This insight is crazy, I know. But I mention it because it seems to me that even though we know this, in our brains, we still struggle to really take it in. Different people…like different things.
For us as communicators, this can be confusing because we succeed with one group and then fail with others. “Why didn’t that joke work this time? Why did that story fall flat? Why did this audience seem impatient to leave and the next one wanted to ask a million questions?”
And this uncertainty is uncomfortable, so we look for solutions.
Appeal to all the learning styles.
Have visuals for the visual people.
Tell a story.
Make sure there are charts for the more linear thinkers.
These are all good suggestions, by the way. But they don’t really get to the heart of what’s going on here, which is that there are always going to be variables that are outside of your control. There is no way to dislike-proof your speech or presentation. You cannot create the ideal experience for all audience members—it’s not possible.
So what to do? Stay true to your message and your intention. Keep it short. Remember that people can’t recall a lot of information without a structure, so give them the structure.
And most important, make sure you give them a reason to care.
