Passion! Making an emotional connection with your audience.

Luanne PaynickPosted by Luanne Paynick on March 9th, 2010 | 1 Comment

I recently had the opportunity to attend an open house at theInternational Culinary Arts & Sciences Institue (ICASI) in Chesterland, Ohio. It was a horrible night–snow, snow and more snow, made worse by wind gusts of over thirty mile per hour. In a word, it was nasty! The last thing I wanted to do was venture out on a weeknight in such lousy weather.

I’m here to say, the evening was worth the discomfort for one reason alone. Passion! I was able to experience passion on many levels that evening; the passion the staff and chefs at the institute had for their work and their students, my daughter’s passion for the possibilities of becoming a baker (not to mention a Food Network star), and my passion for the phenomenal flourless chocolate cake that was set in front of me and that I gobbled down with gusto.

It was easy to understand the zeal with which I attacked the cake. And I know of my daughter’s passion to enter this work because of the long talks we’ve had and the excitement with which she has shared her hopes and dreams. But how did I recognize the passion of the staff? After all, I hadn’t met them before. For all I knew this was just a job to them. They had been forced to brave the weather, just as I had. And surely, after all the times they had been through this exercise, their ardor would have cooled.

Not so. With every word, with every move, and with every interaction they had with the students and with the audience, their exuberance rang out loud and clear. Their voices were strong and vibrant. Their faces lit up with a light that can only come from the inside. They were alive physically, their movements sure, and their gestures open and genuine. I could easily picture everything they described. They made a strong personal connection with everyone in the audience, willing to share their passion with all who were willing to listen. The result? I want my daughter to experience what they have to offer. And, even more important, my daughter wants what they have to offer (and she is NOT an easy sell)!

When we speak of passion at VoicePro®, we refer to the many implications it has on the effectiveness of our communication with other people – conveying genuine authenticity, making an emotional connection with the audience, being able to “ditch” the script and have a real conversation, helping others experience what you want them to experience because you see it as real – in your head and most importantly, in your heart.

The next time you go before a group of people to speak, find the passion for your subject within you. Take the time to connect with it. Ditch the script, Speak from your heart and, like the staff and chefs at ICASI, inspire your audience to join you in your pursuit, whatever it may be.

Image by segismundoart

1 comment

Frokostordning - 03.09.10 at 8:19 pm

Hm hm.. that’s amazing but to be honest i have a hard time determining it… wonder how others think about this..

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