One inevitable thing in life - change!
Posted on 28th February 2023 at 16:03
My Dad used to say to me the only certainty in life was death and taxes!
Another way of putting it would be to say that we can only be certain that they’ll be uncertainty and that change is a part of life.
Change can be forced upon us, but even when we decide we want to change something in lives we can find it hard.
Why can change be hard?
The thing is we are hard wired to resist change. There’s a small part of the brain called the amygdala in the primitive part of the brain which interprets change as a threat and releases adrenaline, the flight or flight hormone in response to this. It is actually trying to protect us.
So, the idea that it feels so much easier to stay in the comfort zone of what we’re familiar with, even if we’re not entirely happy where we are is very real. So, how do we get round this and when is the tipping point of change?
How can we make positive changes in personal or business lives?
Often we make a change if we get very uncomfortable in a situation. In other words, they need to get to a certain point before they say right, that’s it I’m moving jobs, homes, changing my diet or whatever it is. The question becomes how can we do this before this happens?
Let’s take an example. I currently want to use some new software in my business to ultimately make systems easier and flow more efficiently. To help towards this change I can focus on ~
a) The annoyance of what I’m currently using (takes up a lot of time, danger of missing something)
b) A positive vision of what I want in the future – a business where all the systems run smoothly, saving me time and knowing that I haven’t missed anything
c) Take a first step or two – I set up my trial and have now paid my first months membership
Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone in every situation. If we’re motivated strongly towards something then it’s much easier to make changes however hard things may be at first.
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And what about a presentation situation?
Do you feel inspired to make some changes or do you do things like you’ve always done them as that, of course generally feels easier.
If you want some inspiration to change things up here are a few things to consider ~
1. Could you do your talk or presentation without PowerPoint? I’m not anti PowerPoint, and slides of course can be fantastic, however it’s worth considering do I really need slides and will they add to what I’m saying. If, for example the main purpose of your talk is to inspire others, a few stories told well can really engage an audience. Remember those inspiring speeches from history, Martin Luther King, Emeline Pankhurst and the like, they didn’t use slides.
2. We know that great visuals can enhance the words we are saying, but these don’t necessarily need to come from slides. You could consider a prop to illustrate a point – this can be very memorable. And you can even pass it around, so people can feel as well as see it.
3. Are you grabbing their attention from the very start? I mean really grabbing their attention. It’s worth considering your opening sentence or two needs to entice them to want to know more, to activate their tastebuds for the deliciousness that is yet to come! Take the metaphor of a book. When you read the back of the book, it’s not a summary of the story of the book it’s a few sentences to tempt you to read what’s inside.
So never mind death and taxes, if you want to change your presentations up have a go at these things and if you want any more help with them then please get in touch.
Tagged as: change, PowerPoint, comfort zone
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