Public speaking and content development are evergreen topics, but they occasionally find their way into the here and now.
They did this past month when comedian Hasan Minhaj recently admitted in a profile in The New Yorker that many of his onstage anecdotes are untrue. There were not the usual embellishments of a stand-up comedian. They were fabricated stories about, among other things, receiving a letter with anthrax, which he claim came into contact with his then-infant daughter.
By his own admission, he never received that letter, and of course, it follows that no family member was in danger. And yet, Minhaj defends this practice by saying, “The punch line is worth the fictionalized premise”.
I’m not a comedian, but I know comedy is a unique craft. Getting the laugh is prioritized above 100% factual accuracy - that’s as it should be. Still, these revelations have me thinking about the bond any presenter or performer has of their audience.
My Four Essential Elements - the markers of success for any speech or presentation - are in place because there’s an implied agreement between creator and audience. A speaker or author sets the tone and tenor with their work and the way it’s presented, and they ask the audience to engage them on that basis.
Whether they realize it or not, they are a representative of something to the audience, whether that’s a community or an idea. It’s true even if it’s only a brief, one-time engagement.
You have a responsibility to the audience. As much as you can and should learn from them, they follow your lead. The impression you leave with them is on you.
So, what are you asking of your audience?