“I thought of suicide, pretended illness, flight …. I was very miserable and scared.” – Mark Twain on his first lecture
Before he was a famous author, Mark Twain was simply Samuel Clemens; a struggling journalist traveling through the West in search of fortune and adventure. With a little presentation ingenuity, his first lecture in 1866 would spark a 30-year-career that would make him an insanely famous speaker and later, an equally famous author. Are we suggesting that a career in presentations can launch you into stardom? You wouldn’t be the first.
The Historic “Lecturer”
Whether they were informative, political, comedic, or just weird, lecture tours were popular in the United States during the mid-1800’s. You could consider lectures the equivalent of TED Talks today. A good lecturer could pull in huge amounts of money from ticket sales; for instance, Twain was particularly motivated by a speaker/author named Artemus Ward whose mere debut in San Francisco, 1863 pulled in more than $1,000. Motivated by money and inspired by his recent travels to Hawaii, Mark Twain saw dollar signs and a future career.
Everything Was Perfect…Except for the Stage Fright
Mark Twain bravely booked the largest venue in San Francisco for his first lecture on October 2nd, 1866. Along with a brilliant marketing strategy that included many hilarious posters (see here), Twain was still terrified by the idea of a failure. In his words, he was “the most distressed and frightened creature on the Pacific coast.” His tickets were already selling in advance due to the marketing push, and he wasn’t sure if he could live up to the hype. “I grieved that I could not bring a coffin on the stage and turn the thing into a funeral.”
An Unusual Solution
Anxious no one would find his jokes funny and that the crowd would demand refunds, Twain cleverly planted friends throughout the audience who had been given a free ticket to laugh at his jokes during the right time. It was massively successful. He hastily put together a lecture tour following the event and rose to stardom from there.
What Made His Style Unique
Unlike the authoritative voices of religious leaders and politicians who packed lecture halls, Twain aimed to connect with his audience. He looked at people directly in the eyes, spoke plainly, and made jokes. His more casual style of delivery resonated with audiences, as it still does today. Consider Steve Jobs in his blue jeans, speaking in plain language about how awesome the iPod is as a comparison.
Some could say that Mark Twain became famous because of old-fashioned presentations. We aren’t saying it, but we are certainly suggesting it helped.
Question: What sort of “modern” lectures do you enjoy?
