Even the most seasoned motivational speakers or top entertaining keynote speakers can find themselves derailed by an unexpected turn.
I found myself in such a twist recently with an audience that seemed to have an aversion to the front rows. Despite my best efforts, those seats stayed vacant, a sea of empty chairs.
But here’s the thing about having a few years under your belt as a top global keynote speaker: You learn to roll with the punches. When life throws you a curveball, you catch it with a grin.
So, when my inner CRO (Chief Risk Officer) piped up, anxious and asking, “What now, Avi?” I had a moment of clarity.
✈ I remember the words of one of my greatest mentors and teachers, the guru of Optimism Lenny RAVICH: “𝐴𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟, 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑡. 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒.”
🏔 It is about their need to feel safe. I looked with a smile at the audience and said. “𝐴𝑛 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑏 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠, ‘𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏.’ S𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢”
I shifted my stage closer to them, breaking the invisible barrier. And guess what? It worked like a charm! The audience smiled.
My funny resilience keynote talk, “𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 😉,” wasn’t just a title but became walking my talk according to the theme of the day.
We shared laughs, and within minutes, the room was buzzing with energy and participation.
The audience was deeply engaged, discussing each of the seven strategies and brainstorming how to apply them to their own work challenges.
The energy shift was palpable, turning a hesitant crowd into an interactive, dynamic group ready to embrace new ideas.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲?
This experience isn’t just for the best inspirational keynote speakers; it’s for anyone facing an audience, from seasoned leaders to nervous first-time presenters.
🌻Relax! Take a deep breath and smell an imaginary flower.
It is not about you. It is about how to serve the audience the best.
You can’t control what happened, but you have 100% control over your reaction.
When life zigs, you zag. Embrace the unexpected with open arms and a flexible mindset so you can bounce forward with a smile. 😉
It’s not just about adapting; it’s about transforming challenges into moments of connection. Often the result is much better than it would have been had everything been as planned.
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