What to do, public speaking: make sure your audience hears what you say
When we were talking about writing, we discussed the permanence of the written word and the particular challenges that durability can pose.
If it’s written (and don’t forget to count email as a “written document”) then it can be archived and referred to later. This raises the bar on being correct.
But spoken communication is different
Spoken communication, we happily notice, is completely free from this challenge (unless you are being recorded, which you should know ahead of time). No need to be careful anymore, right? After all, there is (usually) no record of what transpires during spoken communication.
Believe it or not, this is not a good thing.
One truth, two truth, red truth, blue truth
Actually, it’s not quite accurate to say that there is no record of spoken communications. In fact, if this were the case, then the lack of a strong archive equivalent to the written document really wouldn’t be as bad as it actually is, and in some cases it would be downright handy. “I did not say you were fat.” “Oh, sorry, I must have heard you wrong.”
The real problem is that there is not one archival record of an oral dialogue: there are as many records as participants in the original conversation. To make matters worse, each record is transformed from reality by the process of being internalized by individuals: individuals for whom the word “concern” doesn’t mean anything, so they substituted “crisis”, or individuals who heard “we are on schedule” when you actually said “there is no way we’re going to make the deadline and I think you should fire me for my incompetence.” These differences among participant memories of what should be “facts” predictably lead to conflict.
What to do? Concentrate on clarity.
This is why it is so important to focus on being clear from the outset in spoken communications. The more you can reduce the opportunities for ambiguity and misunderstanding of what you say, the better the chance that your audience will all agree on the majority of your message. Or put another way, the better the chance that you actually communicated with them.
But how? Part of this will come naturally when you know what your audience already knows and you know what you want them to do. The rest of it is avoiding jargon and keeping your audience’s attention (which as we’ll all remember means adapting).
What to do? Verify understanding as you go.
Remember also that your audience does not have a record to consult to deepen their understanding of a particular issue or set of issues as they do with a paper in print.
If an audience member (or worse, the whole audience!) gets lost somewhere on point two, and points three through eleven build upon point two, then the rest of the dialogue is wasted time for you and them. If the lost soul cannot—or does not—ask for clarification on the offending point, he has little chance of internalizing and acting upon your message at the conclusion of the talk.
So keep a pulse on their understanding as best you can. Look for puzzled glances and side conversations as clues that you’ve lost them somewhere along the way. Then stop and get the train back on track.
