to happen after, what does this audience really need?
Address that hidden requirement, and the audience won’t care what else goes wrong.
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