Dynamic Dave
The audience laughed loudly after he uttered his first eight words. The audience loved him after he presented his expensive pen to the event organizer as token of appreciation. The audience connected with him after he stepped down from the stage to be closer to them. This all happened in the first few minutes of a great seminar by a great speaker. Meet Professor Dave Ulrich who was our speaker in a recent conference in Bahrain. I like to call him Dynamic Dave because of his high level of energy. His energy level was felt across the commodious hotel hall.
During his seminar, I had a dilemma on whether I whether I should be taking notes about his insightful materials or about his speaking skills. I made up my mind very early on, I decided to take notes on his presentation materials and simultaneously take mental notes about his speaking skills. So, here are few notes about Dynamic Dave’s speaking abilities:
Firstly, I liked the way Dave introduced his family members early on in his speech and relating his family stories to the subject matter of the seminar – Leadership and Human Resources (HR). That was brilliant; it made us connect more with him through remembering our own families’ stories.
Secondly, I liked the way Dave weaved in countless punch-lines during the seminar using two main humor techniques – surprise and setup-punch structure. I loved him for that because this is what I coach my clients, never add humor to your speeches; just weave it in. By having humor in his speech, the speaker made us alert and engaged.
Thirdly, I liked the fact that Dave was spontaneous most of the time. He was reacting to the comments and the questions of the audience by sharing stories from his research and consulting projects. This showed us his depth of knowledge and increased his credibility tremendously. We all thought, here is a man who knows what is he talking about.
Fourthly, I liked the way Dave was managing the time of his different seminar sessions by taking quick looks at his watch to make sure he is progressing according to the event’s schedule. In addition, when he heard the call to prayers from a nearby mosque/masjid, he informed the audience of his intention to break in 20 minutes for those who wish to pray.
Fifthly, I liked the fact that Dave did his homework by studying our regional culture by respecting our norms and traditions. That was evident on few occasions. For example, before congratulating a woman on her wedding anniversary, he asked her: “Is it ok if I shake hand with you? I know, not all women shake hand in this region.” He avoided an awkward situation for him and for the woman.
Sixthly, I liked the way Dave made me think and reflect about my past experiences in the business world by sharing different business stories. For example, he reminded me about my bank customer service representative who was frustrated about her working conditions and the businessman who was inspired to establish a car dealership after having a car accident!
Seventhly, I liked the way Dave took absolute interest in the questions of the audience. I cannot remember how many times he sat at different tables addressing their questions in a conversational and a friendly manner. He was very methodological and made sure he answered the questions to the best of his ability and knowledge.
Eighthly, I liked Dave’s innovative activities for getting the audience to vote on different concepts. His activities were easy and effective. For example, to gauge the audience views on certain business matters, he asked them to stand up and then sit down when they agreed with his statements. Then, he would relate the audience views to his research and consulting work findings.
And finally, I liked the way Dave concluded his speech. It was both effective and emotional. He informed us why he likes the subject of HR and why he flies around the world to spread HR Best Practices. He is doing this because he wants his grandchildren and great grandchildren to join companies around the world that truly appreciate the importance of HR and the development of people. During his entire seminar, I never expected to hear such a closing. I thought he would recommend the first step to start upgrading our HR activities in our respective companies. I expected a call to action but I got a better closing.
Thank you Dynamic Dave for coming to Bahrain to share with us some of your insights and interesting research and consulting work findings. We thoroughly enjoyed your session. You spoke to our minds, you touched our hearts and you tickled our funny bones. And thanks for your fatherly hug; I do not think the audience will forget it.
God bless you Dynamic Dave.