About Us

High Impact exists to achieve more sustainable results than any other L&D provider

At our core we specialise in “Impact” Development: that is to say, the impact you have in any business situation where failure to inspire, influence or to lead could otherwise have a detrimental effect on business performance and results.

Critical Moments

Often in business, opportunities to successfully deliver the right impact will depend upon the way we feel and behave as leaders or managers at critical moments, whether that be an opportunity to inspire or motivate, an inaugural presentation, a critical commercial or selling conversation with a client, an influencing opportunity in an executive meeting or with stakeholders, a high visibility career development meeting etc..

Real Business Impact

Our “High Impact Approach” has delivered unprecedented results across a broad spectrum of business contexts and situations from enhancing commercial delivery or improving organisational communication to career management, individual development, management capability, culture change, employee engagement and loyalty, team cohesion, embedding values, strategy development, vision engineering and more. Our ‘experiences’ leave huge legacies with individuals, the business harvests the fruits of these legacies for longer. To explore further, view our slideshow - we recommend viewing in full screen mode by clicking on 'menu' below.

Tips for Virtual Meetings

Do you ever need to deliver presentations virtually? If so, here are a few High Impact pointers. The first thing to say is that many of the skills used in face to face delivery apply to presenting virtually. You still need clear objectives, key messages and strong audience interaction. You need interesting content, hooks and memorable stories. You need emotion and conviction, strong use of voice and enticing language.

Generally there are three virtual ways to present, teleconference, video conference and web conference. Most of the tips below apply to all three.

There are 7 tips as follows:

1.    Make contact
2.    Do the groundwork
3.    Agree rule
4.    Make it personal
5.    Keep it short
6.    Make space
7.    Hot tip from the acting world:

"when it’s your turn on screen, try and think about looking at the camera so you appear to be looking at the person at the other end: once you have looked into the camera then pick a focus spot about 2-3cm to the left or to the right of the camera, this will ‘soften’ how you are perceived at the other end. You will be looking at them but won’t appear to be staring!"

Below are 3 of the tips in more detail:

Do the groundwork
There is nothing worse than putting a lot of effort into setting up a meeting, only to find that you run into technical problems. To try and minimise any potential difficulties, circulate copies of any material to be viewed beforehand, rather than relying exclusively on online delivery of the slides during the presentation. Just before the meeting, send out a reminder with the phone number and access instructions, in case a participant has mislaid these details. Send texts as well if you can.

If possible, ask an administrator to set up the call. This serves two purposes. Firstly, you have someone focused on it who knows what they are doing! Secondly, if things start going wrong, the presenter doesn’t look incompetent – this is a subtle but very clever trick.

Good strong preparation avoids scenes like this (click here):

Make it personal
When setting the stage for a video conference, try to use the camera to zoom in on the presenter. If there is more than one presenter, consider using ‘hot seating’, where people move to an allocated position for their delivery. If you are fortunate enough to have multiple cameras, and a group of people in one room, make sure at least one of the cameras is a wide shot of the group whilst the other is reserved for close ups. Ensure that the person’s face is well lit (using the brightness setting on the camera or a lamp!) and that the sound is at an ideal level. Remove any unnecessary materials from the set. Pay attention to the backdrop, for example don't point the camera at a glass window with a passage-way behind it and lots of people walking past. Use separate web conferencing facilities to show slides etc. so that the video conferencing screen is used just to show people’s faces (which makes the meeting more personal). If you aren’t using video conferencing, consider circulating photos of the participants so that everyone knows what each person looks like.

Look at how Nic Askew films his subjects. Nic has become famous for his short films which capture the experience of being human and which for us epitomise High Impact. Look at how he sets the stage in the film below. Would it have the same impact if the camera was zoomed out?

Click here

Make space
In virtual presentations, you often can’t see the other participants. You therefore lose visual clues about what they may be thinking and feeling about the points that are being made. You therefore need to leave enough space for people to have their say. We often go around each participant in turn at different points during a presentation asking them a question, or asking them if they have anything that they would like to say.

