“We learn theory in order to be right.

But the coolest part that gets our attention is the wrongness.”

These are the words of world-class bass player Victor Wooten.

And if we translate that to communication, we see similar things.

I mean, of course we can give an amazing speech by doing all the right things.

In fact, that's exactly what most people strive for when preparing

for an important speech, such as a keynote or a big product launch.

They try to get everything right.

Only that it's not the rightness that gets our attention but

the wrongness, the offness.

Because right never breaks our expectations.

Right is just, well, right.

Now, if we look at Wooten’s advice when there's a wrong

note, our audiences take notice.

Their expectations are broken.

So, their curiosity kicks in.

Their figuring-out-what-comes-next brain mode is ignited.

That's also why the great speeches that you recall right now, when I ask you

to think of one, are precisely the ones that didn't do everything in order.

That didn't do everything just like you expected it.

It's exactly like Victor Wooten describes it when he continues with the above quote.

“When I just play the right notes, that's cool.

Cool.

But if I want you to go “whoa”, I stick a wrong note in there.

So the coolest notes are the wrong ones.”

And now let's take it one step further.

Miles Davis, the great jazz trumpeter, said that “when you hit a wrong note, it's

the next one that makes it good or bad”.

And that's what Wooten actually means.

If you play a wrong note that makes our audiences look over, and then

if we continue in a meaningful way, it makes our speech so much greater.

We broke their expectations.

We delivered something that exceeded their expectations.

And so we have their attention.

What's your next wrong move?