12/14/09 10:48 AM
Everyone needs an editor
Recently I
attended a high-level event that attracted hundreds
of top business women and men, government officials
and civic leaders. A representative of a major
institution delivered the keynote address about a
significant advance that could have positive effects
across a wide spectrum of state
concerns.
The speaker
carried impressive credentials. The venue equipped
him with a good sound system and large video screens.
He did not exceed his allotted time. Yet a few
minutes into his speech, the Blackberries and the
iPhones flashed and conversations started at the back
tables.
Why the rude
behavior? Indifference. The speaker delivered
information about a strong subject with a weak
presentation:
·
He
spoke without much emphasis;
·
He
failed to establish the relationship between his
organization’s experience and his
audience;
·
His slides
were too wordy, too intricate and out of scale with
the room.
In a small
room full of his department heads, his message might
have worked well. In this case, a true expert had a
chance to leave a room full of powerful opinion
leaders inspired. He didn’t.
The lesson:
Everyone needs an editor.
A presentation
is no different from a speech or an essay or a bumper
sticker. If you’re not an expert in the medium and
you don’t use an editor who is, you can lose your
audience.
At Executive
Media, we rely on you to know your subject. You can
rely on us to know the media. Call us at
317-231-7000.