Do you want your audiences to listen? Be yourself

Yesterday I had a chat with someone who attended my keynote in Copenhagen earlier in the week. He was keen to know why, even with 45 minutes in hand, I chose to put people in cognitive dissonance right from the start.

Before I could say anything, he explained his own strategy. ‘I usually go slow, I let people settle down first and then gradually I start to make them uncomfortable. Isn’t there a risk of losing people if you do that so early in your presentation especially when you don’t even know them. What if they switch off?’

Far too many conferences and conventions are about massaging egos and preserving order. And many of us become excessively worried about upsetting (powerful) people. Ask yourself who are these people and what are their needs? Does that align with your own purpose and ethics?

Many of these people are fixated on networking, aesthetic, the tag on the lanyard, social status, food, wine and gala night. If your purpose is to make people think, reflect and shift their perspective, are you really worried about upsetting those who live for power, fame, lust and material success?

I had the most wonderful time of my life in St. John’s, Canada when two young graduates walked up to me at the end of my speech and said, ‘Dr Anand, this is wonderful. We are really lacking ethics in risk and safety. You’ve hit the nail on the head. Now how do we move forward from here?’

I said, ‘ you already have.’

We spent the next few minutes having a wonderful discussion. And guess what? Soon more people joined.

Know your priorities, be honest to yourself and your message and don’t worry too much about preserving order. There’s a difference between being arrogant and practicing assertion and clarity of mind.

There are many ways to practice humility. I usually don’t stand on the podium after finishing my speech, I step down and connect with people. If you are being honest to your audiences, people can feel it.

You’re given 45 minutes (or less) to deliver your message. Be yourself. In a crowd of 500, there’s probably a handful of people who have come to listen to your message, learn, think, reflect and act.

Don’t let them down.