f your entire life were condensed to just three days, what would you like those three days to look like?
For me, I’d like those days to look like the last three days at Resonance2022 organized by District41, Toastmasters International. And here’s why…
#We were all in the right room:
If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room. – Confucius
Anyone who attended the Resonance will agree that we were all in the right room. Well, the room happened to be the Viceroy Hall at WelcomHotel ITC Dwarka. It was here that we engaged with the emcees, interacted with Toastmasters top team and witnessed a superb lineup of keynote speakers! And then, there is much more learning that happened off-the-stage simply by observing the demeanor of leaders. #Learning
#We were building new bridges:
A survey of 200 random people was conducted where they were all invited to a hall. Research found that most sat next to someone who was like themselves – a white man sat next to a white man, a black next to a black and a fat man sat beside a fat man! Nothing, however, could be more debilitating to our growth. (Source – Professor Himanshu Rai, guest speaker at Resonance 2022).
Thankfully, that was not the case at all at the Viceroy Hall. It witnessed 200+ people from different parts of Bangladesh, India and Nepal bonding and mingling together, celebrating others achievements and creating new bridges. The atmosphere of Toastmasters and the well thought-out activities designed by the emcees automatically ensured everyone got busy opening new possibilities for themselves! #Networking
#We were fully present!
We learn best in moments of enjoyment – Dr. Ralph C Smedley.
And enjoyment is much more than laughing over a humorous act. The physical activities, a sense of empathy for others, new perspectives along with the fun moments made the magic happen – It opened the participants minds fully and activated all senses which made them more receptive to new ideas and made even the complex learning easily palatable. #Enjoyment
All of that and more happened inside the Viceroy Hall. Things that made us all feel a little more humble, a little more human. If you attended, please share what else you saw happening inside the Viceroy Hall at Resonance 2022 and if you missed, it better be because you had something more important or worthwhile to do at the time .
Here’s your weekly dose of “5-Bullet Tuesday”, list of things I’m enjoying or pondering.
Event I attended– Communicate with Impact, a virtual session organized at Macquarie office. At Macquarie, we follow leadership expert Peter Fuda and apply his teachings. Here’s some food for thought from the Mr. Peter Fuda:
The D&I definition I loved— Corporates are giving a lot of attention to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) these days, but it can be complex to understand. This simple definition clarified it for me:
Diversity is the mix. Inclusion is making the mix work. ~ Andres Tapia
Quote I’m pondering — I recently delivered my Toastmaster’s speech where my evaluator used this quote. It was such a nice mischievous way to define a good speech.
“A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt – long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.” ― Winston S. Churchill
Poem I loved reading— This goes out to those who are avoiding risk, playing it safe, being too cautious. Well, expounding it makes me imagine myself in the frame. Erghhh.. Okay, anyway, it’s a good way to remind ourselves to L.I.V.E. There was a very cautious man Who never laughed or played He never risked, he never tried, He never sang or prayed. And when he passed away one day, His insurance was denied, For since he never really lived, They claimed he never really died. (Anonymous poem) ― John C. Maxwell, From Developing the Leader Within You
What I learnt about communication– When communicating, here are some principles which we often forget. It was a pleasant refresher for me from the Communicate with Impact session I attended last week:
Don’t sell, create the gap!
Speak to the heart, not just to the head!
Speak less, say more!
Context before Content!
Give the punchline early
Use a metaphor
Define what’s up for grabsand what not (Negotiables versus non-negotiables)
Once an agreement has been reached, close the conversation.
Demonstrationalways works better than Description
They may tolerate your conclusions but people will commit to their own conclusions.
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Here’s your weekly dose of “5-Bullet Tuesday”, list of things I’m enjoying or pondering.
What I’m reading –
[bctt tweet=”A day without laughter is a day wasted – Charlie Chaplin” username=”mohitsawhney”]
If you’re looking to add humor in your speaking and making it part of your life, get hold of this book: The Levity Effect, by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher. It’s available in audio format from Audible as well as in hard copy from Amazon.in. I have grabbed my audio copy just today and can’t wait to listen. .
Podcast I loved—
I think I was an early mover as far as listening to podcasts is concerned. It’s only recently though that it’s become more popular in India. Having heard so many international podcasts over the years, I have developed a sense of separating the wheat from the chaff. This one comes from a friend, a fellow Toastmaster from the same club, but it’s superior quality and I’m saying so while swallowing my own ego given the competitive rivalry that exists with people you’re close with. Hustle with Harmit, has a long way to go. Listen to this episode and decide yourself.
What 500 rupee or less purchase I’m proud of –
I bet you know by now what written form of gratitude can do to positively change your life forever.
But then, is it easy?
Maybe not. Life comes in the way. That’s why, we need a gratitude buddy – A buddy who is an accountability partner. One you trust and who nudges you to do it daily. My wife and I decided to be gratitude buddies for each other. We finished the 30 day gratitude challenge today. And guess what, we’re feeling lighter, may be not so much in our body but certainly so in our heads.
Quote I’m pondering —
Tip of the week –
One Public speaking tip that stuck with me was from TEDx speaker Chendil Kumar. Chendil says that audience analysis is sacrosanct while public speaking. In his own words: If you’re giving a speech without doing an audience analysis, it’s like you’re writing a love letter to whomsoever it may concern.