Steve Apps & Grant Aylward - High Impact Europe Ltd

How to describe an exhaust

When a new car is launched, the makers release official information, statistics and so on. Usually this information is pretty dull, not a million miles away from the technical specification you get with a laptop.

Two supercars were launched in 2010. The Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series and the Lamborghini Mercilago LP670-4 Super Veloce.

This is how the two exhausts are described:

“The new design reduces exhaust gas back pressure. The acoustic side effect of this is to produce a distinctive v12 sound from the two trapezoidal tail pipes.”

“The exhaust makes a sound that ranges from ‘the heavy rumble of a stormy night’ through ‘the trumpeting of mighty elephants’ to ‘the roar of a raging lion’.”

I think you can guess which description applies to which car! Think about it, whether you like either car or not, which one has more soul? Which car do you get more emotionally engaged with?

What descriptive words are you using to present your ideas/products/strategies? Or are you simply stating the ‘facts’? Also, how are you vocally expressing the words that you use?

Using expressive language adds emotion to your presentations.

Steve Apps and Grant Aylward - High Impact Europe Ltd

Lie to me

This High Impact Inspiration refers to elements of the Charisma Compass, High Impact’s tool for developing your personal impact.

I'm currently watching the series 'lie to me' starring Tim Roth. Roth plays Dr Cal Lightman, an expert at reading micro-expressions, the facial expressions that express the seven universal emotions – disgust, anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise and contempt. Lightman is based on a real person, Dr Paul Ekman.

Obviously I was interested both in the TV drama and Dr Ekman's work as it is all about communication. However, I was watching it purely for entertainment until the last dialogue of the last episode of series one, when I was struck by a powerful insight.

Firstly, the plot. A bomb has been detonated on a bus in Washington DC and shortly afterwards, there is another blast in a shopping mall. Lightman and his team are involved in the FBI investigation to gather intelligence and try to prevent any further incidents. Lightman has a young protégé working for him, Ria Torres, who has a natural talent for reading micro-expressions. Her boyfriend, a cop, was on the way to the mall before the bomb struck. Lightman receives a call informing him that Torres' boyfriend is missing and decides not to tell Torres as he needs her focused on the case. Torres plays an instrumental role in solving the case, saving many lives. Meanwhile there has been a search for Torres' boyfriend and he is found 4 hours after the blast in an elevator. He is injured with bleeding on the brain.

So, picture the final scene. Torres is at the hospital with her boyfriend and Lightman arrives to talk to her. She knows that he withheld information from her. Just before you read the dialogue, what do you expect him to say? I’ll tell you what I was expecting. That Lightman would apologise, Torres would not accept his apology as she blames him for the fact that her boyfriend was stuck in an elevator for 4 hours and if he’d told her, she could have gone to find him. This would result in a large amount of animosity between them which would last for ages…

Here’s the dialogue:

Dialogue between Cal Lightman and Ria Torres. ‘Locker’ is a colleague, ‘Foster’ is Lightman’s business partner.

Notice in the script I have mentioned the word magnetism at the end. Magnetism is all about the eyes. A piercing gaze despite poise and calm. Roth’s magnetism is infectious and underpins his depth of conviction beautifully.

“It’s not about you”

“You have a talent”
 
So why did this scene strike me? Well I was struck by Lightman’s depth of conviction. I mean, in retrospect, his actions seem to make sense. His justification is simple – even if Torres’ boyfriend had died, many more were saved. But of course it’s not that simple is it. There are a series of unknown outcomes that in the end will either prove Lightman ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. The list of possibilities is endless but here are a couple.

Possible outcomes:

1. They prevent further bombings, Torres’ boyfriend dies, Torres leaves the firm, Lightman still feels justified in his actions.
2. They are unable to prevent further bombings, Torres’ boyfriend dies, Torres leaves the firm, Lightman’s depth of conviction is shaken.

