70. Presentation Advice from Jerry Rice: Grasp the Question before You Answer

Jerry Rice played for the San Francisco 49ers football team from 1985 to 2000 at the wide receiver position. He played so well that he set virtually every significant record for receivers. Some of the more notable career records include receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), most 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14), total touchdowns (208), and combined net yards (23,546).^F70.1

What makes for a successful wide receiver is a statistic called Yards After Catch, or its acronym, YAC. The statistic refers to a play in which a receiver catches a pass for a gain of yards and then runs for additional yards. Superior receivers, such as Mr. Rice, strive for long YACs. The not-so-superior receivers, in their desire to become superior receivers, often take their eyes off the ball and start to run before they catch the ball. They then fail to make the yards or the catch. The play fails.

The analogy to Q&A sessions applies here. In their desire to succeed, presenters often start to provide an answer before they fully understand the question. If the answer doesn’t match the question, the answer—and the entire presentation—fails. The missing link in this equation is listening, a social skill that is rapidly becoming extinct in the twenty-first century.

You’ve read several examples of the importance of listening in this section; for now, let Jerry Rice’s skill reinforce the importance of listening before you answer. Do not take a single step into your answer until your hands are clutching the ball—until you fully grasp the true meaning of the question.