You May Be Shocked by What You Learn by Speaking in Front of Different Groups

I’d rehearsed my talk countless times.  I’d gotten feedback from my wife, daughter, son, home Toastmasters group and speech coach.  I was prepared to give my audience a life-altering, perspective-changing, soul-grabbing talk.  I delivered my talk and then…they didn’t understand.

I was shocked.

Last night I previewed my talk in front of a new group.  Most in the group found my talk confusing.  This was not good.  Especially since I had to give the talk in competition the next day.  Initially, I tried to discount the feedback I had received from the group.  Afterall, my Toastmasters group, family and professional coach had given me positive reviews on the talk.  Certainly, this new group didn’t know more than my speech coach!

Then, I thought about this fact: four out of the six people that heard the talk said they didn’t fully understand my message.  Three of those four were people that have listened to speakers for years.  Thus, I concluded that theirs was valuable feedback that should be listened to.

I changed the talk slightly.  I removed a portion of the talk that wasn’t needed.  I added some language that made the talk easier to understand.  I think the talk flows better now.  I think it is easier to understand.  And if that’s the case, my audience will the better for it.  Heck, I’ll be the better for it.

I learned a couple of valuable lessons.

One, try to get your talk in its final form and preview it before a trial audience a few days to a week before you have to deliver it “for real”.

Two, get feedback from multiple trial audiences before you perform your talk “for real”.  You learn something different and valuable from each audience that hears your talk.

Three, keep your message Simple and easy to understand.