A new stereo was being developed, and the electronics company created a focus group. They gathered people around to ask them what they thought of the stereo.

The features, whether they liked it, what they’d be willing to pay.

People said they’d happily pay $90, $100, or even $200.

Of course, the electronics company was thrilled! People loved the stereo!

Then, the focus group leader had an idea — he said “we’d love to thank you for participating in the focus group! We’ll be selling this stereo for $80, but we’d love to give you one. You can choose either the stereo or $20 cash”.

You guessed it — everyone took the cash. They’d been providing positive feedback the entire time to fit in with the group, not appear harsh or negative, and be liked by the focus group leader. After all, the company had spent millions of dollars developing the stereo! They didn’t want to be discouraging.

The Feedback Gap

You see, there’s a gap between what people say and what people do. [Read more…] about The Feedback Gap – How to get more accurate audience feedback

The process to land a TED Talk is confusing. As a result, there are a ton of lies about how to speak at a TED Talks event that keeps you stuck.

Let’s dispel them, shall we? 😉

[Read more…] about 5 lies keeping you from a TED Talk

In any field that requires spreading of products and ideas (speaking, writing, app development, making videos etc), there are 2 core roles you must take on.

The Preacher…they’re the one you see. The Preacher stands on stage and speaks, posts their latest blog post on Facebook, shares a Tweet, and updates their website.

They express ideas from the heart, ask a speaker coach and their audience for feedback to improve their delivery, attend Toastmasters meetings, update their blog, and do as much speaking as they can. Ideas come out of a Preacher.

The Detective is hidden. In any great work, you never see the detective, and often never realize The Detective is even there. But, their work is critical.

The detective doesn’t work from a stage or behind a desk, but from the line waiting for Starbucks. In order to discover the message the audience needs to hear most, they know the audience has to be involved. They know they’ve got theories, but they also know that their theories could be improved. Information comes into the Detective to better refine their ideas.

Without the Preacher, the Detective is a smart researcher that nobody hears.

Without the Detective, the Preacher shares ideas that are heartfelt to the preacher, but may not be heartfelt to the audience.

But together, that’s where the magic happens. Alone, the Preacher says “I have an important message I want to share”. The detective says “people can’t stop asking me about this idea I have…I should share it”. Together, they’re able to spread a message people can’t stop talking about.

In your quest to become a better speaker through Preacher activities (like speaker training, reading books and attending Toastmasters), don’t forget the Detective work.

asd