Two Lessons Learnt
January 24th, 2007 by robin
The other day I spoke at a conference, to 1400 members of an international organisation. I arrived the day before to do a technical run through. As it turns out the crew were world-class and the run through was very straightforward.
The next day I arrived and went backstage, met the crew and did a final check. The microphone was fitted and when my presentation was announced, I walked onto this very large stage in a huge auditorium. So far so good.
The one thing I had forgotten to do at the technical run through, was to have the lighting shown to me. As it was they had turned the house lights down, then out came two powerful spotlights on me. They felt like old World War II aircraft searchlights, and I was dazzled. I began my presentation, and could not see the audience other than as dark outlines in front of me.
I have given hundreds of keynote talks around the Western world, and always like to be able to look into a person's eyes as I speak, it really helps me connect with the audience. For the first minute or two it felt as though I were alone, and then the audience began to laugh at some joke I cracked, and I then moved to the front of the stage, where I could see some faces.
In our day to day lives it is important that we connect to others, regardless of who they are. And the best way is to look them in the eye and let them know you are giving them your full attention.
The other lesson I have learnt is always check the lighting state in the auditorium, and don’t assume it will be ‘just how you like it’.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.