Keynote Speaker Keeps Mentioning How Long He’s Been Married To Get Applause Breaks
When in doubt, say “I’ve been married to my wife for 25 years…”
A local professional attending the Bakersfield Small Business Expo has accused one keynote speaker of "gaming the system" by manipulating the audience into providing applause breaks.
The professional, Marge Windows, is accusing the speaker of repeatedly mentioning how long he’s been married to his wife whenever there is a lull in the presentation.
According to Windows, anytime the speaker seems to be losing steam in his presentation, he’ll pull out one of the following lines:
"You know, my wife and I have been married for 25 years now…"
"I want to thank my wife for letting me be here because today is actually our 25th wedding anniversary!"
"Business is like a marriage - which by the way, I’ve been married for 25 years now."
Each line has a 100% success rate in generating applause.
However, to the keen senses of an engaged audience member, this tactic is grating, dishonorable, and downright offensive.
Windows again shares her thoughts:
"I come to these expos every year, and I’ve never seen someone exploit the audience like this. It’s unethical.
A seminar at an expo is like a delicate waltz between speaker and audience; there needs to be a mutual respect, and this guy wasn’t holding up his side of the bargain.
All he wanted was applause."