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“We await glory in silence, oh, let the din of battle begin”

A midshipman on Collingwood’s flagship wrote this in his diary as his ship sailed into battle at Trafalgar

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This is about a sense of active stillness in business. Let’s call it the moment before the moments. Or:

‘Awaiting glory in silence.’

Great business performers seem to epitomize this quote. They seem to find ‘the moment before the moments’ and instead of being a bundle of chaotic energy they seem to find stillness.

The quote certainly reminds us of a return to old times of the banners flying in the wind on the battlefield and the silence and stillness before battle … then the charge with horses thundering forward and thousands of feet pounding forward with weapons in hand. And players rushing out of the tunnel onto the football field.

This isn’t about those moments. This is about the ‘moment before’ where all empties and all becomes still.

I actually believe we should talk more about the moment before the moment because I also believe the business people thrive because of that moment before the battle begins … it may be only a minute, possibly even just seconds, but that moment of calmness where everything kind of just “stills.” Just before everything starts moving again and silence is replaced by the ‘din’ of activity.  That is THE moment. I almost think in moments like that your body gathers all the adrenaline in one small space and prepares it for release.

It is an incredible moment. Oddly, Winnie the Pooh agrees.

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“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best …” (and then he had to stop and think). “Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were …” (but he didn’t know what it was called).

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Anticipation? Geez. I think that undersells the idea. It’s bigger than that. It is also more important because I believe it often delineates between the best business performers and other business performers.

Try this.

Maybe because it is a “me” moment.

In that moment in time there is nothing else … nothing … no sound … no feeling … just ‘me’ … just a space in time with nothing but “me” in it.

Well.

Me (being me) actually tracked down some research on this. Some researchers have imaged the parts of the brain which are in control of us in the ‘moment before’. Interestingly in imaging that part of the brain are not thought to be under our full conscious control or awareness. The studies reinforced the fact that, for most of us, this moment before is one in which there is not much conscious, deliberate thinking going on at all. It’s like a brain “flat-wave” (the guy whose writing I found on it called it ‘a brain wasteland’). It’s almost like you push your brain to overload and it shuts down for however length of time to ‘reset.’

SONY DSC

I am not a researcher but its possibly we are probably more aware of oneself at this point in time.

It’s bigger than something as simple as a bland non dimensional anticipation. And, yes, I am purposefully using anticipation rather than expectation. I do so because expectations are tied to the audience while anticipation is tied to the presenter.

As a presenter I always expect, and expected, to do well.

But. As a presenter my anticipation altered depending on the moment, the situation and the audience. It is relatively obvious to say that the more relaxed you are with the moment, the situation and the audience <all aligned> the higher likelihood you will do what you set out to do.

And that is all a reflection of ‘anticipation.’

And that is where ‘we await glory in silence’ comes to the forefront. To a presenter anticipation roars toward you like an oncoming train. I tend to believe experienced presenters let anticipation come at whatever speed it wants to. They are focused on the glory and the anticipation kind of seems to match the moment more or less.

Now.

I will admit. The more experienced you become the better matched the anticipation is to the moment. In the beginning … most less experienced or amateur speakers tend to have a higher level of anticipation than the moment truly deserves.

Regardless.

Anticipation exists. Anticipation arrives at its own speed. And anticipation will inevitably crash into the event, situation and moment.

That is all a given. That is all speaker & presentation truth.

That said. I believe the best speakers permit anticipation to do its thing because they … well … they have an internal buffer.

 

… although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before …

 

The buffer is that moment before the moment – the moment in which everything stills.

The moment in which anticipation, which up until that moment was racing at you like a frickin’ runaway train, breaks … and stops.

There is no warning whistle butt the clacking of the train stops. Almost like it stops and waits for you to get on.

This is the speaker’s moment. This is the buffer between anticipation and the glory. The silence in the mind. This is “awaiting glory in silence.’

Lastly.

To be honest. This internal buffer is tricky because you want to expect it to be there but you also are a little nervous that it just may not decide to show up on that day. Over time … once proven … a speaker KNOWS it will be there <and I could argue knowing actually begets it>.

Anyway.

The business universe is always moving and mental survival in business is always about being able to manage all the moving responsibilities. You understand that talent alone does not guarantee success it also takes some taking responsibility for responsibilities. You don’t take anything, the presentations, the practices, the moments … for granted as you manage those responsibilities, at exactly the same time, regardless of the urgency or stress, you find the space to savor, and maximize, the time & moment – the moments in which you can await glory in silence. You try to stand still.

In other words, you await glory in silence … so let the din of the battle begin.

 

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Written by Bruce