I recently gave a speech to an audience that was
99.9% male. Weeks before, I had given a similar
speech to a group that was 99.9% female. The key
message points were equally valid for both groups. In
fact, the organizers of each event were equally
pleased with the outcome.
When I spoke to the female crowd, they smiled,
nodded, laughed, gasped and clapped on cue.
Women are socialized to be active, encouraging
listeners.
When I spoke to the male crowd, they sat stern-
faced with arms crossed. Even my best lines evoked
only slight nods, chuckles and gasps. Men are
socialized to create and maintain poker faces,
particularly in business settings.
And there is a lot more than gender that goes into
whether you are presenting to a “warm house” or
a “cold house” when you speak. It could be that you
are the last speaker of the day, or you are speaking
right after lunch. They may have just lost a big
contract or found out their budgets have been cut.
I mean, do you really think George Clooney heard a
single word Jon Stewart said for the rest of the
evening, once Ang Lee won Best Director? I rest my
case.
So how come I felt like twice as good a speaker in
front of the first crowd as I did in front of the
second? Because, as a speaker, I fell victim to “co-
dependent speaker syndrome." I was overly-
dependent on their response for my own energy
generation.
The best approach is to find out as much as possible
about your audience and what their circumstances
will be at the moment you will be speaking. Make
any adjustments that might mitigate or capitalize on
those circumstances. Then, present with confidence.
At the podium, as in life, we are all responsible for
our own good time.
