I like when the word of the day is being reused in different contexts by our speakers and kind of sprinkled into the whole meeting. “Vulnerability” was the word that TM Nahum has chosen for that day. At first, it doesn’t really fit into our topic of the month, which is Hero. Shouldn’t a Hero be strong and without any “Vulnerability”, so he can overpower the evil? Actually, that’s not true and far from reality. Even our Comic Heroes have their weak spots, such as the Kryptonite for Superman or Achille’s heel.
TM Nahum reminded us that “Vulnerability” is something that is important, it’s the thing that makes us human and contributes in shaping our real and unique self. It also has the power to bring people together, because they share this deep, emotional quality. It might sound strange, but it can really be considered as a type of superpower.
Similar to the word of the day there was another interesting theme that could find his way as well as the energy that was attached to it into other presentations: Matt’s Burpees. The energy of this movement was highly contagious, entertaining and fun. It worked as a creative little improvisation build into one’s own speech. An opportunity to pick up to Matt’s message while flavoring it through one’s own personality and style.
Linda, for example, showed us her very own style of a burpee, which lifted up her whole presentation and was able to bring it to another level.
I guess what that told me was, that having an unexpected element in your speech, to “shock” your audience can be a very powerful tool to get people’s attention.
The energy in the room seemed high throughout the whole meeting. Maybe the high number of members and guests on that day played a part in it. But it also seems like that speakers tried to keep up with the energy their pre-speaking person has set.
The Table Topics session, for instance, was one of the most entertaining and creative ones I have experienced so far. I guess higher energy leads to more absurd and out-of-the-box thinking, which will benefit you in your impromptu speech. I mean who would take a Billion Dollar bill and turn it into coconuts, because they have a big variety in functionality.
Anyway, it was great to follow those twisted thought paths. It is refreshing in a way that we are kind of allowed to think silly and non-logical for a moment, while taking a break of the rational it-needs-to-make-sense mentality, that we have to follow in our daily lives. I think it’s a healthy way to get in touch with our inner kid again.
Last but not least I want to say that similar to Matt’s message about “Earning Fitness” we all have to “Earn our Confidence” as well. As our number of guests showed, the skill of public speaking is desired, but signing up and showing up is not enough. It’s the moment that you decide to take the opportunity to actually go on that stage, grab the Microphone, open your mouth and speak.
About the Author
Lothar Markert
TM
Lothar Markert is a model at AREA Management.
