Will I steal my own thunder if I email my PowerPoint presentation to people in advance of giving my speech?
The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.
Will I steal my own thunder if I email my PowerPoint presentation to people in advance of giving my speech?
Your Speech Writer: “Yes, let’s keep the element of surprise on our side. Don’t send it in advance.”
Your Communications Director: “No, why would someone come hear you speak if they have already received the presentation in advance? Let’s not cannibalize our audience.”
You: “What will by audience need me for if I have already given them all my material? They will know as much as I do if I send them the presentation in advance. Worse, they will have had time to think of tough questions based on what I’ve sent them. And worse still, they might find a factual error! This has disaster written all over it.”
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Your Audience: “One of two things will happen if you send us your presentation in advance. One, we don’t read it, but we are at least impressed that you cared about us so much that you prepared in advance and sent us something. Or, two, we will read your presentation in advance. If we read the whole thing, chances are you engaged us and interested us at some level so that we are even more psyched to hear you speak. You now have more credibility in our eyes, we have a better understanding of your key concepts, we grasp your concept more easily during the speech because we are already familiar with them and we ask even more thought-provoking questions. Either way, you win. So yes, please send us your presentation in advance.”