You can't see the picture when you are in the frame

By Robert L Comradd Sr.

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On March 21, 2009, I took part in a speaking contest for Toastmasters organization. I invited all my family and friends to see my presentation. I chose to tell my “Seven Eleven Nightmare Story.” I chose a story that would be exciting and funny. My friend showed up, and my sister showed up later. I told everyone that it was a possibility I would be first. The contest started a 2:00 p.m. on the dot. To my surprise, they pulled names, and my name came up first. My sister was running a little late. I wanted to wait for her, but I had to go along with the rules. I went ahead and presented my speech.
We had only seven minutes to present our speeches. I captured the audience’s attention and maintained their attentiveness throughout the speech. I had the audience laughing, and they all applauded after the presentation. I felt certain that I had a good chance of winning.
The next contestant came up to the lectern. She gave a presentation on reading and interpreting certain books. It was boring to me, and I could see the same restlessness on the faces of others. When she finished, she received a round of applause as well.
The third contestant, a well-dressed man, got up to give his presentation. The audience was excited and ready to receive what he had to offer. He started talking about technical situations related to his job. I can’t speak for everyone, but the subject was so technical that it did not resonate with me. I looked around and noticed that the audience looked puzzled. To top it off, in the middle of his speech, he froze. He stared at the audience for about three long minutes and then proceeded.
After seeing their expressions, I knew I had won. I started making plans for the next contest. The judges had a couple of minutes to vote for the best speaker. I took my pen out and started writing my next week work schedule. I was trying to see how I would work around the event.
The audience settled down, and then they called my name for third place. There were only three speakers, so third place meant nothing. They called me to the front, shook my hands, and that was that. The woman who talked about books came in first, and the man who forgot half of his speech came in second. This is what they mean when they say, “You can’t see the picture when you are in the frame.” We have to step out of the frame in order to see what others see. In 2010, I participated in another contest and lost again. This time, I lost because I went overtime. I was so into it that I could not stop. I saw the red light and I tried to finish up, but it was too late. I felt like I was in the middle of the ocean, and if I stopped swimming, I’d drown. I didn’t want to drown, so I kept on swimming. After it was over, several people came up to me and said how they could relate to the story. One guy said, “Man, it was like a rollercoaster, and I was with you all the way.” Hearing that from a total stranger made my day. I had won the audience again. I am a winner.