First published 2 May 2022 on Your Best Year Starts Here with Nigel Risner.
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Nigel was back from Florida and straight into two events on two days. The first was in Norfolk, miles from anywhere, and he was the closing speaker after lunch. Everyone stayed. Every joke landed, and he came away feeling a bit invincible.
Next morning was a university in London, talking to people who look after estates and equipment. The two speakers before him got through their talks in about nine minutes between them, so there was an extra coffee break and a lot more time to fill. A huge room, and a clip mic that echoed. He felt the energy drop and started pushing, about 5% too hard by his reckoning. The organisers loved it. He didn't feel it.
So his point was that yesterday doesn't decide today, good or bad. He even pinched my line about turning one day into day one. And this lot were lift engineers who'd kept 4,000 toilets running through Covid. They weren't going to jump on tables and shout out. Nigel admitted that early on he'd ask a room "what's seven and seven?" and fire the next question before anyone had finished working it out.
That's when I said the power is in the pause. I'd never put it like that before, and it ended up as the title. I also told him about my reverse Q&A for dry rooms. If they only woke up when they got to ask the questions, fine, this time I'm asking.
Then we got onto his bad-mood rule, which I've passed on to loads of people (neither of us could agree if it's seven minutes or nine). Nigel's advice for anyone still fed up by the end was a cup of tea, some naff TV and then the next episode.
My notes from this one
- A great day yesterday doesn't mean today goes the same way. A bad one doesn't either.
- If the room feels flat, don't push harder. Nigel reckons 5% more relaxed would have done it.
- Ask a question, then shut up and let people answer before you ask the next one.
- If you've sold everything you ever put out, your prices are too low.
But the power is in the pause. I might even write that one down, right?
Neil Martin
And if you've sold every single thing you ever put to market, your prices are too low.
Nigel Risner
