Whose in your audience?

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever." Margaret Cho

I love this quote! Such a powerful concept said very simply. Recently I had an occasion to find out that I had done a rather small act and it had made a change in someone's life. What a gift to learn this information. My story involves my taking to the stage and in that small way getting someone in the audience to create a dream goal. It struck me how sometimes we don't realize the power of our actions. I ask you, whose in your audience? Who is looking at your light and being inspired? Or approach it another way, who has inspired you?

To hear my story we need to go back a year or so ago. It was Toastmasters Speech contest season and I had yet again thrown my name in as a competitor. I was blessed to be representing my club at the Area Contest, where I won and moved on to the Division Contest. This meant I would be facing Toastmasters from across southern Mississauga. I was confident in my speech and it's content. I spoke about the power of connections and how technology was slowly eroding our connection with each other. The competition was tough as it always is. After I had delivered my speech I sat anxiously awaiting the results. I was very much in my own world as I wasn't sure if I had exceeded the time limit.

Then came the moment of announcing the third, second and first place finishers. Imagine my surprise when my name was called! I had finished first! I was happy to be representing my club on the BIG district stage. Little did I know that I had been a spark to someone in that crowd.

I first met Hassan at the fall humorous speech contest. He was sharply dressed and seemed confident. He took to the stage and he had IT! Charisma, and a presence about him that the audience just gravitated to. I wasn't competing and I remember sitting in the audience watching him spin a humorous take on dating in this crazy world. My sides hurt when he finished. I was impressed, and not too surprised when Hassan won the contest. He went on to come second at the District contest.

I didn't see Hassan until our next contest which was the International Contest. The very one that I had won the previous year. I again wasn't competing but I was honoured to be the Contest Chair. Hassan looked calm and confident at the contestant briefing and I wished him well. The competition was tough and I found myself enjoying all the speeches. Again Hassan struck me with his speech, which was about not giving up and pursuing your goal no matter the road block. Hassan again masterfully mixed humour and the seriousness of the message. As Chair I was the one to announce the results. Hassan won! He was so happy bouncing towards me with a smile and a hearty handshake. I remembered that feeling of hearing your name announced as the winner. I knew he was on cloud nine.

The story may have ended there, but then you might ask yourself that's not much of a story!

Okay, now we get to the meat of the story. Hassan was giving a keynote at a Toastmasters training session. I was the timer of the speech and sitting at the back of the room. I found myself really excited to hear Hassan speak again. Within minutes of speaking Hassan had me spell bound again. He started talking about having a dream goal. A goal that you want really bad and that's really big. He then asked for me to stand up. I was puzzled but found myself sheepishly standing and waving to the crowd.

Then the moment came, Hassan told the audience that it was my speech at the International Contest that gave him his dream goal! He wanted to win the very speech contest he saw me win! He wanted to be Steve Elliot...well not quite...but he wanted to win that International Speech Contest. I was blown away and very flattered.

Later I approached Hassan and he said "You didn't even know I was in the audience that night. But I wanted to do what you had done."

Wow! What a powerful message. I coudn't believe that Hassan, who was a great speaker in his own right, got inspired by my acheivement. He was right I didn't know he was in the audience that night. He never approached me and I didn't know him.

It was a great reminder to me that you never know who is watching you. I've spoken in front of many audiences and never really understood the impact of those moments until Hassan came forward and revealed how my speech had inspired him. It was a great reminder of how sometimes we never hear from the people we inspire. We don't tell people how much their words or actions have meant to us. Hassan had given me one of the biggest thrills of being a Toastmaster. How powerful it was for me to learn that my words were making a difference.

I ask again...whose in your audience? There is a high chance that someone has been inspired by your message. When you take to a stage be respectful of the power you have. For you have the ability to inspire someone. To do that small thing that changes a life in a positive way. If you don't frequently take to a "stage" in your work, think of the stage as a metaphor. I am sure there are people observing you and getting inspired by you.

Have you ever told a person that they have inspired you? That you have created a dream goal because of the small act of another person? Believe me when I say you will give that person energy to continue their work. Don't be silent in the audience, share the impact that person made on you!

Whether you are in the audience or on the stage. You have the power to make a difference in someone's life. Use and share the power wisely. By doing those small things you will make a big difference in someone's life.

I encourage you to share someone who has inspired you. Let them know the impact that they have had on your life or goals.