The World in Their Minds

In 2004 I was giving a lecture on communication to 15 official looking people. All from rather high public service positions. They paid attention and everything seemed to go well.

In the end one of them came to me and said: "Thank you. Although I must admit, I do not have any clear idea what you were talking about, I got so many thoughts when I was listening to you."

Was it a compliment? It did sound like one. Later I have found out that this kind of a confusion is common in lectures, but there are not so many people ready to accept this. Often people pretend to get your point exactly.

What is the use of lectures then? If your lecture creates a world where people can move on their own, you have done a good job. Just do not forget to give them a compass...