My Failure: My First Speaking Engagement – Part 2

As explained in my previous post, I was asked to present to an audience about my clients’ purpose and role in providing music programs to the community. The presentation was to be at a concert to raise awareness about the programs and feature quality gospel talent.

Unfortunately, I was told there was a large caveat; due to the venue my clients were using to host the concert, there were no projectors to use! I was never a fan of handheld notes (I always end up reading them instead of speaking to the audience), so I figured the best way to go about it was to memorize the 8-10 minute presentation completely.

So, after a week of prep, I finally had my presentation down to the point where I could deliver it without slides. I was a bit nervous, but very excited. I’ve done plenty of presentations before, but none on my own, where I was actually going to represent someone. It was somehow different from the assigned presentations for semester-long projects I completed in my MBA classes. The audience was comprised of those who came to enjoy a concert, not because their grade was on the line or because they wanted to hear me speak. Would they receive it well… or simply tune me out?

Alas, the time came to perform my first run to my clients. At the time of the meeting, only one co-owner of the music business could make it, so I had to present in front of the other. Things went pretty well; I surprised myself with my confidence and though I had a couple hiccups here and there, I was able to get through it pretty smoothly. However, my client asked for another run-through to tape for the other co-owner, and each time I tried it was progressively worse. I felt myself getting frustrated and my brain was turning into mush!

The client, realizing that I needed more time with the material, decided to pack things up and revisit the following week, suggesting I jot down some bullet points to stay on-track. Dejected, I retreated to my car. What happened? I had it! I know I could have done better. I vowed to come back the following week fully prepared to deliver a flawless presentation.

Throughout the next week, I practiced hard, working on my energy and remembering my speaking points. I considered the bullet points and even wrote some up, but wanted to give it one more go without them. I mean, it’s only 8 minutes, right? How hard could it possibly be? Well, turns out it was a lot harder than I thought…

This time, I performed my presentation in front of the other, more intimidating co-owner. It showed I was intimidated, because all of that preparation just flew out the window! After a couple of misfires, I was able to make it through. I got a lot of helpful feedback however, and again the bullet points came up. Everyone (including me) sensed my pride was getting the best of me, and grudgingly I agreed to use bullet points moving forward. Once again, disappointed with my performance, I vowed to make it up on the next one. My third and final rehearsal was scheduled a few days later, giving me only a couple days before my next chance at redemption.

Stay tuned for the conclusion… the ending is a real kicker!