There are speakers who, when they finish speaking, make you feel as if you want to take some action; need to do something; lend them support or contribute in some way.
Last week at the Aumangea Resilient Communities Conference in Palmerston North all the speakers were of this calibre. The theme for the conference - Valuing Whanau/Families, The Foundation of the Community - should have told me what to expect.
Building resilient communities is work done by people who know their communities and have already made a major contribution. They speak from experience and don't gloss over what they have encountered along the way.
What I hadn't anticipated though was that every speaker was exceptional. They must have been hand picked.
Over the years I have found that most conference speakers I have heard are mediocre. They've usually been speaking for years and have forgotten how to inspire and excite their audience. They tend to be senior management within organisations or government departments. They no longer try.
In fact, the higher up in the organisation the blander their delivery becomes. Why is that? The content is rarely bad, although the accompanying overuse of data shows these days doesn't add that much value to the presentation.
Helpful books are available that give useful advice on the layout of overhead displays, and the need to keep it simple. Sometimes I look at the screen and think of the London Underground timetable.
Worse though is the presentation's accompanying delivery. Making presentations is not for everyone so organisations should look carefully at who is presenting on their behalf. There are courses for staff or they can be coached by experienced staff. They could start by doing joint presentations with an experienced presenter and be given regular feedback on their performance.
No inexperienced, or lazy presenter, should appear in front of any audience, and when their enthusiasm goes, then they should be replaced by someone who still has "fire in the belly" for their subject. They are the ones who finish with a "call to action". They present a compelling case and they want you to now do something about it; help them because you believe, as they do, it's the right thing to do.
I was asked the other day if I attend many conferences. Today, not if I don't have to. It must be relevant to my work and something that I haven't heard before. There was a time when I not only attended conferences but was a regular speaker at them. I can recall one week I had nine speaking engagements. You have to sound just as riveting and interesting by the seventh engagement as you did with the first.
The speakers last week shared a little of their backgrounds when they first got up to speak. You knew instantly they had the experience and credibility to be talking about their particular subject. Everyone spoke without notes. Few had overheads. You were compelled to listen and pay attention to them speaking.
Creating resilient communities is hard work. Yet every speaker spoke about the positive future they were creating through their work.
Collaboration was the strong message that came through. If you're going to make a difference, work inclusively alongside others, the sum being greater than the parts. Constantly tell your community it has a positive future and its contribution will be invaluable.
The speakers last week should be heard at every corporate conference or annual meeting of every major business organisation.
Resilient communities are just what this country needs and all must know they have a role to play.
