How do you give a speech to a bunch of professional speakers? You could hardly imagine a more critical audience. Speaking is what they do for a living, day in, day out. They know all tricks of the trade. I mean, if anyone is going to find you out, it’s these guys. Right?
Well, Vicky O'Farrell (London president) invited me to deliver my keynote at the PSA* London last month. And yes, these guys certainly know a bit about speaking on stage. But I’ve never experienced a crowd who were so supportive. Critical yes, but in a very constructive and supportive way. I think it’s because they know what is involved, how much you need to prepare, to get it just right, which makes them appreciative when you make an effort. (And in fact, you’re always “getting it right”.)
I spoke about Turning Uncertainty into a Competitive Advantage. This is something I like talking about as I can include some themes which I feel passionate about e.g.
Have the Courage of your Conviction
Embrace Adversity
Learn from Failure
Resilience in Business
I feel all these elements are part of how we can turn the almost unprecedented levels of uncertainty around us at present into an asset which we can use to our advantage.
The feedback I received at the event was very encouraging. One element which appeared to resonate well were the stories I used from outside business. Stories from our childhood are so powerful as they often represent something we learned at an early age and so they leave an indelible mark. The difference is, do we use these lessons? Do we put them to work for us in our business? Or do we feel the only lessons relevant to business are those learned in business?
I enjoyed myself immensely at the event and can’t wait for the next opportunity I’m convinced there is no better audience from which to be critiqued than an audience of fellow-speakers.