For a public speaking exercise, I ask students to tell a 2-3 minute story in front of the class. I also hand out a stack of simple evaluation sheets to the class — students anonymously rate the speaker’s storytelling skills, vocal skills, body language, and story value from 1-5. I also leave a brief space for written comments.<\/p>\n
In one class session, a particular student was a clear standout. Her showmanship was exceptional and she delivered a remarkable performance. She received straight 5’s across the board and a number of enthusiastic and positive comments in her evaluations.<\/p>\n
A week later, I asked the class who they thought gave the best presentation. They actually answered in unison — there was no question who delivered the over-the-top knockout performance.<\/p>\n
“Great.” I said. “Now, what was her story was about?”<\/p>\n
The class fell silent. Seven days later, and no one in class remembered the actual content of the story!<\/p>\n
How many times has this happened to you? You see or hear a terrific act (or read a phenomenal book or see a fantastic theatrical performance) — but when someone asks you, “Well? What was it about?” — you mutter something like, “Well, it’s hard to explain. You really had to be there.”<\/p>\n
The showmanship upstaged the story.<\/p>\n
The razzle-dazzle of the presentation took over the message.<\/p>\n