We’ve devoted enough space on this blog recently to the importance of a radio host identifying himself/herself frequently, out of respect for and for the comfort of the listener.
But tonight I was on the audience end of this equation, and it confirmed what I’ve been preaching (and preaching).
I went to a screening of THE DESCENDANTS, and afterward there was a Q&A session with the two screenwriters and the film’s director.
Oh, and there was a moderator. He introduced Writer #1. He introduced Writer #2. And then he introduced the director.
But he didn’t tell the audience who he was. Based on a couple of comments I overheard as I left the theater, I wasn’t the only one who found that annoying.
Why didn’t he introduce himself? It has to be one of three reasons:
- He figures he’s so important that everyone in the audience must know who he is. (If so, he’s mistaken.)
- He doesn’t know better.
- He does know better, but this time he forgot to introduce himself.
I’m guessing it was Reason #2.
He avoided the kinds of smug, “look what an insider I am” moderator questions that usually dampen such post-screening sessions. So it’s probably not Reason #1.
Anyone who does lots of public speaking knows even “good” speakers make mistakes, forget obvious points, etc. That can include forgetting introduce oneself to the audience. But that particular lapse is pretty rare, so I’m ruling out Reason #3.
But whatever the reason was, it made some audience members uncomfortable and detracted from their enjoyment of the discussion.
On the other hand, it’s an excellent film and I highly recommend it…
Spoiler Alert: Don’t watch the longer trailers for this film, because they give away an important plot point. You’ll enjoy the movie a lot more if you don’t know this particular twist is coming.
