I read an article a few years ago about travelling preachers in 19th Century America. There were hundreds of the faithful fellows, literally wandering from town to town, all through the thousands of empty miles of the mid-west. They made their living, or their dinner, by being good, because they knew that if they weren’t they couldn’t come back next year and expect to be fed.
That image of this invisible army of itinerant preachers was striking, but the next thing was even more memorable. The writer said that he never felt like he could truly deliver a speech until he understood it. And that he’d never really understood the sermon until he’d preached it a minimum of 6 times to a real audience. Yes folks that’s six times before he felt that he could really earn his corn.
How does that make you feel as a salesman or consultant who pitches for far more than beans and cornbread? Have you ever made a presentation more than 6 times before giving it for real? Maybe it’s 3 times that works for you, but whatever the number, it’s probably more than we usually do. If we did might we be even more impressive than when we do it after a quick scan of the slides in the taxi on the way to the client’s office?
Food for thought?
This is a part of my Fit, Focus & Flair model. To be great, a presentation must be a perfect FIT for the situation; the content must have complete FOCUS on it’s purpose and message; and it must have enough FLAIR to stand out on the day, and in our memories. Learn more about developing your Fit, Focus and Flair.
Jim Harvey
