Years ago, I was invited to speak to a faith-based group and was told 300 people would attend. Only 40 people showed up. I was disappointed, but I did not show it. The usual reasons given:
• “There was a simultaneous seminar...”
• “It was too late to inform the congregation...”
• “Perhaps because of the long vacation…”
I learned a valuable lesson. It does not serve me well to be disappointed with the numbers. No matter what the size of the audience, is whether 2,000 or two, I will give my best for those that have invested their time to be there. Excellence, therefore, is not related to the number of people who are in the audience, but excellence is a matter of the heart, and a grim determination to do my best regardless of the number.
I still maintain this position today. After thousands of speaking engagements, my smallest audience was two people: the HR directress and the president of a top company in its field. The biggest would probably be a full-packed coliseum and arena, but I still give my best regardless of the number.
Another observation I have is that there are different types of organizers; those who over-promise and those who do not. Usually, the organizers from the corporate world would be very accommodating to a fault. They treat their speakers like VIP’s. Make sure their needs are taken care of. When I asked about the expected number of participants, they tend to give a lower number so as not to disappoint the speaker.
I shared my experience with a friend of mine about how that particular faith-based organization promised 300 and only 40 showed up. In his characteristic dry humor, he rubbed his chin and said, “I don’t think they intended to lie, but when they said 400 would show up, they might have included the angels in the congregation.” I have never forgotten that.
Corporate people are extremely efficient to a fault. They almost “spoil” their speakers, such that the temptation is there for speakers to begin acting like misbehaving “superstars and prima donnas.” On many occasions, I have had to avoid their lavish treatment and say, “I am a low-maintenance speaker and I know you guys are busy so you don’t have to entertain me and give me the VIP treatment. Just show me where I can get a cup of coffee and I can personally go there and have one later...”
Here is one lesson I would like to share. There was a time when I wore “transition glasses” and forgot all about it as I spoke to 300 leaders of a famous food company. The stagelight beamed directly into my eyes, but I could see the audience well unlike the many times that I could not. A few days later, some photos posted in many Facebook pages to my surprise and embarrassment, showed me wearing what appears like sunglasses and I did not even notice it! I did some research and to my surprise discovered that spotlights carry UV rays and transition lenses react to it and changes shades from clear to dark in order to protect the eyes. What a learning experience!
Another lesson is this: you have probably seen speakers or performers putting up their hands and shading their eyes from the spotlight as they try to look at the audience. They seem so uncomfortable on the stage don’t they? I can assure you they are. Let me explain.
The light that is beamed directly is to the eyes of the speakers and performers hinder their concentration. Ever notice how police or interrogators beam a strong light on their suspects? They do it to hinder the suspects’ concentration for them to start “confessing” the truth.
However, newbies, start-up speakers, and performers cannot identify what is wrong and so they chalk flame their inability to concentrate to “stage fright.”
Event directors may not like it, but now they are accustomed to me because they know that when it is my turn, I want all the house lights turned on so I can see the faces of my audience and interact with them. If not, I would give specific instructions to make sure that the light beam is slightly away from my eyes so that I would not be distracted.
We need to understand that those who speak to large audiences do not understand how lighting works, and light engineers do not give speeches or lectures to large audiences. Each party needs to work together, understand, and communicate with each other so that the audience – not the speaker and not the engineers benefit. Doesn’t this principle work for business as well? The benefit to the customers should be the end goal.
(Experience two inspiring days of leadership training with Francis Kong in his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership seminar-workshop on June 5-6 at Makati Diamond Residences near Greenbelt 1. For registration or inquiries, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.levelupleadership.ph)