As a corporate emcee, my job is to create a sense of fluidity. I need to keep meetings and moments moving in ways that appear seamless. In order to do this, I must apply all my skills as a performer and as an improviser. That said, the seams WILL show at times. Why? Because seams are a part of life. The question is not how to avoid them. It is what do we do once they appear?
What is ‘Success’?
It starts with a mindset. We cannot see each moment as a moment with a goal that lives in the following moment. We can’t ‘live in the future’. We have to begin by recognizing each moment for what it is and for its own individual merit. This is the true definition of presence. When we step on a stage, be it as an actor, a dancer, a corporate presenter or an emcee, we enter the space with the goal to ‘be successful’. We usually come with a pre-determined definition of what that ‘success’ looks like: “get through the speech in fifteen minutes and don’t say ‘um’!” In order to truly harness the power to pivot, we start by removing that predetermination of what success looks like and reframe that simply as our ‘structure’, not our success. Our TRUE success comes in the acceptance of what ACTUALLY happens in those fifteen minutes.
And So It Begins….
Having put our mind in a more open place, we then begin to ‘act’. We start our speech. We begin our song. We introduce the next executive. We listen to ourselves and to our audience. We hear what makes us and them move, laugh, lean forward. We dive in deeper when we have the opportunity and stay true to our messaging along the way. We ‘mean it’ even though we have said it (or something like it) a thousand times. We stay positive. We slow down. We stay present.
But then, it happens. It always happens. The unexpected expectedly comes calling. Our heart starts racing, are palms start sweating and we are off to the races!
Harnessing the Power
At first, there will be that panic. And OF COURSE there will. Everything you have rehearsed and planned just flew out the window. It is this moment that, so typically seen as a hindrance, can actually be seen as opportunity. We must not only accept this moment but rather, EMBRACE it. We must roll up our sleeves, clap our hands together with a cheeky little grin and PLAY. This moment is where the magic happens. The presenter, actor, emcee who is joyful at the opportunity to take advantage of what they didn’t see coming is seen as ‘the expert’. The audience feels safe and taken care of. They know they are in the hands of a master. A master of content. A master of the moment. A master of the Power to Pivot.
Want you and your team to get their pivot on at your next meeting? Contact Rob about keynoting and leading workshops on The Power to Pivot.