The best (or most rememberable) speech I have ever been a part of was at Spring Gala a couple years back. Ray Derges and I put a video together, well Jay Nauta put it together, the plot was about how we lost our pants on our way to the Gala. We timed it perfectly so we’d enter the ballroom at the Hotel Sask when the video ended and of course without any pants on. It didn’t matter what we said after that, people were listening, we had created a semantic marker for the most elaborate entrance into a Gala.
Just last week, presenting to grade 9 students I began with a Matt Foley impersonation not only to get their attention but as an introduction on getting involved in school, just like we used to remake SNL skits for our pep-rally’s in high school.
I don’t know about you but I am not a fan of boring presentations and I think we all can make the message we’re attempting to get across more entertaining. What’s the downside? I don’t think there is any. Begin with something wild, unexpected, loud, different, eye-popping, something that forces everyone in the room to give you your undivided attention. Now you have a much better chance of getting your message to stick.
