The era of social media is teaching us new rules for public speaking. When the crowd is by definition connected to the rest of the world via smart phones, tablets and computers, you also need to change the way you’re presenting says blogger Drew Neisser. Don’t expect the crowd to look at you while you speak, because they’ll be riveted to their mobile devices. And don’t dare asking to turn these off, because within seconds your audience will have posted snarky tweets about you.
 

Instant feedback can be cool

But as Drew Neisser correctly points out, social media is also an opportunity. The audience suddenly multiplies your message that will reach hundreds, even thousands instead of just the few sitting in the room.

And so it happened that after my presentation at the Creativity World Forum, some people came to me asking if I had already been told  that I look like Hugh Grant. Well yes, it is following me now since 1997, the year when Hugh Grant became famous with ‘4 weddings and a funeral.’ During my presentation, they had read it on the twitter feed.

So I scrolled down the stream of messages and there it was:

@rubenvanderlaan – brilliant insights from the Hugh Grant of business transformation. Takeaway point; say “yes and…” a lot. #cwf11

Mmm, not bad this instant feedback! And I kind of like being called the Hugh Grant of business transformation. Though really, Hugh Grant is the Ruben van der Laan of acting…