The Michael Buble moment - how to shine in front of 22,000 people
I hope you're enjoying a great start to 2020 so far! January seemed to fly past, as our team flew around the world to help a whole range of clients. But no matter where I go one question keeps cropping up - "What was it like singing with Michael Buble?!"
Last year I posted dozens on articles on LinkedIn, on behalf of Body Talk, to help people with business communication, but they were all completely over-shadowed by my final post of the year which gained 118,000 views - a video of me singing in front of 22,000 people at the O2 arena in London, thanks to the Canadian crooner. (You can watch the Buble clip here if you haven't already).
There are a few insights that came out of this experience that may help you at work:
- How to stay present in the moment
- Getting past the fear to enjoy expressing yourself with a large crowd
- Control of your body and breath, so that you can perform at your best
Here's my explanation of what that moment felt like, so that you'll be ready when the spotlight shines on you in your next meeting, interview, speech or concert!...
I was standing in the audience with my wife, watching Michael's show. He walked down the runway stage into the centre of the arena, about 20 metres away from me, and said, "It's such a privilege to perform for you all, would anyone else like to sing?" About 5,000 people put their hands up...including me. He turned around walked back in my direction, pointed at me and said, "Do you want to do this?"
At that moment my heart and gut felt squeezed up inside of me. The people around me began to scream and cheer, while my wife shouted song suggestions for me to choose. I could feel a wave of panic about to descend on me and knew I would have to override it to truly enjoy this fortunate moment. So I just applied the things we teach:
- I put my feet centred and balanced, so that I felt grounded on the floor
- I took a long, slow breath outwards, allowing me to control my breathing (quite handy for singing!)
- I looked at the people closest to me, to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the crowd
- I ignored the cinema sized screen showing a large close up of my face! Instead I looked at Michael and saw him as a regular person. (Lots of the people we teach panic about having their 'main stakeholders' in the room, but if you see them simply as a human the pressure subsides)
- When I forgot the words I just paused and smiled (rather than blurting out my 'monkey mind' thoughts of "Aaagh, help me, I've messed it up!")
- I chose a song I felt the audience would like, rather than thinking about what I wanted to sing (we always tell clients to focus on what an audience needs to hear, not what you want to say)
And in the flash of a selfie it was over. I never intended to put it on LinkedIn. However a friend encouraged me to share it and it seems to have brought a smile to many people. I certainly look back on it feeling thankful that I was able to enjoy a unique moment.
A lot of the skills I talk about here (and many more) are showcased in our flagship course. Would you like to gain the skills you need to perform at your best in front of any audience? 'The Complete Dynamic Presenter' has a few places left for April. Come along for two days of practical, inspiring and empowering coaching, with lots of personal feedback from our expert team. Or share this event with your network so that they can benefit. You can book directly here: Book Your Place on 'The Complete Dynamic Presenter' event or email [email protected] for the full details.
Or perhaps you would like to book our team to run communication workshops, speak at your conference or give you personal coaching? Whatever you need we are here to help. For general enquiries email [email protected] and we'll get back to you shortly.
Whatever you are aiming to achieve in 2020 make sure that you and your team are ready to express yourselves confidently when it's your moment to shine!
Richard Newman
Founder, Body Talk