In July of 2017, I suggested every member of the Cannon family make a short presentation as part of their annual family retreat.
The idea did not go over very well with certain members of the family.
Most of us know the #1 fear most people have is not dying, it’s PUBLIC SPEAKING!
Yet, if you stop and think about it, the ability to present a well thought out idea is a vital skill for life success. Whether you are presenting an idea to your co-worker, your boss or your significant other, you need to learn how to present articulate, compelling ideas.
In a family business setting, it is the family leader’s role to help everyone in the family gain important life skills. A team is only as strong as its weakest link. Having a strong, sustainable family requires having strong family members.
Back to the family retreat. We asked every family member to stand up and give a short presentation on the current state of their life.
We asked them to answer questions like:
- What are you finding interesting in your life right now?
- What are you passionate about?
- How is your educational or professional journey going?
- What are you excited about in your future?
This exercise accomplishes several things. It helps family members hone their presentation skills. It helps the family learn a bit more about one other and it also helps the family hold each other accountable to making the most out of their life.
As your family business coach, I want your family to shoot for extraordinary! Challenge yourselves to make the most out of your life! Most family businesses have a great opportunity for success with their business.
Don’t let your family rest on its success. Be leaders and ask them to raise the bar and reach new heights.
Presentation skills are important to life success. I encourage every client to go to Toastmasters for a year. When you can learn to stand up and give a great presentation to a group, it’s that much easier to do it in an individual or small group setting.
By the way, after all the complaining, the family members all gave good presentations and thanked me for challenging them to do the exercise!
Presentation skills is one of the 50 skills that are part of my 50 skills assessments. Email me and I’ll send you a free copy of the assessment.
Let me know if you would like help planning YOUR family meeting this summer!
Play to your potential!
Coach Pete
Pete Walsh is a demanding, courageous and playful Master Coach in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the founder of Peak Workout Business Coaching and the Family Business Performance Center. He can be reached at pete@peakcoach.com.