So what does this tell us about impact? For me, this is all about depth of conviction. Lightman’s actions were based on a deep conviction that success sometimes requires painful sacrifice, but the success is worth making the sacrifice. Now clearly there are going to be times when that conviction is going to be shaken – when the sacrifice doesn’t lead to success. But on balance, his experience has proved him right.

Have you ever been in a situation where you have had to withhold information from someone in the knowledge that when they find out, you know they are going to be extremely unhappy about it?

Ask yourself these two questions:

1. When matters must be confronted and a crucial point is reached, what do I really stand for?
2. How true am I to my convictions in the actions I take?

You may need some time to reflect…

Steve Apps – High Impact Europe Ltd

Deep Diving

Ever since watching the film Le Grand Blue back in my University days I’ve been fascinated by Freediving. The film is partially based on fact and follows Jacques Mayol who in 1980, was the first diver to reach 100 metres. He did this using a weighted sled to descend and an inflated bag to return to the surface. Thirty years later, on the 13th December 2010, William Trubridge became the first freediver to reach 100 metres unaided.

Free or deep diving is a metaphor for an important leadership communication skill. When choosing content for your speech or presentation, you should ‘deep dive’. Find the one example that says everything you want to say and talk about it in depth. Talk specifically not generally. Swim down, not across.

William Trubridge is the current World Absolute Freediver (2011). He holds the world record for what is considered the purist form of freediving, ‘constant weight without fins’. He is the only person to have swam over 100 metres straight down without the use of any equipment. You can watch this incredible feat by clicking here.

Now I could tell you some facts about the dive. I could tell you that at 100 meters the pressure exerted by overhead water crushed Trubridge's lungs to the size of small grapefruit. I could tell you that his heart beat slowed to around 25 bpm. I could tell you that his depth was verified by a Suunto D4 depth gauge and that the dive lasted 4 minutes and 10 seconds in total. The fact that I’m focusing on one dive out of thousands of dives that happen every year is a good start. But now I need to find the interesting bits about the dive other than simply the intellectual facts in order to bring it to life for you.

Let me tell you what happened before the dive. Actually, he had already achieved the 100 metre depth the day before. But when he reached the surface, he was supposed to remove his nose clip as part of the resurfacing protocol for the record to stand. He didn’t. Imagine how frustrated he must have felt. That frustration affected his composure. Read what he had to say about the preparation for the dive that counted.

“During yesterday’s dive, I managed to tweak a muscle in my neck, so overnight I took a lot of anti-inflammatories and propped towels under my back and neck while I slept (thanks mum!). This morning we awoke to a turn in the weather: a cold front moving across brought chilly winds, and blotted out the sun. I entered the water at 11 in the morning and immediately started shivering. At the end of my breathe-up, as I turned to start the dive, some of the air in my lungs was forced into my mouth, and from there into my stomach. For a split-second I contemplated continuing, but it would have been foolhardy, so I aborted and rolled back onto the surface with a groan of dismay. There was still a glimmer of hope to save the day, and I quickly went ashore, climbed into my car and turned the heating up to the maximum setting. After roasting myself for twenty minutes, I returned to the platform. This time I spent less time breathing up in the water, and turned carefully to start the dive. After that moment I have few memories, as my body was operating on autopilot.”

Why this matters

So what does this story have to do with leadership communication? Behind every fact or figure, strategy or business plan, idea or improvement, update or review, are ‘real people living real lives’. It is by talking about real situations that we are able to emotionally connect our audience to what we are saying.

Deep diving into one example allows us to uncover the emotion in the situation and hence make it meaningful for people, so that they care. Why do we care if they care? Because otherwise people don’t do anything. And if people don’t do anything, then you are wasting your time talking to them.
 
Summary

• Look for the one example or story that says everything you want to say.
• Beneath every fact or figure are real people living real lives, that’s your source of inspiration.
• Use extreme examples to make your points – they are more emotionally charged.

Don’t leave out the interesting bits – what’s the equivalent of Trubridge roasting himself for 20 minutes.

