Them: “They’re giving us 30 minutes, but we’re preparing 20.”
Me: “Why only 20?”
Them: “Because we know they’re going to interrupt us.”
I was coaching a group of mid-level leaders preparing to present to their Senior Leadership Team.
Me: “Why are they going to interrupt you?”
Them: “They always interrupt.”
Me: “If you’re good, they won’t interrupt you.”
Them: “Oh no, you don’t understand, they ALWAYS interrupt!”
Me: “Okay, let’s see what happens.”
Here’s the first email I received from them after their presentation: “We couldn’t believe it! There were NO interruptions!”
They learned a valuable lesson: They don’t interrupt you when you’re good.
Imagine being in a really good movie. Would you interrupt what’s happening on the screen? Never! You would never let anyone else interrupt either until it’s over.
The audience only gets restless and starts to talk, or wants to do something else, when what’s happening in front of them doesn’t hold their interest.
The right question to ask yourself is, “What does it take to be uninterruptible? What does it take to be so good, everyone wants to hear everything I have to say? How do I keep them totally captivated from my first word to my last?”
It takes a well-crafted presentation, a great connection with your audience and powerful intention.
It’s about your ability to captivate.
I’ve had all kinds of people show up for coaching. Tall, short, beautiful, funny-looking, young, ancient, low-level, high level, introvert, extrovert, well-dressed and not, nerds, philosophers, wizards, engineers, outgoing sales, shy, lacking confidence, arrogant, interesting, and boring as a nail.
My conclusion is that everyone has it in them to be captivating.
There’s a simplicity to doing it. There are rules to follow:
Strip off all the complexity. Craft a compelling key message that creates instant acceptance and craft supporting key messages that keep their interest.
When you stand in front of them, the “you” that is the real you needs to show up.
Create pure, high-quality communication. This consists of a strong personal connection with the audience, real intention and your creation of high fidelity understanding.
You do all that and – boom! The audience will use words like “Powerful”, “Impactful”, “I was swept away”, “I was touched”, “I was moved”, “I’m totally behind what you’re saying.”
They won’t want to interrupt you. They won’t want you to end. They won’t want you to stop.
I see it a lot with my own presentations, workshops and talks. I get to the end, thank them for coming and smile like it’s over. And no one moves. They start figuring out questions to ask to keep it going.
My team of incredible trainers is always telling me how their audiences and students stay late. Some very late.
I see it with the people I coach.
If we can do it, so can you.
Humans are not hard to figure out. Especially if you’re willing to accept the answers to your questions. Like the real reasons they interrupt, why they don’t listen, or why they derail and take over a presentation.
The question I asked is, “Why don’t they do it to everyone? Why don’t they do it in those 2-hour movies? Why don’t they do it to all speakers?”
The answer is clear. It’s not the topic. It’s “What is the person they’re watching giving them? How is it creating their interest?”
This goal is achievable by everyone. I’ve coached tens of thousands of people, and I have yet to meet even one who doesn’t have it in them.
Do you want to become uninterruptible? If you’re willing to ask the right questions and do the work, it’s yours. I hope this has inspired you to do it.
Be the cause!