Speaking before a group is a rare privilege–everyone else in the room is there to give you their attention, free of charge! What will you do with it? If you don’t pay attention, aren’t flexible, and fail to connect, you’ll squander that gift. Remember, there really are no bad audiences–only performers and speakers who fail to connect with the audience that is before them.
We all create experiences for everyone around us. Why not get good at creating the kind of experience that will, in turn, create the positive change you want to see?
Of course…first, you must decide just what that change will be. Then consciously set about building the presentations, both formal and informal, that are likely to create that specific change. That’s the Wizard’s Way–and the way to a more rewarding life!
I know too many performers who experience some success, but then find them selves in unnecessary dry spells–times when they have difficulty finding work. For the most part, this is because during their “busy” times, they haven’t made time to nurture all of the great relationships they’ve created. Remember–tend your garden, and your garden will take care of you!
I live in the San Francisco Bay area, where you can’t cross the street without encountering someone involved in a new startup business. There are over 80 incubators for new businesses operating here–which means there are hundreds and hundreds of those startups–each hoping to change the world. Most will fail, though… and many of those will fail not because their products and ideas don’t measure up, but because they have failed to communicate the benefits of those products to their market – or to the investors who might have provided the cash they need to succeed.
Powerful and persuasive is a superpower every entrepreneur needs to develop!
My friend Jeff McBride loves performing his magic on cruise ships during the winter. He gets kudos and standing ovations for the shows–but the cruise lines appreciate his attitude of being “always on.” Anytime he appears outside his cabin, Jeff makes a point of greeting the cruise guests in a friendly way, and makes sure his presentation of himself offstage is consistent with his role as a star performer for that group. His dress, his manner, the fact that he’s always ready with an entertaining bit–all of these things contribute to his success not only with the cruise guests but with the cruise line itself.
It’s the same with all performers, I think. While the cruiseliner presents a microcosm of the larger world–our work as solo performers and CEO’s of our own businesses is no different. Every contact with another human being presents opportunities to either build the relationship–or tear it down.
Attention is one of our most valuable commodities today… don’t waste it when it is given for free! Know what you want to achieve, prepare, and achieve it! THAT’s the Wizard’s Way!
Here at the beginning of a new year, we’re all inclined to take some time to reassess our lives and businesses. I plan to start with a re-examination of my core values and purpose(s). I know there are a thousand little “fixes” I can make to current systems, materials, etc… but I don’t know which are most important until I can examine them again against current purposes and values.
I know, we’re all used to thinking of things like our values as being pretty fixed…but when you really examine them, you’re likely to find they have shifted as the world around them changes, and as we gain more experience. It’s the same with our overall or purpose. We live in a different world than we did a year or a decade ago–and the changes that need most to be made now are quite different from the most important ones back then. If you can stay on top of these things, and keep them in mind as you build and rebuild your business, you’ll be gaining a definite advantage over those who do not or cannot.
Best wishes for an exciting and prosperous New Year!
