I’ve listened to your talk. When I get back into my office, my colleagues ask: “So, what was the talk about?”
What should I respond?
You’d be amazed by how often people can’t answer this questions clearly and concisely. Too often, people will even start to repeat the presentation.
That’s not what anyone would respond to the question “What was the talk about?”, though.
That question is always going to be short and it’s always going to be in their own words, using their language.
Here’s the bitter pill: If you don’t decide what their response should be, you’re basically delegating that decision to your audience.
Because, once again, rest assured: They will have an answer. And they’re not going to ask you for support.
On the other hand, if you focus on that clear goal, you gain two things:
- You can be much more rigoros in your preparation so that the talk leads to that response.
- You can evaluate whether you’re talk delivered by asking someone that same question.
So, what’s your next talk about?