Many of us have dreamed of performing so well at something that we get a standing ovation from a crowd of people. It could be a performance, a sporting event or simply being recognized at a meeting for all of your hard work. A standing ovation lets you know with 100% certainty that you did what your audience wanted and you did it well.
My sister Sally grew up acting and singing in plays and received many ovations. She later married a fellow actor and writer, Thomas Allen. At their wedding, a well-known actor friend of Tom’s performed a reading. I’ll never forget how he seemed to pour himself into the words, his voice ringing out and creating a spell-bound atmosphere in the church. His performance gave my sister and brother-in-law something meaningful that they could remember for the rest of their lives. I remember it, as an audience member, more than a decade later.
My daughter Grace grew up singing as well. In high school she travelled to Italy with her school choir. In addition to sightseeing they also gave several performances, culminating in a performance during a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. At the end of every performance, as an encore piece, they sang the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves,” from the opera “Nabucco.” This song is something of a second national anthem in Italy, like “America the Beautiful” is here. Without fail, even if the audience members hadn’t been very enthusiastic during the main part of the concert, they stood and sang along with the choir and gave them a standing ovation when they were finished. During their last performance, a woman in the crowd became so emotional she tried to kiss the choir director after they sang this song! Grace’s choir director was a clever guy; he knew how much this song meant to the Italians, and how much it would mean to hear an American choir performing it for them in their own language.
So the next time you’re prepping for that big presentation, don’t just close with a standard (and often tired) joke. Do some homework – find out what things are meaningful and inspirational to your client. Tailor your presentation as much as possible to suit not only your client’s needs but also their business culture and goals. Deliver your presentation like you really mean the things you’re saying. Who knows? You might end up with a standing ovation. At the very least you will have increased your chances of winning the client’s business by providing them with a memorable experience.
Have a great weekend,
Ro
This comment comes from one of our favorite clients, Larry Horowitz, who responded to this Weekend Words via e-mail:
“Ro, the song you mention, “Va Pensiero,” was sung when much of Italy was under very-resented Austrian rule. As the song tells of the Jewish slaves in exile longing for their homeland to which one day they will return as free, it caught on with the Italians as they could sing it without trouble as it was a popular tune, but they knew what they meant. When the song’s composer, Verdi, died, the people in Milan gathered and all sang this together. A very shrewd chorus director.”
Special thanks to Larry for sharing this great information with us!