This week's focus:
There's an old adage among professional speakers that says "The brain can only absorb what the behind can withstand." This means that the longer a speaker talks on stage, usually the less information the audience tends to remember. For example, I've watched a lot of authors give really long speeches where they talked through every single chapter of their book. They droned on and on for over an hour like a never-ending commercial. These authors thought they were showing the audience all the great stuff in their book, which they hope would encourage people to buy a copy.
However, the opposite reaction tends to happen. That's because when a speaker covers too much information, it all tends to run together and cancel itself out in the mind of the listener. Worse, rushing through a ton of content sends a signal that you're more concerned with covering your material than trying to help or entertain the audience. In essence, you generate an emotional cue that says I'm more concerned about me than you. Unless you're a popular celebrity with rabid fans, this self-focused approach will hinder audience retention and reduce book sales.
Chew on this:
"You should never sell your books or services from the platform. If you're good at what you do, people will flock to buy them based on your ability to have helped them during your talk, not because you mercilessly flog them from the platform. This is simply an abuse and an unethical intrusion on the audience's time."
Alan Weiss
Money Talks: How to Make a Million as a Speaker
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