Another amazing find by my hubs, Andy:

Several weeks back, he came home from a conference and said, "You've got to have this woman on your show." So Cecily and I talked - and she asked me a really good question (which, as it turns out, is a backbone of her work): "What was at work when it was working? What did he like about it?"... well, he didn't say.  (For those of you who know Andy, you might be laughing now. He sometimes doesn't say much.) But when I went back, he said, "she was compelling, interesting, engaging - on a PANEL!  That doesn't often happen."

Well, the truth is that Cecily has an incredibly rich and interesting life - and brings it all to her work as a futurist and speaker. Her goal is to create experiences that can reinvent - ourselves, our audience. So, we talked about that! And, she said, like, a million things worth writing down. I tried to capture them all here for you. ENJOY!

On this week's Mini Moved Me:

There have been many times when I'm working with folks who want to share a long list of things with their audience. And I have to ask:

Do you want them to remember every little thing on this list?

Or, do you really want to communicate something about the list as a whole?

Most of the time, it's the latter. ("We're doing all kinds of things to market"; "We're making all these improvements"; "I see so many opportunities for growth," etc.) Which makes sense, right, cause audiences don't/can't remember too many details. 

But even knowing that people won't remember the details, it's hard not to indulge in them. It feels responsible, somehow - like, we might not be giving the work the credit it deserves to fly through them. 

But here's the deal:

The audience won't remember details, but they do remember feelings. 

Focusing on the whole of the list - and the feeling behind it - is called sharing  "the laundry list."  

Ya know, throwing them all together into the laundry basket kind of thing to give the ESSENCE of what you're saying, vs. the specifics on the list.  Throw them all in there, and zip through it. Focus on how you want them to feel about it, vs. walking through each little thing on the list. (They won't remember them anyway.)

On this week's Mini Moved Me:

There have been many times when I'm working with folks who want to share a long list of things with their audience. And I have to ask:

Do you want them to remember every little thing on this list?

Or, do you really want to communicate something about the list as a whole?

Most of the time, it's the latter. ("We're doing all kinds of things to market"; "We're making all these improvements"; "I see so many opportunities for growth," etc.) Which makes sense, right, cause audiences don't/can't remember too many details. 

But even knowing that people won't remember the details, it's hard not to indulge in them. It feels responsible, somehow - like, we might not be giving the work the credit it deserves to fly through them. 

But here's the deal:

The audience won't remember details, but they do remember feelings. 

Focusing on the whole of the list - and the feeling behind it - is called sharing  "the laundry list."  

Ya know, throwing them all together into the laundry basket kind of thing to give the ESSENCE of what you're saying, vs. the specifics on the list.  Throw them all in there, and zip through it. Focus on how you want them to feel about it, vs. walking through each little thing on the list. (They won't remember them anyway.)

Today's show focuses in on facilitating, as well as speaking.

A few months back a listener (Hi Jeffrey!) reached out to me on Twitter asking me a wonderful question about holding space - and then suggested I read this article about the concept written by today's guest, Heather Plett.  (He then went on to suggest I have her on the show!) I read the article - was moved - and asked Heather to join me for a conversation. It felt like a meeting of the minds! Heather is a facilitator, practitioner, speaker and incredibly wise guide. (I wrote down quote after quote after quote... ) She understands deeply the 'why' behind our work as speakers, which is that we can create meaning.  That is not a small thing. Thanks for reminding me of this, Heather!

Today's show focuses in on facilitating, as well as speaking.

A few months back a listener (Hi Jeffrey!) reached out to me on Twitter asking me a wonderful question about holding space - and then suggested I read this article about the concept written by today's guest, Heather Plett.  (He then went on to suggest I have her on the show!) I read the article - was moved - and asked Heather to join me for a conversation. It felt like a meeting of the minds! Heather is a facilitator, practitioner, speaker and incredibly wise guide. (I wrote down quote after quote after quote... ) She understands deeply the 'why' behind our work as speakers, which is that we can create meaning.  That is not a small thing. Thanks for reminding me of this, Heather!

On this week's Mini Moved Me:

I don't consider myself a brain expert (which is why I'm friends with awesome people like Erin Walsh from episode 004!) - but I know this:

Our pre-frontal cortex is really important in growing up, acting like an adult, making good decisions and generally being a responsible human.

But it's super un-helpful in creating things. 

On this week's Mini Moved Me:

I don't consider myself a brain expert (which is why I'm friends with awesome people like Erin Walsh from episode 004!) - but I know this:

Our pre-frontal cortex is really important in growing up, acting like an adult, making good decisions and generally being a responsible human.

But it's super un-helpful in creating things. 

Nearly twenty years ago, I was a theater major at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University here in Minnesota. There I met some truly incredible people - one of whom I am sharing with you today! John Sandahl is a speaker, life coach, facilitator, and international ultimate frisbee player. John and I have worked together at Youth Frontiers for the past decade or so - and in that time I've coached John, and learned from him. I've watched John become a speaker, right before my eyes. And a good one at that. He brings his wisdom and guidance - and playfulness! - to all those he speaks to and works with. So, I was so excited to bring him on the show and talk about developing mastery.

Nearly twenty years ago, I was a theater major at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University here in Minnesota. There I met some truly incredible people - one of whom I am sharing with you today! John Sandahl is a speaker, life coach, facilitator, and international ultimate frisbee player. John and I have worked together at Youth Frontiers for the past decade or so - and in that time I've coached John, and learned from him. I've watched John become a speaker, right before my eyes. And a good one at that. He brings his wisdom and guidance - and playfulness! - to all those he speaks to and works with. So, I was so excited to bring him on the show and talk about developing mastery.

I wanted to do a special Mini Moved Me in honor of Thanksgiving - thanking you for your support, for your questions and insights and connections. I do feel so incredibly thankful for this slice of my life that has been so gratifying in the past year. 

All of that is very true - I'm incredibly grateful for this show, and for each of you. But I also feel a pang of shallowness in that sentiment. I need to place my gratitude within the context of this greater world that is struggling so much right now. 

I read this beautiful post by Elizabeth Gilbert about Mercy, about keeping our hearts open when so many people are shutting theirs down. We, as meaning-makers, speaker - MOVERS - our job is to help people experience mercy, to open their hearts, to illuminate the suffering of others and have it become our suffering as well. To experience each other, to experience compassion. To be human. 

Thank you for your open hearts.