A thunderstorm came through today that forced the question “Did Zeus build himself a vacation home here?” A lot of other people did and the mountains are fantastic, so who knows? Maybe he stopped by to fix it up prior to a short sell.
Anyway, it made me think about the odds of getting struck by lightning (576,000:1) or inspired by it (1:1). As exciting as it would be to get hit, a young man was hit here just a few days ago (and he’s doing fine) so I figure the odds are even longer. And standing out in the rain holding up a tall metal rod would just look stupid. So instead I spent some time being inspired. And wouldn’t you know it, I got hit anyway!
A few weeks back I introduced my PURPOSE acronym (here) which begins with the three essential attributes of effective presentations: Passion, Utility and Recall. A few weeks later I followed that with a more detailed discussion of Passion (here). But since then I have struggled with an effective way to communicate the critical importance of Utility. Then today, in a flash of lightning, it struck me: my answer sits in the hands of Zeus. …the Thunderbolt!
The Thunderbolt is Zeus’s weapon of choice. A handheld bundle of electricity ready to do it’s masters bidding. And though I have no intention to hurt anyone in my presentations (at least it hasn’t come up so far) it is always my intent to tranform the audience with some bright flash of inspiration.
Imagine yourself on stage, the audience just sitting there enjoying your peaceful patter, when suddenly you become Zeus and start flinging lightning bolts. I’m not talking about your volume or your energy, although they might get incorporated. I’m talking about bits of wisdom with the ability to transform someone’s thinking. Flashes of inspiration that clearly illustrate the “struck by lightning” metaphor.
You could be presenting something as simple as a new product or as profound as a transformational philosophy for life. However Utility is defined for your presentation, the critical piece is that it be defined! Too many presenters fail to do this and lean on a broad collection of proven points to ensure their success. As entertaining as this might be in the short term, the audience will quickly forget why they came.
And although the balance of presenters do determine the Utility of their speech, the clarification of it is limited to a summary of bullet points rehashing what came before. Now don’t get me wrong. This summary is very valuable, but so much more is possible!
If you want your wisdom to have a meaningful and lasting impact, define your intent then craft your Thunderbolts! Think of them as electrifying phrases, bits of wisdom that can transform one’s view of life. The more electrifying you make them the more valuable your presentation.
When speaking about the miracle of our existence, I will often ask the question “You spend your life…(long pause) On what?” I use this phrase to highlight how we have incorporated into our language the idea that life itself is a marketable commodity. Obviously it’s not. And the question forces an acknowledgement of, or perhaps even a shift into, a new paradigm for life. This is an example of a Thunderbolt.
If you want to be remembered as a great presenter, do more than just the basics. A summary of key points will give your audience something to take home. But by becoming Zeus and wielding electrifying bits of wisdom you have the opportunity to do so much more! Take that opportunity. Do something legendary!
Cheers!
Robert
