Every time I start a talk I promise my audience three things that if you also do will make all of your safety meetings and training successful.
One: I promise I will make it fun. And what I mean by “fun” isn’t that we will play games or do silly stuff (not that that won’t happen a bit) but I’m promising that the session will be interesting and will feel good. The definition I mean when I say fun is “energetic enjoyment.”
Some of the ways I make sure I fulfill this promise is by asking people in my audience personal questions that they can’t get wrong, but that tie into the topic at hand. Why is this fun? Because the questions I ask are a great set up for humorous responses. Example: when I’m explaining to an audience how emotions are the driving force behind our decisions—even the most important ones in our life like deciding to get married, I ask a couple folks in the audience “How did you get married? Was it in a church, synagogue, at home, etc.?” I’ll also ask them if they went on a honeymoon and if so where? Then I’ll ask them “Why did you get married?.” Most times their responses are funny. Even if the person says “because I was in love” it stills usually elicits a chuckle from many people in the room.
When your audience feels that the subject relates to their life, not just at work but all the time, it also gets them involved. If you can include things that set up a fun reaction, that’s even better.
I also tell at least two humorous, true stories in my sessions that relate to the topic, stories that either give a lesson or prove a point. People love stories because if told well their fun! Tell to Win by Peter Gruber is one of my favorite business books on the subject. Check it out. I learned a lot about storytelling and its power to influence people from the author.
The other two promises I make before I give a talk is that two, I will make the talk memorable and three it will include practical tips and techniques you can use right away.
In a future blog I’ll talk about how I fulfill these two promises.
‘till next time.
Hawk
