Madison's Missed Opportunity

In the October 26th episode of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing, Chad Rogers and Madison Hildebrand are invited to speak to a group of realtors in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their topic was how to sell high end properties in a declining market.

Chad rehearses his speech with his girlfriend Victoria who does not find any of his jokes funny because she's heard them a million times. But, with his typical high level of self-confidence, approaches his audience with a wry smile, gives a humorous speech, tells some lame jokes, shows his hot pink socks, and entertains the audience.

Madison, hoping to create some visibility for his book, has a more serious message about not accepting failure in times of difficulty. It's painful to watch. He's clearly nervous, stumbles over his words, and doesn't make a connection with the audience. The camera shows members of the audience, people about ten or twenty years older than Madison, looking both bored and skeptical while he offers them advice about the power of positive thinking.

In a post-episode video, Madison acknowledges the missed opportunity. His goal was to try to convey the value of the message in his book. But he should have realized, he says, that the dinner audience really wanted to listen to a speech more like Chad's, not like his.

I know what it's like to be in Madison's shoes -- you are hoping to give a good speech, you know that the speech could open doors, but you fall flat. In hindsight, you realize you needed a different strategy.

It's important to think about your audience and what they expect from you. Chad lucked out because the speech he planned -- his weirldy funny speech -- fit the audience's expectations of an after dinner speech. Madison wasn't so lucky; in the video he appologizes for his bad speech.

Madison is an expert at finding out what his real estate clients are all about. But public speaking is new for him, and he is not so adept at analyzing audiences.

What I thought was really interesting was that Madison brought in an image consultant to help him choose what to wear for the event. And he looked very handsome. But wouldn't it have been great if he had brought in a speech coach who could help him shape his message for the big event?

Garr Reynolds offers these wise words of advice:

Becoming an Excellent Presenter is as tough as becoming a great baseball pitcher. THIS IS IMPORTANT … and Presentation Excellence is never accidental! (Work your buns off!) No, it ain't easy. In fact, it's hard. But careers have been advanced or derailed based on a presentation. Deals have been won or lost depending on the outcome of a presentation. Non-profits and volunteer organizations have won funding or folded up their tents depending on their performance in a presentation. Presentations matter. And it is something very worthy of our commitment and lifelong study.