Sitting in the audience as a conference-goer, listening to a speech, or any kind of presentation, means working hard.  It’s difficult to retain information we’ve acquired through our ears.  Studies show that we only remember 10 – 30 percent of what we hear.  And judging those messages is a difficult task, too.  How do we decide on the fly what’s worthwhile and what’s junk?  We often are overly impressed with the sizzle of a fresh, well-presented idea, and don’t figure out until much later that the idea is actually a trivial one. 

So here are 4 questions to ask yourself as you listen, to test whether what you’re hearing is a good idea, or merely rhetoric.  Think of it as a conference survival guide.  

First, is it articulate? When you’re on the receiving end of rhetoric, listen closely for clarity. Articulateness is not only a virtue; it is also usually a sign of clarity of thought. The reverse is also true:  if the communication isn’t clear to you, it probably isn’t clear to the speaker.  If there’s a lot of jargon, that usually hides lazy thinking. 

Second, is there a real alternative? It’s always useful to ask yourself, when someone is putting forth an idea, whether there’s an alternative. If a politician says, for example, that he ‘supports our troops’, ask yourself, What’s the alternative? Could a politician say, “ I don’t support the troops ” ?  Obviously not.  If that’s the case, then there is no real idea behind the rhetoric. It’s only grandstanding. This is a good test to apply to your own communications as well.

Third, is the idea consequential? Check the importance of the idea. Does it amount to anything, or is it a tiny thought? Your time is valuable; don’t waste it listening to people rearranging the intellectual deck chairs on some virtual Titanic.

Fourth, does the idea shock but not surprise? A persuasive communication may shock us, but it shouldn’t surprise us. Indeed, good communication does need to shock, because otherwise it won’t get any attention in this information – saturated era.  Beyond that, we should be able to recognize the fundamental truth of it. Things that are both shocking and surprising are truly rare. When Luke learns that Darth Vader is his father, the audience is shocked but not surprised. Some part of us recognizes that it’s in some sense inevitable and logical.  Of course, Darth Vader is Luke’s father. That’s why the Force is so strong within him.  In your own communications, feel free to shock people, but try not to surprise them in this sense of the word.

Keep these four questions in mind as you listen to speech after speech at a conference this spring.  They will help you free your mind of clutter and stay focused on what’s important.