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I learnt a lot of good things at the Asia Professional Speakers Singapore (APSS) Annual Convention last week, but one thing really, really shocked me.
It was that after the convention when I sat down to reflect on what I had learned, I realised I could remember ALMOST NOTHING (!!) of what had been said.
There were over 20 speakers, with about 15 hours content, and most of them I really liked, but apart from remembering half a dozen stories, a couple of jokes, and a handful of sound bites, I could remember virtually nothing else.
This in itself was a huge lesson, and makes me realise:
1. The importance of going through notes and reflecting after an event – because when I did this, I was able to work out how to apply a lot of incredibly valuable insights which will hugely help my work as a professional speaker. Without the reflection, that all would be lost.
2. As a speaker – it reminds me that the key thing is to develop stories with helpful messages which can be easily remembered, applied and repeated. Also – don’t have too many ideas in one speech!
3. Alongside remembering stories, I also observed that I remember the funniest speakers, and those that engaged – both emotionally, and by getting me to take part.
I will post more on my specific learnings next week.