10 eyewitnesses

If, after a car accident, you ask 10 eyewitnesses what they saw, you will hear 10 different versions of the same accident, possibly even contradictory ones. None of the 10 eyewitnesses is lying. None is trying to deceive you. Each one is merely recounting the truth in exactly the way they recall it.

Don’t expect that to be different for a speech. We shouldn’t assume that what we say will be recalled by our audiences in exactly the way we mean it. We shouldn’t even assume that what we say will be heard exactly like we say it. Or that what we show will be seen just like we see it. Or that what someone from your audience will say about your speech tomorrow, will correspond to what they are hearing today.

Each one of us has their own reality. We relate new information to this reality. Therefore, we may conclude different things from the same information than others do. Neither of us makes a mistake. It’s just the way that our brains work.

As a speaker, it’s a fact we have to deal with.

Get Daily Insights on The Art of Communicating for Free

Check out my new book
The PATH to Strategic Impact

Read More

Oh, that’s me!

“Oh, that’s me! I’m struggling with the exact same thing.” When a marketer sparks that feeling, it opens the door to my attention. The default

Read »

Gut it wrong?

My gut doesn’t know what is right.But it knows what feels right. And that’s enough of a reason for me to look closer. I don’t

Read »

Submarine in a desert

Recently at Confused Corp, the world market leaders for unclear instructions and perplexed employees… In a performance review, a manager told an employee, “Your work

Read »