I was walking along a lane recently, admiring all of the wonderful flowers that had come into bloom now that the summer had arrived. A joyous walk with few thoughts of any importance clogging up my mind, and no pressure relating to anything work related either – so time to relax and recharge.
As I progressed along the lane my interest was caught by the dry stone walling all looking very old, yet all in good condition. It was when I saw the wall in the picture that I was rather taken by surprise. I have seen dry stone walls the world over, as it is a good way to create a space with security when, typically a farmer, does not want animals wandering off.
Most walls are laid with the stones horizontal, as in the left hand part of the picture. Sometimes horizontal to the land so that can slope when the terrain is steep, sometimes horizontal like water even when the land is steep. As you can see on the right of the picture, the stonewaller has laid these vertically – most unusual. And looking at the condition of the stones and wall it has been there a very long time.
Now, as usual, my slumbering mind was woken up and it got me thinking where, perhaps, do I do things the way I usually do them, or the way they are ‘normally’ done. And is there a different way to do them? An interesting question or two that took my attention away from the summer day, and the flowers, for a few minutes.
It is interesting how coincidences work. I had a call yesterday about an up-coming event where I am the speaker. Apart from confirming a few last minute details, regarding the finer timings, all was well, and it was then confirmed that there would be a projector for my PowerPoint presentation – for this speaking engagement I don’t wish to use a slide presentation. In fact I don’t often use a slide presentation at all, as I like to get much more in touch with my audience. So for this organisation I am unusual as they always have speakers who use slides. They have a ‘horizontal wall’. But this has really got me thinking about when and how I deliver my work, not to be awkwardly different, more how I can be more alive and engaged for the clients I enjoy working with.
Now that has left me with some really exciting thoughts about what can be changed. Could there be a ‘vertical wall’ in your work that may create a bigger impact and keep you buzzing? Food for thought!
My best wishes,
Peter
The client then went on to say that at a past event, a presenter, using slides, had ignored the fact that one of the people had fallen asleep. I will make sure I keep an eye on my audience….
