Make An Impact!

“The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.” American social activist, Ethel Percy Andrus

When we stand on a platform, whether as a trainer or presenter, we are giving of ourselves. By sharing our experiences, our knowledge and skills, we are making an impact on our audience. Whether positive or negative, we are leaving an imprint on others.

There is an awesome responsibility attached to that thought. Some may see it as power and they get a real kick out of it. To me, it is a wonderful opportunity to be able to “contribute”, to live a life that is significant, a chance to leave a legacy behind for which we would be remembered, long after we are gone.

An experience I would never forget was when my husband and I were invited to be keynote speakers for a business seminar in Sydney. We had never spoken in a foreign country before as keynote speakers. I was a little nervous at the start, but my passion soon put that nervousness far away. At the end of a long day, where we spoke for two sessions of 40 minutes each, we were amazed when we saw a long stream of people coming up on stage, waiting to shake our hands, to speak to us, some to hug us and some to ask a question. It was a truly humbling experience.

There’s a story often told of a wise man and a little boy who wanted to put him to the test. The little boy was holding a little bird in his hands, and he thought to himself, “I’ll go up to the old man and ask him if the bird is alive or dead. If he answer alive, I’ll squeeze the bird until it dies, and then I can prove him wring. If he says, dead, I’ll release the bird and he would still be worong!”

With that in mind, the little boy walked up to the old man, with his hands behind his back and asked gleefully, “Wise old man, is the bird I’m holding dead or alive?”

The old man looked at him, and answered, “Son, the bird is your hands. Dead or alive, it’s up to you.”

Yes, as trainers and presenters, the bird is in our hands too. It’s up to us what we make out of our skills and talents. Do we want to make a great positive impact by giving of ourselves unselfishly, or are we just interested in what we can get out of this wonderful profession for ourselves?

As Danny Thomas said, “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”

And the most wonderful part is: The more we give, the more we will receive. Even as we give to our audience, likewise they are giving to us too – not only their time, but their attention, their energy, encouragement, commitment to following your teaching and advice. The completion of this cycle of reciprocity must be the goal of any trainer or speaker.

It is not always an easy feat to achieve – many people, on a personal note or culturally, are afraid to give. To some, it is a risk, a risk that perhaps they may be rejected, or worse, they may be then asked to give more than they are prepared to give.

I find this especially so in Singapore. Very often, the audience is not prepared to respond with enthusiasm as they are afraid they may be asked to then commit more of themselves if they let down their hair too much. Or perhaps they are afraid of what their neighbour would think. Not cool eh? But it’s slowly changing. I’m beginning to observe a thawing of this natural reserve. After all, we are all humans, and we need to feel the joy or giving as much as of receiving.

So when we take the podium, one of the greatest gifts we can give to our audience is to help them overcome this fear, and to show them they actually risk very little, but indeed, stand to gain a lot – when they open up their emotional banks and give of themselves. As someone once wrote, “This is a bank that can never be overdrawn. Conversely, if the balance is not withdrawn and shared, it begins to shrink and the remaining capital gradually disappears.”