Zimpapers Logo

Zachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom
Last weekend I had to address a group of people that receive multiple talks a week. I’m not really keen on hitting the category where I blend into the list of other speakers that have been ‘good’ and ‘okay’. I try and aim for the memorable (sometimes it gets me into trouble). I am big on props and images that leave a mark in your mind.

A few years ago, my brother caught a record-sized striped marlin off the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
We are a competitive family, so I was jealous he caught the biggest fish ever, but was glad for him.

Anyway, we had it mounted. The only problem was that it was 10,000 miles away from Harare.
We had to figure out how to get it from that part of the World to Zimbabwe. That’s a completely different story about how we got it here, but five years later it arrived just in time for my talk.

The title of my talk was ‘‘It’s not about the fish’’ and this record-sized marlin stood by my side the whole time.
The night before I spoke, the team was bringing the fish into the building.

The security guard was having a small siesta (see how I’m tying Mexico into this). Given that security guards should not be sleeping on the job, he woke up to the guys holding this giant marlin.

Now, keep in mind that an average Zimbabwean citizen probably has never seen a marlin in his life.
The guard jolted from his napping position on the couch. My brother says, “Hello sir, we’d just like to know where we can put this until tomorrow.” And just like that the security guard fainted.

He blacked out and fell face-first on the tiled floor. The rest of the setup team came in chuckling and said, “Wow, he’s actually showing us in elaborate form where to put this thing.”

The security guard was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. The guys laughed, put the fish down, and helped him come to his senses.
He wasn’t seriously injured, but he immediately began telling the guys this story: “I had a fight with my wife, and when I came to work that was all I could think about. Then I fell asleep thinking about the fight.

“When I woke up I thought the fish was a curse coming to get me because of the fight! I couldn’t handle it and I felt myself beginning to just see black.”

Serves him right for napping at work. When people see something they haven’t seen in a while (or ever seen), it can knock them out and it will certainly be something they will remember forever.

It demands that you share the story with someone else.
Now in this crazy case, it just happened to be a giant fish (I can imagine the guard telling his wife about it as he apologised to her for the fight).
But in the regular day to day walk of life it could be a huge act of kindness, a thoughtful deed, or an honest word, anything that stands out.

The most memorable experiences are the ones that generate emotion. The security guard will remember the shock of the fish forever.
Great presenters create an emotional response in their audience. Big fish moments provide variety, a breakaway from the humdrum of the day to day.

That is why people go on holiday to fancy places and don’t just stay at home. Have you ever been around someone who has just got back from an amazing trip; they certainly are not talking about the weather.

They won’t shut up about telling you of their experience long after the suntan has faded. Imagine creating that sort of reaction in a person. Big fish moments require you to go the extra mile, often with a bit of planning.

I could have settled for showing a picture of the fish on screen, but you have to go the extra step to make it memorable.
Too often when we come up with a solution that works (the picture on the screen in this case) shuts off our creativity.

Fight it out; determine to make something more memorable than everyone else. Refuse to settle for mediocre. What’s the big fish in the room that you’ll be remembered by?

E-mail: [email protected]