The Importance of Being Heard

Waaay back on March 24, 2020, I had the honor to take part in Speakers Who Dare, described as a mash-up between a Ted Talk and a Broadway show.

My interest in the event started in part due to a breakfast with the Speakers Who Dare director/producer, Tricia Brouk about a year and a half before. I was introduced to Tricia through my business coach at the time, and when I had the chance to meet her live and in person, I jumped.

Tricia has an amazing skill: uncovering people's talents, as well as their big messages. Upon digging up the fact I played mallet percussion in high school, she planted the seed of a future talk that somehow incorporated...you guessed it...the xylophone.

When the call for applications for Speakers Who Dare was announced...

It was a no-brainer:

• I HAD TO apply.
• I HAD TO speak on that stage.
• I HAD TO incorporate a xylophone.

I didn't expect to get in...but, I knew I had a simple, important message.

One that deserved to be heard:

Some of the greatest things to ever happen...won't.

We'll never know how these ideas and innovations could have made the world a better place.

I believe we can change that.

I filled out the application in one sitting; a single draft with no review. To this day, I have no idea what I wrote.

While I knew what I wanted to speak about, I certainly didn't go about sharing it in the most intentional way.

After submitting my application, I leaned back in my desk chair and rued my decision.

Here I was with this massive opportunity...a chance to take a big stage in front of speakers bureau reps AND be directed and coached by a superstar speaker coach.

Me? I had decided to wing it.

I sat there and swore to myself:

If I get past this initial round, I'm ALL IN.

I will do everything possible to get on that stage and deliver the best talk I can.

I will not wing it with this opportunity again.

Then, a funny thing happened.

I received this:

Round 2 was a bit more challenging.

Me? I took that promise I made to myself to heart.

My video was going to be the best video submitted. PERIOD.

But how was I going to get my hands on a xylophone? It's not like it's something so easy to find.

It's not like I could just borrow one...or could I?

I called in a favor and got after-hours access to the high-school band room where I had spent an unhealthy amount of time back when I was 16.

• So what if it was 150 miles away...
• So what if I hadn't played the xylophone in 30 years.
• So what if I had a ridiculously small window to get the video recorded.

IT HAD TO HAPPEN.

I wrote out a script, recorded it, and practiced like there was no tomorrow.

A few days later, I jumped in the car and headed up to Jersey, listening to my script on repeat--again and again and again--and parroting it as--thanks to bad weather and worse traffic--I drove what turned into a more-than-four-hour drive.

Thanks to this focus (and come on...let's get real: thanks to my incredibly talented brother and his incredibly talented friend), I submitted what felt like my own movie trailer:

And then, I waited...

And waited...

And waited...

And waited some more.

There's this thing that happens when you've auditioned for something you want so badly.

Time moves...

SO.

DAMN.

SLOWLY.

I drove to New Jersey, filmed my video, and drove home on December 9.

I uploaded it on December 10.

I checked my email every ten minutes or so from then until December 27...the day I received this:

YES!!!

After the initial shock wore off, I realized it...

OHMIGOSH! I need a xylophone!

From the day my xylophone arrived in January, I played every single day.

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

(And most days, 90 minutes or more.)

But, with three weeks to go, I wasn't getting my playing to where it needed to be.

Playing an instrument is kinda like riding a bike, but the last time I had played xylophone this much, this guy had just been elected President of the United States.

Yeah. It had been a hot minute.

I scoured the interwebs, looking for someone who offered lessons for mallet percussion. As you'd imagine, the pickings were slim. Or at least that's how I recall it.

One of the pieces I had been practicing was Flight of the Bumblebee, probably the most well-known piece by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

There were videos on YouTube I had on repeat, but I wasn't getting it down as well as I had hoped.

I looked up the dude who made the videos, and turns out, he did lessons!

I was gonna kick ass on this talk...

So on March 5, 2020, I took a ride to Pittsburgh...

...for an in-person lesson with a former principal percussionist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

From that point on, I spent hours per day, part focused on xylophone mastery, part practicing the entire presentation over and over and over again.

Speakers Who Dare was set up to be a live, in-person event on an off-Broadway stage in New York City on March 24, 2020.

SPEAKERS WHO DARE

WHEN

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Act I – doors open 9:30 a.m. / show 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Act II – doors open 1:30 p.m. / show starts 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

WHERE

Triad Theatre

158 West 72nd Street,

New York City, NY 10023

To say I was excited would have been the understatement of the decade.

Of course, we all know what happened in March 2020.

COVID happened.

On March 12, 2020, New York shut down all theaters in the city.

The plan shifted, because--as they say--the show must go on.

Those speakers comfortable with the arrangement would meet on March 24th at the theater. Our performances would be closed to the public, but live-streamed.

I dug it.

I was IN.

It was a solid plan...until it wasn't.

Then, the city was shut down.

After all this work, what was gonna happen?

Something even more special.

It was decided that each speaker would create a video of their talk.

These videos would be put through a post-production process, then spliced together to create the Speakers Who Dare movie.

It would be live-streamed on YouTube on March 24 at 10am ET.

All speakers had full creative license.

I knew immediately what I wanted to do.

When you're part of the marching band, you're kinda invisible...especially at football games.

• You're the dweebs.
• The band geeks.
• The outsiders.

Most of the people in the stands aren't there to hear you play. They're there to watch the game.

But even as a sloppy football band, one thing is certain. Whatever you play, it's gonna be heard.

And so, I had the perfect place for my talk.

I recorded at the 50-yard line of a mostly abandoned high school football field near my house.

It was perfect.

Not only would I be heard...I'd finally be seen, too.

