Have you ever had the rug pulled out from under you? It can not only be very disconcerting but also a potentially damaging thing. I had been preparing for a presentation all week, and I was ready to go: the materials placed with notes and thoughts in order. The media portion had been perfected and the whole presentation was well-rehearsed. 3, 2, 1...

I arrived about an hour before, ready to give my "settings" a once over and prepare a bit more. I was shocked to see that parts of my visual appeal had been removed to another part of the building with no explanation: strategically-placed plants had been arranged as an invitation to engage and now, less than an hour before go time, they had be hi-jacked for a greater good? :-/

I went to the powers that be and asked why my visual layout had been pillaged? I felt cheated, I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I had specifically prepared portions of the presentation with the plant life in mind, hoping it would bring a calming effect on my listeners and lead them away from irrational thought and hot buttons of today.

It felt like someone had spray-painted graffiti across my garage, dumped my trash cans over, and stolen part of my Christmas lights - all done with the intent to upset my apple cart, to jostle my sound mind and mess with my preparedness. I was irritated and, interestingly enough, not because the plants had been removed from the conference room. Why then, you ask? The intent behind the removal was to upset and cause trouble. The "saboteurs" had achieved success, but only for a moment.

A credit to my A.D.D. nature, I was able to let it go and create the same atmosphere / same feeling by using a different device. Music. Music was playing when the attendees began to arrive and this stirred conversations and melted ice. It was ideal and turned out to be a better conversation starter than originally intended. New alliances were formed and ideas flew fast and furious. Not every meeting has to include a power point or a speaker behind a podium with a clicker in their hand, nor should it. Face-to-face, eye-to-eye. The aspiration for the inspiration: rational discussion and in-depth planning proved the message of open communication. Business is craving it.



© by rayannethorn