Just being at the table is simply not enough

Wasn’t enough, Mr Carney, wasn’t enough.

Whilst Mark Carney was spot on in his outstanding speech at Davos recently in saying that if middle powers are “not at the table, they’ll be on the menu”, he didn’t quite go far enough.

Just being at the table is simply not enough

Involvement is also critical: being curious, listening, questioning, and speaking up with clarity, brevity, and impact. Otherwise, there is not much point taking up space at the table.

Now some people – Mr Carney, for example - are really good at this. They have little trouble in voicing their opinions. Others less so. And still others – possibly a majority – find it challenging just to get a word in. Not just when to speak, or how to interject, but also about what to say.

So they turn to AI, to the likes of ChatGPT, for inspiration. And sure enough, the ideas come thick and fast. At lightning speed. Finely worded presentations with catchy titles and perfect structures. But lacking originality. With zero authenticity.

As fast as AI and social media evolve, Trust is moving at an equal speed in the opposite direction

The simple truth is that as fast as AI and social media evolve, Trust is moving at an equal speed in the opposite direction. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for us to trust what we hear, what we read, or what we see. There is now an overwhelming desire for people to meet, be it virtual or in-person.

But while that desire may have increased, the time given for speaking has not. On the contrary, in this Instagram, Tik Tok, Pinterest, Snapchat World in which we now live, there is an expectation that presentations need to be brief, entertaining, and above all, human. The bar for presenting well has gone up.

The recent growing demand for presentation skills training

Which no doubt explains the recent growing demand for presentation skills training that we’re receiving at Connect, including Storytelling and how to conduct Critical Conversations.

The fact is, although you may be at the table, if you don’t speak up, you won’t even see the menu.

Help us Grow our Community!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues/friends who could benefit from receiving them.

Feedback or ideas for future editions? Feel free to send us a quick message to this email address. We would love to hear from you.

Until next month!

Warmest regards,

The Connect Family