Steve Apps – High Impact Europe Ltd

Gen Up

Someone very close to me has a remarkable job. Unfortunately I can’t tell you much about him for reasons which will become clear but I’ll call him Mark for the purposes of this Inspiration. I’ve always been interested in what he does and wish I had made more effort to spend time chatting to him. A couple of years ago I resolved to discover more when he told me he was off to Afghanistan to try to help tribal elders understand the motives and objectives behind NATO’s presence in Afghanistan. Two years later, we finally sat down and had a proper conversation.

In preparation for our conversation I asked him to think about what he had learnt over several years spent working with foreign cultures in what could be regarded as extremely difficult circumstances. My hypothesis was that his approach would have something to tell us about how to influence in the workplace. I was not disappointed.

Firstly, three tips in case you ever find yourself tasked with working with rural Afghans:

1. It is taboo to ask (as we might) ‘how’s your wife then?’ It’s socially unacceptable to ask another man about the welfare of his wife.
2. Humour a very good way to build rapport. For example, oblique reference to the British defeat in 1842 in the closing months of the First Anglo-Afghan war will likely prompt a wry grin acknowledging Afghan military success against an imperial power.
3. Don’t make the common mistake of believing that growing a beard will generate respect, empathy and understanding among your interlocutors . You need to earn it. This apart, you will be perceived simply as a ‘westerner with a beard’. We all have pre-conceptions about tactics and approaches we can adopt and sometimes we overcomplicate life. At the end of the day, you are two human beings. Afghans see well beyond any cosmetic tactics. What is more important to them is the person behind the beard.

The full interview is available for subscribers to our HI Inspirations. Here is a flavour of it.

Tell me about your role in Afghanistan

My role was two-fold. Firstly to ensure that the international force had as full a knowledge of local/regional/national politics as possible on which to draw when assessing options/courses of action. The second aim was in the opposite direction – try to find ways of encouraging the broader provincial to feel that they had a stake in the future governance of their province and had reason to invest in that – in whatever form that might take. For example, being open, informative and relaxed or being receptive to initiatives such as growing wheat rather than poppy seed.

Afghans habitually leave the most important business until last. I was invited to a high-level meeting ostensibly to discuss a particular issue only to be confronted with a completely and much more serious request literally as I came to leave the room at the close of proceedings. In the event, it was a request that I could not meet. But to explain that to someone whose culture and background gives them a very different sense of obligatory emphasis to your own is a sensitive business. I asked the most senior Afghan to step alone with me into another room. If his junior staff had witnessed me turning him down, it would have undermined his authority and our relationship. At least if I spoke to him alone, he would be able then to consider how to present my response to his colleagues. In the end, they found a pragmatic and typically Afghan solution to the question he’d put to me. And I reimbursed them the cost as a gesture of goodwill.

So how would you summarise your approach to developing working relations in Afghanistan?

I am a long way from being an expert in Afghan affairs. But in my limited experience there are two fundamental factors:

• As with any working relationship, but particularly in that environment, it helps if you are able to identify the needs and wants of the person so you can establish a degree of empathy. So they can see that you understand where they are coming from. And certainly not adopting an attitude of lecturing, patronising, telling them off or whatever.

• Establishing some kind of personal connection can go a long way – it is difficult when you are from cultures which are thousands of miles and centuries apart. In rural Afghanistan, the way of life has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years. And it can be quite a shock to see illustrations of this – almost as though you were stepping back in time. On the other hand, human nature seems to be a constant. Basic honesty, courtesy and respect are common values whose worth has remained unchanged across continental divides and through the ages.

Charisma I

Introduction

Having been involved in hundreds of High Impact Seminars and coaching sessions with leaders and potential leaders across the globe over recent years we have been fortunate enough to have a ready-made research platform to explore what perceptions people have of leaders with “High Impact”. One of the most commonly cited words to describe influential and inspirational men and women in business by their peers and followers is “charismatic”.

