Community

Last night was amazing! I’ve already written about the surprising nature of smaller, more community-focused events and how they tend to bring a very personal connection that I find extremely valuable as a speaker. The event I spoke at last night was the perfect example of this.

This event had a specific purpose of supporting people within a community who have had their share of adversity over the past few years so I was intrigued to see how the crowd would fill out and it proved to be an interesting mix. The audience varied from young families, to individuals who had an interest in my story, to regular community members who saw the poster for the event in the local cafe. This wide variety can sometimes make it difficult to relate to specific experiences but the central notion was the feeling of community that brought everyone together in the first place and that was evident in the room.

I was very happy with how things went in the presentation and based on the immediate feedback there was plenty for everyone to take away but beyond that, the Q&A was its usual gold mine. I’m not sure why I’m always surprised by how successful Q&A can be. Maybe it’s because it always starts a little slow but it’s a cool feeling to see people build their confidence as time goes on and as more and more hands go up.

Among those questions, you get a great reflection of the demographic of the audience at an event like this. Some questions are framed around helping others, some look for more depth of the incident itself, and some ask questions that allow you to provide a little more perspective that relates to them. I may or may not have committed to another large physical challenge last night, I may or may not have committed to taking one of the young kids for a surf… This is sometimes the most fun part of my presentation because I love the chance to interact with the audience after they’ve taken the time to get to know me and my story.

I usually walk away from an event like this and can point to the one person I talked to who has helped me achieve my simple “One Person Goal” but last night was different. Some gained perspective, some gained confidence, some gained multiple pages of notes that they never thought they would take and others gained permission to do something for themselves. All of this is so heartwarming to me and it’s a true reflection of why I do all of this.

There was one quote in particular that summarises the power of these community events which was “I know everyone in the room tonight are living different lives, but this is exactly what we all needed right now”

I’m fulfilled, I’m grateful and I’m proud of what we achieved last night. I can’t wait for more!