Within the space of two weeks I attended two presentations that related to my son, one at his high school and one at a college he was touring. Interestingly, they shared a common theme: speakers who didn’t try to connect with the audience.
I don’t know if this is something that educators usually do. I imagine that since they’re used to presenting to the same audience day after day, they don’t feel the need to treat every presentation like it’s the first one ever. Still, I wish the two presenters had made an effort for their new audiences, which comprised both students and their parents/guardians.
Who are you exactly?
The first presentation was at the high school. The audience was made up of people who serve as advisors for the various shop programs, along with a few student liaisons. There were several speakers, each of whom presented on his or her area of expertise then handed it off to the next one. In other words, there was no emcee.
Although most speakers greeted the audience warmly and thanked them for volunteering their time for the school, one of the speakers simply launched into her presentation, which was about the many grants and new building projects the school is undergoing. As interesting as it was, I wasn’t really listening since I was trying to figure out who she was. After a while, I focused on the presentation, which contained some great information. When she was finished, the next speaker took the mic and said, “Thank you, Dr. Smith, for that presentation.”
Ah, Dr. Smith. As in “Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jane Smith.”
It seemed as though Dr. Smith believed that everyone in the room knew who she was, so there was no need for an introduction or to greet us. I had only seen her a couple of times previously, so when I found out who she was it finally clicked for me. Would it have killed her to introduce herself and to thank us for being there?
Not happy to be here!
The college presentation was given in a large conference room. We were told to take our seats near the screen and the lectern, which was a good move considering most people like to hang out in the back of the room, away from the speaker. There was a high-def display and a nice intro slide loop for us to look at. So far, so good.
The speaker took the stage and gave what seemed to be a speech he’d given dozens of times. I thought he should’ve had it memorized by now, but he remained behind the lectern, reading his notes.
After a couple of minutes, I realized that he hadn’t smiled, not even once. From there, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I kept waiting for him to smile, change the tone of his voice, gesture…anything to indicate that he was happy to be showing off his wonderful school to a group of prospective students. Nothing.
What’s the big deal?
Both of these presenters were informative, knowledgeable and in the moment. I never believed that they weren’t sincere when they touted the benefits of their respective schools. They were both also fairly high up in the school administrative hierarchy, which may have informed their performances.
Greeting our audiences and expressing emotions and excitement at times that make sense for the presentation are ways that we as speakers can forge a strong connection with the people who have come out to hear us speak.
It’s not difficult to do, and you don’t have to exaggerate your emotions or movements to get good results. The first speaker didn’t identify herself or greet us; the second speaker didn’t react in any way to his own words. For me, it was really off-putting. With the smallest of efforts, it didn’t have to be that way.