The Craft of Conferencing Newsletter
Issue No. 5. News, insights & ideas on public speaking and the business and craft of B2B conference production from journalist, podcaster, and B2B event producer Charles Laughlin. October 2, 2024.
We post a few times per week (newsletter and podcast) sharing news, insights, opinions, and best practices on The Craft of Conferencing.
Being good at conferencing is a game-changer for careers and brands. If you organize, speak, sell, or even if you just attend events regularly, this Substack is for you.
The beauty of conferencing is that every skill that falls under its umbrella can be cultivated. Organizing, curating, ideating, writing, speaking, networking, interviewing, selling. Anyone can learn to do any of these things. Yet few of us are great at any of these on day one.
You get out of conferencing what you put into it.
Please consider the content we share here as a key input in your conferencing journey.
The Craft of Conferencing
Which Is Scarier, a Big Crowd, or a Small One?
We all know that public speaking is one of our most commonly cited fears. It even has a name. Glossophobia. You may be glossophobic yourself.
It’s OK. We all have phobias. My claustrophobia makes sitting in the window seat on a long, crowded flight excruciating. And I have endured many long, crowded flights in a lifetime of conferencing around the world.
I've also been on stage hundreds of times in front of large and small crowds. Neither much scares me anymore. However, at first, I had glossophobia like most of us do. But I got used to it. And gradually it went away.
From the very beginning, small audiences scared me a lot more than large ones did. Particularly when they were packed into a space that matched their numbers, like a conference room. Conversely, there are few things less terrifying (or depressing) than speaking to a very small audience scattered about a cavernous ballroom.
Sure this is all counter-intuitive. Let me explain.
If you are talking to 20 people in a small room you can look each person in the eyes. It seems odd if you don't make eye contact with every person in the small room. The intimacy of this setting is excruciating.
Yet when you are talking to hundreds or more people, it feels like a collection of heads in the crowd. Few things are less intimate.
You might interact with the members of a large audience during Q&A. But the odds are you won’t. Meanwhile, interaction is all but certain in a small room. And a lack of interaction in a small-room setting feels wrong in a way that it never does speaking to a large crowd.
The small room audience is rarely unwilling to interject or even interrupt with questions and comments. Whenever I have received sharp questions during or after a talk, it has always been in front of a small group. Just as a stand-up comic will face more hecklers in a small club than in an arena.
This is why I find small crowds more intimidating. It isn’t even close.
A Sea of Balloons with Smiley Faces
FWIW, I've never felt the need to try the "just picture everyone naked" trick for overcoming glossophobia. So I have no idea if it works. I strongly suspect all it does is cause you to lose your place in your presentation. But have at it if it works for you.
I imagine if this trick does work, I bet it works better in a smaller room.
I prefer to think of all the people in a big room as balloons with smiley faces drawn on them with Sharpies. I know that’s weird. Just find what works for you.
How to Handle Small Crowds
So naturally you want to know how to deal with small crowds.
The first rule is, don’t treat them like a large crowd. If you picture them naked or with balloon faces, it won’t make the experience easier. It will make things worse.
The real answer is very simple. Lean into it.
Be more prepared than you have ever been. This way, when the inevitable snarky questions come, you will be able to handle them with aplomb.
Take control of the situation. Introduce yourself to everyone in the room before you get started. And instead of avoiding eye contact, initiate it. Encourage the audience to interrupt with questions. If you don’t they will anyway.
If you have anything interesting to say and if you are genuinely an authority, a small audience is a gift. You can have a conversation rather than give a speech. You can learn what resonates in your talk better than you ever could talking to hundreds of balloon faces.
ICYMI: The Craft of Conferencing Podcast
Episode 3 of The Craft of Conferencing Podcast features veteran CRO George Leith on how to use conferences for business development and sales. George shares his playbook for successfully using B2B events as a sales channel.
Episode 2 of The Craft of Conferencing Podcast features an interview with the man who wrote the book on crafting great events. Phil Mershon leads the annual Social Media Marketing World event and is the author of Unforgettable: The Art & Science of Creating Memorable Experiences. Phil shares his formula for great events.
In case you missed it, the inaugural episode of The Craft of Conferencing Podcast features an interview with event-tech founder Daphne Earp Hoppenot, who recently sold The Vendry to Groupize. The conversation covers the state of B2B events, The Vendry’s eventful ride from launch to exit, and much more.
More episodes coming soon!
To discuss newsletter and podcast sponsorships and collaborations, write to us at Charles@craftofconferencing.com.
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