In Good Hands

There is an insurance company that has for years assured its customers that they’re “in good hands.” Your audience wants no less from you. They want to know that you have everything under control. If something unexpected happens, they want to know that you can handle it.

Of course, they want more than that. They want to know that they can trust you, that your information is valid and useful and that you have their interests, at least partially, at heart. But before all that, they need to know that they can relax and give you their full attention. It’s somewhat like riding with a novice driver. It’s tough to relax and enjoy the passing scenery, if you are constantly fighting the urge to grab the wheel.

If the speaker is fretting with a balky presentation remote, struggling to find the right words or fighting to keep the crowd’s attention, we feel the natural urge either to jump in and help or to avert our eyes from the embarrassing spectacle. Neither is conducive to absorbing the speaker’s message. And that’s assuming that the speaker hasn’t completely lost the thread of his message during his troubles, as all too often happens.

Preparation and composure are the keys to maintaining that aura of control that your audience needs. Thorough preparation will prevent many of the surprises that come from not knowing your material, your equipment and your environment. But when the completely unanticipated events intrude, such as fire alarms or obnoxious drunks in the audience, it’s the composure to calmly weather the storm in good humor and to quickly get back on track that will carry you through.

Show them that they are in good hands, and they’ll sit back and enjoy the scenery you present.