Dispelling the Myth

Whilst it is clear that some people are born, or at least develop at an early age, the “je ne sais quoi” that is charisma, it is our contention that charismatic presence can be developed and considerably improved. Furthermore we believe that, as a leader or potential leader, you must seek to improve it in order to have sustained impact and to inspire a sense of devotion in your followers. If you have experienced any of our High Impact Programmes you will already be well equipped to further develop some of the component parts.

Charisma, like the individuals who are able to cast its spell, is complex. In order to work on developing your own authentic charismatic effect you will need to begin with an open mind, a willingness to try out new things and a desire to accept other truths about yourself.

Getting Started – “Your Perceptive Experiences”

In your own mind, take a few minutes to explore the questions below. First, picture someone to whom you would attribute the quality of “charisma”. It may be someone at work, in your family or in the public eye:

1.    What was their “inaugural act”? The event that you or others witnessed which persuaded you or them to this perception of them as a charismatic individual.

2.    What “legacy” did they leave with you and others? Describe the indelible trace left on you; put down on paper the detailed imagery, thoughts, feelings or perceptions that were ignited, engendered or transferred to you.

3.    What was their “formula” for charisma? How did they do it? For example, if it was a speech, what did you notice about the subject matter, the words, language or expressions they used? Where do you imagine their inspiration came from? If their actions spoke to you in a charismatic way, what specifically did you notice about these?

Now take a look at the following extract from an interview I did on the subject with one of our HI coaches Kate O’Connell during which I asked her these same 3 questions:

“I am thinking about a time I went to see a play in London called “Burn This” starring John Malkovich. His inaugural act which made me instantly feel his charismatic presence was when he walked on stage at the top on Act 1. He was wearing a long wig and I remember him having particularly unattractive calves. However his energy was so compelling, captivating. I was instantly intrigued; “what was going to happen next?”

“In a funny sort of way he was quite grotesque but totally natural with it, he gave himself permission to be grotesque. As he began to speak he was relaxing and soothing but at the same time there was sensuality to him, something sexual. His energy was both male and female, he was a contradiction.  What he did, through his movements, was give a sort of visceral physicality to himself and he was completely unself-conscious. Paradoxically I saw him as ugly but beautiful. It was riveting and left me completely charged. This was way back in the late 80’s and I have never forgotten the feeling”. 

What a legacy!

Context Setting - Origins, Definitions and Implications!

The word charisma is derived from the Greek word kharisma meaning “gift” which itself is derived from the word “kharis” meaning “Grace”. In essence its origins lie in an ancient belief that charismatic people had been granted this “gift” from God. This is not very helpful of course when you are trying to develop people’s charismatic appeal!

Defining Charisma is not easy either, as you might expect.  My favourite is from the work of Robert Greene on the Art of Seduction.

“Charisma is a presence that excites us. It comes from an inner quality – self confidence, sexual energy, sense of purpose, contentment – that most people lack and want. This quality radiates outward, permeating the gestures of the Charismatics, making them seem extraordinary and superior. They learn to heighten their charisma with a piercing gaze, fiery oratory, an air of mystery. Create the charismatic illusion by radiating intensity while remaining detached.” (Robert Greene author and play write)

The Charisma Compass

Through our research we have now developed a solid understanding of the ingredients which can lead a person to create the charismatic effect on others. To learn more about the “HI Charisma Compass” and how you too can develop your charismatic impact subscribe to our Inspirations or contact us directly to find out more about our innovative approach to developing leadership impact.

Climbing The Tower

Our ‘motto’ is a quote by Maya Angelou – “People will forget what you say, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

The reason films based on true stories are so popular is because we actually share the experience of the main characters. It is almost impossible to watch films like ‘Erin Brockovich’, ‘Changeling’ and ‘Catch me if you can’ without being moved emotionally.

This is thanks to what are called ‘mirror neurons’ that literally ‘mirror’ what the person in the film is experiencing as if we were there. X-factor works on a similar principle. Have a look at this video. Watch it for a couple of minutes and the ‘headcam’ makes you feel like you are the one climbing, despite the rather dreary commentary. It then becomes compulsive viewing. Unless of course you suffer from vertigo, in which case you will probably find it extremely hard to watch the whole thing!

