I just returned from the International Coach Federation annual conference, where I was a presenter on LEGO SERIOUS PLAY with my colleague, Robert Rasmussen. Robert and I had a great time, seeing coaches play, learn, and realize the potential for this tool in their work with clients. In the days following the session, attendees approached me with their enthusiasm for this work that embraces play and helps clients get to the heart of the matter quickly.
Which brings me to what I learned from the conference. The speakers I enjoyed the most were the ones who brought passion and humor to the table, in spades.
Guy Kawasaki was the keynote on the last day of the conference and he said it best. He told the audience that he had just flown in from London and was jet-lagged. And when that happens, in contrast to what you might think, he has high energy with a "no holds barred" attitude. In his words, "I let it rip." Guy’s topic was the Art of Innovation and while he’s probably done the same speech hundreds of times, it was fresh, funny, and engaging. He wasn’t afraid to play with the audience, betting all of us that with forty minutes left in the speech, that he could garner a standing ovation at the end. He got his standing ovation, not because he predicted it, but because he let it rip. He was willing to be all Guy.
Dan Pink was the keynote on the first day of the conference. Regular readers of this blog know that I have interviewed Dan Pink a couple of times around his book, A WHOLE NEW MIND, most recently for the Northwestern University alumni association. I had in my mind what his speech would be like–passionate about engaging the right brain with the left brain, facts tumbling out of his mouth faster than I could write them down, with a quick wit.
I was half right. The passion was definitely there. But instead of spewing statistics, he chose only the most compelling figures to support his case. Where he let it rip was with humor. Self-effacing humor. I observed a wonderful dance between Pink and the audience, where he took every opportunity to turn a slight moment or a casual word into irony, wit, and play.
My colleague, Robert, remarked afterwards that he had seen Pink give the same speech at a conference last year. And he thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. I knew 90% of the content of the speech, having read the book numerous times and heard some of the same phrases in my interviews, and yet, I also was mesmerized. The difference is the use of play.
The message for me is clear. You can be taken seriously and play at the same time. It’s not an either/or. It’s a both/and. The next time you feel the urge to restrain yourself for the sake of professionalism, credibility, or your Inner Critic that wants you to be taken seriously, kick the Gremlin out of the room. Lighten up and play. And let it rip.
A side note: The picture to the left was taken as I was waiting to get in to the auditorium to hear Dan Pink speak. I asked the security person (see behind me in the background) when they would open the doors. She replied, "10 minutes before the speech starts or whenever they tell me." I winked at her and said, "Who is it that tells you?" She glanced at me and said with a chuckle, "The event coordinator. And that’s not you." To which I replied, "I COULD be the event coordinator for the next 20 minutes. Just imagine it….." Okay, so humor doesn’t work in every situation.
