He was unassuming in midlife

College Admission logistics seminar
Yesterday, one of the first to arrive.

 

College Admission logistics seminar
Pretty compelling reasons to listen.

 

College Admission logistics seminar
He’s there to sell more stuff, truth be told. No harm, no foul.

 

College Admission logistics seminar

 

College Admission logistics seminar
Not a great photo, but definitely captures a moment in time.

 

College Admission logistics seminar
Panorama. Seniors did not attend.

 

He was unassuming in midlife. Arriving early, i introduced myself but never mentioned i am a speaker too.

He was much better than i had expected. Shame on me for stereotyping.

His energy, enthusiasm, stage presence, and subject matter expertise was exceptional. When i had asked how many times he had given this presentation, he said it was over 2,000.

He was polished.

And then something unexpected happened, and as a speaker with no influence, i watched helplessly from the last row. The audience’s attention slowly started unraveling after an hour. We still had 45 minutes to go. It got worse.

Not once in the hour and 45 minute speech, for example, was the audience invited to stand up. Not once was the audience invited to do something fun or silly.

Being polished is a double-edged sword.

A room of 300 teens after lunch is a handful – all the way to the finish line.

Insight: i’m thinking deeply about my presentations, especially the second halves.

 

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This website is about our mental attitude. To leave this site to read today’s post on my physical health website, click here.

By jeff noel

Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.