What techniques can you use to make your audience ‘feel’, as if they are the ones climbing the tower?

The Brain

Our latest High Impact Inspiration is all about the brain. Here’s a flavour of what it covers:

Our understanding of how the brain functions is increasing exponentially thanks in part to the invention and use of fMRI scanners which are able to pinpoint neural activity by measuring changes in blood flow in the brain.

Our ability to think and therefore communicate effectively is hugely impacted by our brain. Therefore on all our programmes, we spend time looking at how the brain can help or hinder you in difficult situations. In the research I do about the brain, one big theme emerges and it’s all about control.

Who’s in control, you or your brain?

How we believe we think and how we actually think are quite different. We are much more controlled by our emotional brain than we realise. We tend to think that our rational brain is in control, but actually, that’s only the case if we are extremely self-aware of the difference between the emotional brain and the rational brain and we are able to consciously over-ride our emotional brain in times of stress.

Let’s explore this. Last night, my wife, Yumi, told me a story.

She was on her way to pick up our daughter, Yvie, from kindergarten. She stopped at the traffic lights where the North Circular intersects the Uxbridge Road in Ealing, West London. She was at the head of the queue. Someone came up to her car and before she knew it, was washing her windscreen. Yumi normally gives money in this situation, so as usual, she opened her purse, took out a one pound coin and opened the window, just a little. Holding the coin between her thumb and forefinger, she handed the coin to the windscreen washer, who also took it between thumb and forefinger. The coin fell.

Then something incredible happened.

It happened in an instant, which is difficult to experience through reading, so please imagine it.

Yumi noticed.

She noticed that her purse was open and in her lap.

She noticed that the dropping of the coin was not an accident. The lady had grasped the coin and then deliberately opened her thumb and forefinger to allow the coin to drop.

She noticed that an ‘accomplice’ joined the windscreen washer at the side of the car.

She noticed that she was in the middle of a set up. That her natural reaction would be to open the door. That when she did so, the windscreen washer would grab her purse and hand it to her ‘accomplice’, who would run.

I was amazed that Yumi had noticed all of this. But I was also amazed by what she did next.

Yumi picked up her purse and put it back into her handbag on the passenger seat. She then opened another money pouch we keep in the car to pay for parking, took out 60p and handed it to the windscreen washer. The washer started to complain that she had at first been offered one pound.

Yumi said “this is all I have in here”

The washer said “but what about the one pound on the floor, you’re stupid”

Yumi said “no, you’re stupid for dropping it”

And they went their separate ways.

Two things struck me about this incident. Firstly, how observant Yumi was. Or more precisely, how observant Yumi’s brain was. It very quickly assessed the situation and instinctively knew that ‘something’ was wrong. I’m pretty sure that only through post-rationalisation did Yumi figure out why she instinctively perceived a threat.

Secondly, Yumi’s response to this ‘threat’ of having her purse stolen was a rational one, not an instinctive one. More instinctive reactions would be to get angry or simply shut the window and ignore the window washer. I asked Yumi why she didn’t respond in either of these ways. She said “because I didn’t want to annoy them so that they did some damage to the car.” This was a logical answer and therefore very much a strategy formulated in the pre-frontal cortex, not the amygdala.

So how was Yumi able to ‘think straight’ in this situation? We’ll never really know, but here’s my theory. A few years ago, as Yumi was waiting outside a friend’s house, someone opened her passenger door and ran off with her purse. This means she has become sensitised to security in her car and so she has already thought through various scenarios related to windscreen washers, who are part of life in London. In fact, Yumi had mentioned the windscreen washers to me only a couple of days before the incident took place. She was ready for them.

As a leader, you have plenty of experience of dealing with difficult situations at work, whether you are leading, presenting, influencing, negotiating or anything else involving communication. But…

• How good are you at being guided (not controlled) by your emotions’?
• How aware are you of how much your emotional brain is controlling your thoughts and actions? 
• What leadership challenges do you face where your ability to overcome the emotional brain will be a key factor in your success?

