Who Is That Guy?
Bastian’s Blog
April 6, 2007
Who Is That Guy?
Imagine you’re at a typical company meeting.
There’s a uplifting opening video … a welcome by the head of Communications … an address from the Vice President of Sales and Marketing … maybe an update about the United Way campaign by the Human Resources guy … perhaps a couple of awards … an outside speaker … and finally an uplifting address by the President and CEO. Then, if you’re lucky, a catered lunch.
Wait a second. Back up … back way, way up. An outside speaker?
Who is that guy?
Why would you violate the sanctity of your company meeting with an outside speaker? What could an outsider possibly add to your event?
Well, if you pick the right speaker, the answer is: Quite a bit. (Of course, the secret is to pick the right speaker, but I’m making the assumption you’ve done that.)
Bringing an external perspective to your decidedly internal event can provide your audience with another outlook on their world and their place in it. It can validate your current culture and give you a rare glimpse into other corporate cultures that you might not otherwise experience.
It can also shake things up a bit by getting your audience to question the way they do things and the “why” they do things as well.
You want examples? Sure, I’ve got examples.
Joe Calloway, a business speaker with credentials as long as your arm, has served in that role with Deluxe Financial Services at their events for a couple of years now. He brings them his outsider view of their industry, providing examples from other businesses he’s worked with … and then he’s helped Deluxe on internal issues and programs, which also benefited from his outsider perspective.
Dr. Terry Paulson, a psychologist and professional speaker, recently helped Boston Scientific at a series of product launches. He spent some of his time on stage interviewing customers about the new product … and then later motivated the sales force with a custom presentation on change in their industry and how to deal with it. In that speech, Dr. Paulson included examples from their meeting along with other business stories from his own experience, to create a custom presentation that spoke directly to the audience’s current issues.
The best outside speakers (the Joe Calloways and Terry Paulsons of the world) can be a fly on the wall at your event, assimilate your culture, listen to your speakers, and then provide your audience with a true outsider perspective on business and market issues.
And, as outsiders, these speakers can be used to ask (and answer) the hard questions that your executives may want to avoid, and do so with the gravitas of someone from the outside with no agenda to pursue or axe to grind.
Plus, when they’re really good, these speakers often move from being “outsiders” to becoming accepted and trusted “insiders” who can continue to offer their unique external perspective on your internal issues.
So, to return to our primary question: Who is that guy? The answer is (if you pick the right speaker), he’s the guy who can make a huge, positive impact on your next event.
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