THE CUSTOMER ISN'T ALWAYS RIGHT

You have no doubt heard the expression that the customer is always right, right? Yet we all also know of situations where we don't agree with this phrase, where the customer is clearly not right. For example, if the customers are abusive, negligent, or just plain drunk, they are not right. Go to the www.clientsfromhell.net website if you want more examples. One of the recurring themes of this site is “I did everything as the client said and they are still not happy.” It is too simplistic to say that clients or customers are always right. Oftentimes they sound pretty confident while in reality they have little clue what they really want.

In terms of giving presentations, we've embraced the attitude of “the customer is always right” to combat the “what do I want to say” attitude we have. We force a focus on the audience, leading to a “what do they want to hear” attitude instead. But giving clients solely what they want isn't a good idea now, and it never was! Consider these quotes from the early 20th century:

• Henry Ford, entrepreneur: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
• Samuel Rothafel, impresario for many of the great New York movie palaces: “Giving the people what they want is fundamentally and disastrously wrong. The people don't know what they want … [Give] them something better.”

When Ford and Rothafel said those words, the idea that the customer isn't always right was a novel thought. But by now it seems relatively obvious, and there are numerous examples supporting the idea that the customer isn't always right. Why do we think still think that the audience is “always right”? Why do we try to please them at all costs, often sacrificing our own vision?

Sometimes it's a good idea to start your presentation with what the audience wants but end it by showing how what they want might be limited or short-sighted. In other words, don't just give them something they want.

Treating the audience as though they are always right, as though you are the one who has to avoid stepping on their toes, doesn't quite achieve the results you want. More likely it can make you come off as servile and craven. You lose authenticity because you are afraid so say what you think and believe. You come off as apologetic. Don't be a servant to your audience. If they don't like you, you'll find another audience. Having your own opinion, being authentic in your presentation, is far more important that trying to please your audience. Not every audience is going to be receptive to your message, and trying to please everyone is futile. Focusing includes not only choosing the right message, but also the right audience.

You are the one in the spotlight, and that means for the length of your presentation you are in charge. Trying to please the audience is sometimes less risky than putting your own thoughts and values out there to be judged. But by pandering to your audience you lose yourself and your point. By pandering to the audience you might affirm them, but you will never impact them. Sure, the audience may like you (or at least the image you are projecting) if you say things that are pleasing to them, that they want to hear. But by trying to please the audience, you can make only a good presentation, never a great one, never an impactful one.

George Handel, a popular 17^th century composer (whose music I am listening to as I'm writing this) once received warm appreciation for providing entertainment for his audience, to which he replied: “I should be sorry if I only entertained them; I wish to make them better.” Don't just make the audience feel good. Make them better.

Impudence Is the Second Happiness

There's a Russian saying, “Impudence is the second happiness.” I never quite got what that meant. I thought it was about people having impudence to cut a long waiting line, to have a seat when everybody else has to stand. You know those people. They're arrogant, they're loud, they're overly competitive, and they don't respect others.

But then I got it. Several years ago, I was looking at a slide deck of a prospective client. They had just prepared slides for their upcoming board meeting. They wanted my feedback, and I didn't like those slides the least bit. There was no visible structure, they were overloaded, and were badly designed. And yet my prospects just made a great effort in putting those slides together and probably expected to hear something good. “Well …” I said. And then I gave them my “your slides stink” look. “They are bad, aren't they?” said the client. I was relieved. I was happy. I didn't have to lie, and I won the contract.

Criticizing a client's product/process/situation requires impudence. I don't suggest you say anything like this unless you really mean it; not unless you have a couple of good heartfelt arguments to support your point of view. But if you do, go ahead and say it. This is where your presentation becomes interesting. Essentially, there is no point in saying something everybody agrees with. It will be a truism. If you want to say something, just say it. Go straight to the controversial part.

I'm not suggesting you should be arrogant and abusive to be interesting. Lots of people do try to attract attention this way. The difference between good impudence and bad impudence is that good impudence is constructive and creative. It adds value. It is done in good faith. Sir Ken Robinson, an author and a spokesperson on a topic of creativity, defines creativity as “having original ideas that have value.” Having original ideas requires impudence; all original ideas are controversial by definition.

What Do You Want Your Audience To Do?

You now have a choice. What goal for engaging your audience do you want to aim for? These different goals are like nesting matryoshka dolls, as shown in Figure 2-3.

FIGURE 2-3: The nested hierarchy of goals.

• Hear your message: You can simply choose to have the audience hear your message right now, in the moment, and be entertained or engaged by it.
• Remember your message: You can choose to just inform your audience. You can choose to be memorable.
• Do something: You can choose to motivate your audience to act. For that, they have to remember something of your speech. If they don't remember a thing you said, chances are they won't do anything.
• Improve themselves: The ultimate goal is to change the audience, to make them better people. People do not become better just by listening or remembering stuff; they become better by making choices and acting on them. It is not the act itself that changes people. It's the choice that does.

So go ahead and chose any two:

• “I want them to hear X and to remember it.”
• “I want them to remember X and do Y.”
• “I want them to do Y because of Z.”

I'd love it if you'd go for the ultimate goal.