Have a think about it…

Steve Apps - High Impact

Further Brain Fodder

Here are some resources which may be of interest. Many of them are about increasing our awareness of how our brain tends to control us rather than the other way round.

If you work in marketing you are probably aware of the trend towards neuro-marketing. A great read on this subject is Buyology by Martin Lindstrom. One example he gives is about the Corona beer-and-lime ritual. The point he is making is that we are naturally drawn towards ‘rituals’ and therefore products that exploit this human condition are more likely to succeed. Also, that we tend to like doing what other people do.

But first, let me pester you with a multiple choice question. The Corona beer-and-lime ritual we just mentioned – any idea how that might have come about? A) Drinking beer with a lime wedge is simply the way Latino cultures quaff their Coronas, as it enhances the beer’s taste. B) The ritual derives from an ancient Mesoamerican habit designed to combat germs, since the lime’s acidity destroys any bacteria that may have formed on the bottle during packaging and shipping. C) The Corona-lime ritual reportedly dates back to 1981, when on a random bet with his buddy, a bartender at an un-named restaurant popped a lime wedge into the neck of a Corona to see if he could get other patrons to do the same.

If you remain unconvinced that your brain is more in control of you than vice versa, then here are a few thought provokers:

• Dan Ariely, author of ‘Predictably Irrational’ talks about decision making
• Daniel Kahneman, founder of behavioural economics talks about happiness
• In this podcast, Benedetto De Martino from the California Institute of Technology looks at loss aversion and the amygdala
• In this podcast, David Robinson, Finance Professor at the Fuqua School of Business talks about risk aversion. This has strong implications on ‘taking actions’ and how you might try to influence a decision maker. “There’s a bias against acting.”
• And just for fun. The lady’s comment at the end says it all.
  

And of course, I can’t write an inspiration on the brain without referring to our favourite brain scientist, Jill Bolte Taylor. Her book ‘My Stroke of Insight’ is unforgettable.

 

Pebble Poetry

If you have attended one of our High Impact Presenting or High Impact Leadership seminars you may well have been witness to one of the participants recounting their experience of the “Pebble” and reciting the poem which emerged as a result of the experience, or indeed it might have been you?

For us, the “Pebble”, as it is now known, is the exercise which has produced some of the most pivotal and memorable moments in the history of our work at High Impact, at times leaving an indelible legacy in the minds of both recipients and observers.

This High Impact Inspiration is really a tribute to some of the work produced by the recipients of this exercise.  It is our sincere hope and request that, in reading some of the poetry below, you will be stimulated to suspend judgement on its merits until you yourself have tried the “Pebble” if you have not yet done so and that you will pass the exercise on to others in your environment.

Just before we do share some of the creations with you we’d like to refresh your memories of the exercise and why it is now an irreplaceable part of the High Impact way of developing leadership qualities and personal impact.

The Pebble exercise:

“Before work, pick up a pebble and spend a few minutes examining it. Note its colour and feeling, its weight and texture, its shape. Carry it with you all day and all evening. Place it by your bed for the night. When you are getting ready for work the next day, put the pebble in your bag, your briefcase or your pocket. Then, sometime before work starts take it out and place it carefully on the ground and never look at it again.

Write a poem about how this made you feel. Come prepared to talk to us for 5 minutes about your experience and finish with a recital of your poem.”

Before you read other people’s poetry, how about having a go yourself?

High Impact Pebble - Call to Action:

1. Try the exercise yourself if you have not yet done so and send your poem to helenr@high-impact.eu
2. Pass on the “Pebble” exercise to someone else. You decide who. Encourage them to complete the exercise in their own way but they must write the poem and recite it to you. Send us their poem, with their permission. (We find it best not to reveal much of your experience of the exercise in advance but rather let them have their own experience and draw their own conclusions).

We have compiled some of the best pebble poetry from our courses and turned them into a wiki! Click here to explore further or go to http://pebblepoetry.wikispaces.com

Grant Aylward – High Impact