Why We Network with 4th Graders!

I towered over everyone in the audience at one of our most memorable workshops. By at least a foot.

At the time, we had no idea this public speaking session would become a powerful foot into new doors.

We could tell by our participants' body language how hungry they were to partake in our filler word removal games and body language based activities. When we asked for volunteers, some of our audience members launched their entire bodies up from their seated positions to get our attention. Others waved their arms in ways adults never do. A few kept inching closer to us to the point they were practically on top of our toes.

Thanks to this lively group of then 4th graders (now going into 10th grade), and to our daughter Samara for inviting us, that single workshop nearly 6 years ago became a catalyst for a chain of conferences and new clients, around the country.

Our daughter wrote out the day's line up of communications challenges, pictured below. Minus the drawings, this outline doesn't look far different from the ones we use for our launch classes to this day with adults -- whether they are in the C-suite, starting out or making a career transition.

Little did we know that 4th graders are powerful ambassadors and that they would go on to tell their parents about the activities. Two of the parents brought us to their offices to lead similar sessions, which grew into longer running series.

The new connections multiplied from there to introductions to more clients and conference opportunities, near and far, including years later for all of the teachers at the same school on how to up their virtual game during the height of Covid.

This memory hit recently as a story we need to tell clients who are starting out on the speaking circuit. You never know what interaction will become your hindsight launchpad.