appropriate for a boardroom than this conference hall with a rowdy crowd at
Macworld. Still, the audience gave him the benefit of the doubt as he spoke
enthusiastically, from the heart, about the first time he saw the iPhone
prototypes.
Then it all fell apart. Sigman reached in his pocket, brought out cue cards,
and proceeded to read for seven of the longest minutes in the history of
Macworld. His comments were disconnected and uninspired, sounding as though
they came straight from the boilerplate of an AT&T press release. He looked
physically stiff and uncomfortable. While we can’t be sure that he didn’t have an
intention for his talk, he certainly didn’t convey one. He overlooked the
emotional reaction his presence should have had on the audience, and instead
left everyone feeling bored, at best, and at worst, disappointed that Apple had
picked such a dull partner.
The Stan Sigman experience became an Internet sensation immediately.
Bloggers wrote about it, audience members posted comments, and journalists
picked it up. YouTube videos went viral. He became the poster child for poor
executive presence.
I show this video frequently in workshops where people are stunned that
someone at Stan Sigman’s level would present so badly. But it is about more
than presentation skills. Sigman rose through the ranks of telecommunications
and built a hugely successful company. He knows how to present. He failed to
determine the emotion he wanted to impart and then set the intention that would
inspire that emotion in others. His presence should have conveyed excitement,
creativity, and innovation. If he had succeeded, 20,000 people would have been
a lot happier. It was an anemic beginning, unbefitting a culture-changing
product.
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