Big Jolt

I was invited to give a presentation at a company in another city. Afterwards the local Evangelist said, “You didn’t say anything I couldn’t have, but more people will listen to you. Your talk will have greater impact than mine would and then they’ll come to me for more information.”

To provide more visibility for the change effort, invite a high profile person into your organization to talk about the new idea.

You are a Dedicated Champion(129) working to introduce a new idea into your organization.

You’ve been carrying out some activities to give your new idea some visibility in your organization, but at some point you need to attract more attention to the effort.

Some people might be too busy to attend your presentation, but they will take time to hear an expert in the field. When a speaker has credibility, people are influenced by what he has to say.

Even those who have adopted the innovation need to have their interest reinforced. They need something to re-energize their interest and strengthen their commitment; otherwise, they may fall back into old habits or forget the new approach.

Therefore:

Arrange for a high-profile person who can talk about the new idea to do a presentation in your organization.

If funding is not available, entice the expert by pointing out that his visit is an opportunity for publicity for his latest project or book. Increase the probability of significant audience attendance at his presentation with lots of publicity before the event and by personally inviting and reminding people. Tell Connectors(119). “Big name” people usually expect a big audience and may consider it an insult if they don’t get one at your organization. This is especially important if the speaker is not being paid.

Schedule a pre-event meeting so the speaker can tailor his talk to the needs of the company. Give him some insight into the attitudes surrounding the new idea, the local power structure, and the organization’s true priorities. Make certain he understands the types of individuals he will be speaking to. Well-known experts may wish to talk about something that most people in the organization are not prepared to understand, so encourage him to use Just Enough(180) to speak at a level the organization can absorb.

When advertising and introducing the speaker, highlight his experiences that relate to the innovation. This is likely to impress even the people who are not familiar with his name and make them more interested in what he has to say.

If the speaker will agree to do more than just a presentation, arrange a Royal Audience(210) to reward those who have helped with your new idea or to make an impression on a Corporate Angel(123) or Local Sponsor(186).

Get permission to videotape the presentation for people who can’t hear the speaker live. Later, you can schedule some group viewings—be there to answer questions. Use both the presentation and the video sessions as an opportunity to Plant the Seeds(204).

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This pattern creates an event that will increase awareness of an innovation and provide some training for it. A big name speaker will catch the attention of even the busiest people and will raise your credibility since you arranged for this person to visit the organization. Even those who cannot attend may be influenced by the publicity before the event and the talk about it afterwards.

The risk is that it can create more enthusiasm than you can handle. Make sure you have people to help you after the speaker has gone. Without appropriate follow-up, the enthusiasm is likely to fizzle. Also, dealing with the visitor may involve a lot of extra overhead, divert resources, and distract you from higher-priority tasks and may not contribute to your long-term community development. Make sure this event is held in the context of a larger plan.

Barb invited a well-known speaker to talk about a new idea in her organization. Immediately following his visit, she saw a difference between those who had heard the talk and those who did not. Most of those who attended were willing to hear more, while most of the others were still skeptical.

David said, “We use this as much as we can. For some reason, people don’t believe the in-house experts as much as a visiting ‘dignitary.’ We’ve had several big name speakers pay us a visit and it never ceases to amaze me the number of new people who sign up afterwards. It’s not like we don’t have our own in-house training or resident mentors. I’m learning about the impact of outsiders!”