Join me on October 20 in a conversation with Adam Brichto. Hear how his videos of street interactions have engaged millions in important causes. You can sign up for the LinkedIn Live event here.
Adam has the uncanny ability to get people to talk to him about stuff that matters almost straight away. Case in point. I was doing some communications training recently with a senior leader. We were chatting in the kitchen before the training started and she was on fire. She was so engaging, and I wanted to find out more. Then when the training began and I asked her to do her “intro” speech in 30 seconds, she clammed up. She said: “This is usually what happens when I’m on the spot.”
I know she’s not the only person that happens to.
What I find so clever about Adam is, he asks questions in a way that gets people straight past that paralysis. Sometimes there’s a cheeky factor. He knocked on people’s doors and told them he was going to knock their house down. He asked strangers in the street how much they earn. He went to Liverpool, a town that cannot stand conservative politicians. Then he asked everybody in the street if they “love Boris Johnson as much as I do.” Then, once the difficult conversation has been had, usually he makes a nice point. It’s catnip for social media. My favorite recent video is when he asked about Prince Andrew. It would take most people 333 years to earn the amount of money the Queen spent to get him out of trouble. It all makes you think, doesn’t it?
What I also try to do for a living is get you past the pleasantries and into the stuff that matters. Imagine you’ve got 30 seconds in an elevator with somebody who could write you a check for a million bucks. What would you tell them? What would you leave out? What if they were cheeky or a bit rude?
A lot of people get stuck. They stop talking. I even do it. I turn sarcastic. I say to myself, “this is beneath me.” Or “this isn’t the world I want to live in.” But the truth is, other people are training themselves to do this stuff. And you want to be in a position, when you’re in that elevator, at some point, to nail and perhaps even enjoy the conversation. To surprise yourself with your ability to explain why what you do matters.
Like getting into an elevator with a billionaire, having a conversation with Adam is often a nerve-wracking experience. I know he’s going to say something provocative or annoying. I know he’s going to get me to veer off script and into uncharted territory. The only surprise would be if there are no surprises. But my suggestion is that such an experience can be valuable for everyone. It gets us into the good stuff, where we’re thinking on our feet. It challenges us and makes us better communicators. Or the whole thing could veer horribly off the rails. Either way, I wouldn’t want to miss it. Would you?
See you on the 20th for our 30-minute chat on LinkedIn!
