It was like stand up

“It was like stand up - but with a point.”

Is this the greatest feedback a facilitator can get? It’s certainly my favourite feedback. 

In the bar after delivering a session at a construction industry safety conference some years back, my colleague, Kevin Heneghan, and I were discussing how we felt it had gone. We had tried hard to  make it different and challenge some thinking, we wanted attendees at the conference to enjoy our input but, most of all, we wanted to make some important points about perception and safety. We also had the 3pm session on a hot day in a darkened room - great! 

Kevin and I found it difficult to be objective. We had high expectations of ourselves and really wanted the conference attendees to get something useful from the session. 

Half way through our first pint, as we were in deep discussion, one of the conference attendees came over and volunteered this feedback - “It was like standup but with a point.” 

I have thought about this great piece of feedback many times. For me it has become a brilliant summary of what to strive for in presenting to or facilitating a business audience: 

• It is not about entertainment although it must engage, interact and be memorable.

• Like stand up comics, we must challenge and question accepted practice. We must enthuse people and enable them to enjoy a different view.

• We have to try communication approaches that get people to listen, think and question their own assumptions.

• Most of all we have to help people get to the point and decide to do something about it.

Thanks to the feedback we enjoyed the rest of our pint, as it seems, on that day, Kevin and I managed all of this.