My brother (that amazing photographer -- blatent plug!) drove down for the day to help me with the shoot.

It was awesome...

Presenting The Importance of Being Heard.

I hope you learn something from it...

Most of all, I hope you enjoy it.

Here it is:

????????

This is the ONE instrument in the orchestra that you WILL hear over any and all others.

It doesn’t matter how loud the band gets. It doesn’t matter how large the venue. The xylophone always stands out...for better or for worse.

It cuts through anything. You can’t help but hear it.

I’m serious! Check it out! Let’s make some noise!!

How loud can you get?!??

Start clapping, yelling, whistling...

LET'S GET LOUD!!!!

Some of the greatest things to ever happen...won’t.

Whataya say we change that?

When I was toward the end of 9th grade, my mother was worried about me.

You can probably see why.

I was a good student. I got good grades. I even had a few friends.

But I didn’t stand out.

I’d go to school, come home, practice piano, do homework...

That was about it.

“I’m worried about you,” my mom said.

“You’re just cruising along. I don’t want to see you waste your time anymore...I don’t want to see you waste your life.

“So, here’s what I'd like you to do. After school tomorrow, head down to the band office, speak with Mr. Hough, and bring home a xylophone over the summer so you can learn it.”

Hah! Just like that, my mother was heard.

With those words, she made a difference.

With my best interests top-of-mind, she changed my world.

????????

According to the US Census Bureau, there are 7.6 billion people alive right now.

Of course, not all of them will have an incredible idea in their lifetimes…

And by incredible idea, I mean something truly great...something that could change the world.

Certainly, not all of them will take the action needed for those incredible ideas to have a chance.

But, if just point-one percent—that’s one tenth of one percent of those 7.6 billion people—have a grand vision…?

And just point-one percent of those 760,000 grand visions are cozied up with a driving purpose…

That leaves us with only 760 world-changing ideas, all backed by the action to make them happen.

And, in THAT case, Some of the greatest things to ever happen………….

Still won’t.

I don’t mean to depress you. And, I’m not here to be a naysayer.

On the contrary, I believe some of the greatest things to never happen, should...

I also believe we have a communication problem.

It takes more than an incredible idea and a driving purpose to make a difference...

No matter how incredible your idea…

No matter how driving your purpose…

No matter how deep your belief and your passion to see it through...

Never underestimate the importance of being heard.

• When you’re not heard, you’re never remembered.
• When you’re not heard, you don’t get the chance to be understood.
• When you’re not heard, no one repeats what you have to say.

When you’re not heard, your idea doesn't get what it needs to live....

It mighta changed the world...but none of us will ever know.?

Your grand vision and driving purpose end without much more than a whisper.

We have a communication problem.

The way people consume information has changed. The way we articulate our incredible ideas has not.

There are lots of ways to approach creating a message that resonates…Grabs your audience by the emotions and compels them to act.

And, every single one of them—if they're going to be successful—has three things in common.

We’ve seen one of these things already…

The xylophone stands out, for better or for worse.

You can't help but know it’s here.

On its own merits? It’s daring.

While that’s notable, it’s not enough.

Congratulations, you're daring. You grabbed attention!………..Now what?

To be heard is also about being understood. And to be understood, your best bet?

Embrace simplicity.

Lemme show you what I mean…

What you may recognize as a crazy-complex piece of music—Flight of the Bumblebee—is anything but.

When I play it slowly, you realize…

This.

Is.

Simple.

I pick up the tempo, and it only seems complicated...because it’s fast.

But, when the simple can be mastered, the simple can be remarkable.

To get to this place takes technique and practice, for sure, but it also takes discipline.

Too many people with incredible ideas dive into the details right off the bat.

They may have grabbed attention, but being heard unravels as they veer deeper and deeper into the detail.?

They believe they have to get you to understand their idea as deeply as they do!

And so...they ignore how it feels to be uninformed or unaware.

And then, their deep-seated beliefs...their unwavering passion...and their over-complicated explanations combine to turn off the very people they need to turn on!

When you communicate your incredible idea in a purposefully simple way, a few things happen.

• Your audience wants to know more...
• They ask questions...
• And then, they gain a deeper understanding ON. THEIR. OWN.

As a result of being simple, your message is better understood...and even more...It’s repeatable...because your audience has played a role coming to that place of understanding.?

Never forget → When you keep your message simple, you get more buy-in...not less.

Standing out and being simple are a good start...but they’re still not enough.

People pay attention when you’re daring….They understand when you’re simple….

They act on inspiration…

????????

How can I inspire you with my message?

By knowing you and adapting what I say to what I know you need to hear.

By taking on your perspective.

For example, maybe you’re not a Rimsky-Korsakov fan…

Maybe you’re more into Bach...

Or vintage Broadway…

Or maybe you dig old Elvis like this Delta Blues song made famous by the King…

The final part of a message that resonates might be the most important. Have perspective.

When you apply the perspective of your audience to your incredible idea, you can create a message that inspires.

????????

Me??

I think taking a chance to play the xylophone for the first time in 30 years just to make a point is pretty frickin’ daring...

And, I bet you can tell, what seems like god-given talent or complicated technique is actually just intentional simplicity...with an absolute ton of practice.

It’s true. Anyone can do this.

ANYONE can deliver a message that jumpstarts a revolution.

HERE'S HOW.

1. Have the guts to be daring.
2. Keep it simple…
3. And always...always take the perspective of your audience.

Some of the greatest things to never happen…...should.

• And, if your message can be as daring…
• As simple…
• As inspiring…

As a xylophone…

Well then, we’ll all witness greatness in our lifetimes.

I'm Zach Messler, and I'm a Speaker Who Dares.