PS: If you like this broadcast, you may enjoy exploring more from me. You can connect with me at www.mohitsawhney.com.
If you like this post, then show the love by sharing it with friends and family. The best part of writing a blog is the discussion that follows, so do register your thoughts and views below.
“The next speaker is Tanav Sawhney.“, said Shreya, the Gavelier of the Day.
Tanav, my 9 year old son, emerged from the chair, walked in a confident gait, wearing his hat, and took the place to start the show.
He noticed that the Gavelier had not invited him on the stage with the formal title and speaker name format. It was supposed to go in this case like, “The King of Pop, Tanav Sawhney. Tanav Sawhney, The King of Pop“
But that didn’t deter him. In fact, he said it himself and proceeded with his speech: “The King of Pop, Tanav Sawhney. Tanav Sawhney, The King of Pop”
He was loud and clear.
He started by asking the audience, “Do you know who is the King of Pop?“
(Technique 1) Surprisingly not many people knew that, but isn’t that such a great technique to start the speech – by starting with a question to get the audience’s brain to start exercising. It brings such a great engagement from them.
Tanav remembered all the techniques I had told him at different points when he was preparing the speech.
(Technique 2)First ten seconds in the speech are the key – the audience will decide if they want to stay with you or leave you, in those ten seconds.
Tanav had been able to grab the attention in those ten seconds. There was so much he did in that time – seemed such a natural progression.
There was pin drop silence when he was speaking. The audience was all ears. They had decided to stay with him. His question was followed by him saying, “For the next 2 minutes, I am Michael Jackson!”
Bold statement. Requires a lot of confidence to say that you will step into the shoes of the King of Pop.
(Technique 3)Entertain the audience.
Right after that claim, Tanav did a spin around but acted like he fell. That might have disappointment the audience a bit because they had made up their minds to see something great.
But it was part of the plan to fall, only to get up. “Let me try again.“, he announced as he wore his hat.
This time around, he was able to spin around, jump up and land on his toes. He remained in that pose for a few seconds.
Audience was all cheers.
(Technique 4) Educate the audience
Information and value bombs dropped all through Tanav’s 3 minutes and 10 seconds speech.
Tanav continued with sharing more information about Michael, his full name, his love for pets and his rather unusual pets – a chimpanzee, and a python, him being the first black artist to come on MTV, the Queen of Pop, his love for humanity, his most selling albums and so on.
There was bags full of information for the audience to go back.
(Tehcnique 5) Tantalize the audience.
While there was so much shared in Tanav’s speech, there was so much more for audience to go back and research on their own. Tanav’s speech was like a trailer for the audience’s mind to be at work even after the session has ended.
I can say with certainly that a few will definitely look up on Youtube and Google and learn and enjoy Michael’s songs.
And Tanav did complete justice to the trailer – He sang as he had mentioned about the most selling albums and even danced, showing his own love for the greatness of Michael and inspiring the audience to find out more.
(Technique 6) Play the part with all you’ve got and enjoy.
You learn best in moments of enjoyment.
Tanav sprinkled humor in his speech throughout. Like when he asked, “Do you know what is MJ’s python’s name?”
Then added, “It’s Madonna, the Queen of Pop!”
Hilarious.
The way to entertain the audience is to enjoy the speech yourself. Tanav was thoroughly enjoying the act such as when he acted like MJ’s chimpanzee and python, when he danced and on it goes.
His use of props – the MJ Hat, the black armband and even the choice of his dress showed that he is here to perform. Just like Him.
His moving from one place to the next when he shared MJ’s three most selling albums was very impressive – very experienced speakers forget that so often. He used the stage with such perfection when he pointed to three different places while mentioning, the people who are dying, the children in pain and people living in poverty.
Hat’s off!
(Technique 7) Give them something original. Something novel.
Tanav said, “His full name was Michael Joseph Jackson.” and then he added, “He is called MJ in short form, but I think he should be called MJJ..“
The way Tanav emerged out of Michael’s body, and said, “I was trapped inside Michael for so long.”
With all the above going on in a ~3 minutes speech, it’s easy to forget the overall message the speaker wants to convey.
(Technique 8)There must be a single clear overall message for the audience.
As Tanav emerged out of Michael’s body, he said, “I am Tanav. I also want to help the people who are dying, the children in pain and the those living in poverty”
Then he urged the audience, “You also please help them, and be like Him and me.“
I write Him in capitals because I feel the way Tanav said it, there was a double meaning in that, he meant not only Michael but also God Almighty himself. Tanav had pointed up above as he had said “Him”.
Something even he may not be able to understand himself also being a nine year old, but he will realize it as he grows.
(Technique 9) The last ten seconds are the final key
Tanav was at peace as he said “..be like Him and me.” His eyes slowly closing peacefully, and his arms and head stretching upwards and then back.
He remained in that pose for a few seconds before he said, “Thanks.“
That made every soul in the audience believe in Tanav’s message.
He received the audience’s standing applause with such grace and then moved out of the stage with a moonwalk.
Video is attached. Please write your unbiased opinion in the comments below.
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.![[5-Bullet Tuesday] You Can Communicate With Impact!](http://www.mohitsawhney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/communicate-825x510.jpg)
![[5-Bullet Tuesday] Have You Been Writing Love Letters to Whomsoever It May Concern?](http://www.mohitsawhney.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/love.jpg)
