Yesterday I attended an event for entrepreneurs; it was almost 4 years since I attended again this particular event. I was happy to see there are many attendees. It made me conclude that the subject matter has reached the tipping point and now it is part of our daily life. So attendees like me wanted to know this new world and learn how to cope and maximize its presence.

The night is going well, the speakers are great not until the second to the last speaker shamelessly begun selling instead of teaching. A big No No when you are given the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience.

Speakers are thought leaders in a learning event. They should not be salesmen who sell snake oil in front of a captured crowd. I pity those people who are methodically influenced by the presentation of the salesman pretending to be a speaker.

Distasteful is a very mild word to describe what was happening. It is crime and will always be categorized as a crime if you abused the trust that was accorded to you by the organizers and attendees. The podium or rostrum for that matter is a respectable platform and respect must be given at any cost.

Again, if this is a product presentation event then it is ok to sell but it’s not. It is a knowledge sharing event about your success, failures, best practices and pitfalls (I hope you get the grip of what I am talking about).

So now, always remember do not sell to me, teach me and let me be transformed by the lessons you bring. It is not too much to ask and it is all I expect when you use the stage, hold the microphone, and flip your awesome PowerPoint.

Until now when that moment passes my mind, I scratch my head in dismay and heave a sigh coupled with this word, “ Anoooobayaaan”.