Prove It

17 Dec Prove It

Newton, Darwin, Einstein, Hawking, and Ben Franklin were members of the Royal Society founded in 1663. Still today, the Society’s mission is to promote excellence in science for the benefit of humanity. And by testing facts via experiments, the Society can verify statements and withstand the domination of authority.

Many presentation train wrecks could be avoided using the Royal Society’s motto, roughly translated as “No one else’s word.” We’ve trained professionals whose talents made them candidates for speaking opportunities. But the devil lay in the details, and whether it was not adhering to their sponsor’s instructions, overlooking the time allocation, or type of audience, they failed to be the best they could be. (Never go over your allotted time.)

Cast an analytical eye over every speaking gig. It’s not enough to know your content. You also need to know the space where you’ll be presenting, the experience of your audience, and what is expected of you. When you know the rules, you can walk confidently into any arena, live or virtual.