The TRUE GLUE: Behind the Curtain
There is a moment most of the audience does not see. How does a speaker engage with and treat the AV Team.
Keynote Speaker: Helping pros stay HUMAN and Break Free of the Sea of Sameness
There is a moment most of the audience does not see. How does a speaker engage with and treat the AV Team.
The speaker is getting mic'd up. Slides are being checked. Timing and stage blocking is being confirmed.
This is one of the places where professionals show up differently. Because the person holding the microphone may be the most visible person in the room, but they are not the only person carrying the experience.
Meet the TRUE GLUE
Years ago, one of my speaking mentors taught me a lesson I have carried into every speaking engagement since.
Pay attention, with care, to the humans behind the curtain. The TRUE GLUE is the AV team. Production. Event staff. Assistants. Stage managers. The humans solving problems most attendees never know existed. They are the TRUE GLUE.
They are carrying the sound, timing, transitions, slides, lighting, room experience, and dozens of details happening simultaneously while the speaker focuses on serving the people in the seats, the TRUE GLUE AV and productions team are who are truly driving the success of an event.
Great events are collective efforts.
How Speakers Show Up Backstage Matters
The way a speaker interacts with the people supporting an event tells you a great deal.
Are they prepared? Are they on time? Do they communicate clearly? Do they listen when the AV professional explains something about the room? Do they treat the person attaching their microphone with the same respect they give the executive who hired them?
No ego. No drama. Partnership.
The AV team is not there to make the speaker important. The speaker and AV team are there together to create an experience for the audience.
Pros Are Prepared
One of the principles I have learned as an Exactly What to Say® Licensed Guide is:
"The worst time to think about what you are going to say is in the moment you are saying it."
The same applies to professional speaking. The worst time to discover how your slides advance, where you can walk, how your microphone works, or what happens immediately before you take the stage is when the room is already full.
There is work before the work. Professional speakers show up ready to collaborate.
They ask questions. They understand the plan and are ready to adapt to changes.
And when something changes, because live events have a funny way of doing that, preparation gives them room to remain agile.
The People Behind the Experience
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with AV and production teams in small rooms, large conference environments, corporate events, workshops, and everything in between.
Different stages. Different setups. Different teams. The lesson has remained the same.
Respect the people holding the experience together. Because professionalism is not something that suddenly appears when the microphone turns on.
It was already visible backstage.
And this principle extends far beyond events.
Every organization has TRUE GLUE people.
The humans quietly making things happen. Solving problems. Supporting the larger objective. Carrying responsibilities other people may never notice.
Who are the TRUE GLUE people in your organization?
Make sure they know you see them.
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