David

  • Scripted Speaking

    I grew up terrified of public speaking. I can recall my throat tightening before having to make a presentation in class and feeling my heart race. These weren’t big public venues. I’m referring to the typical forums for speaking when you’re young: group presentations, drama class, clubs, etc. To combat my anxiety, I would script out the content and memorize it. That way, at least I didn’t have to worry about what to say.

    I think unintentionally, scripting added to my apprehension. If you forget a scripted line, or word, it throws you off entirely. While giving a presentation at the front of a 70-person class in University I forgot one of my lines halfway through and completely froze. After about 5 seconds, which felt much longer, I had to retreat to my desk to recover my script. Once you’ve lost the line, it’s almost impossible to get it back; particularly while your stress levels are rising, and your classmates are all staring at you.

    When I entered the professional world, the nature of my work regularly thrust me into situations where I was forced to speak in uncomfortably large settings or with people who seemed intimidatingly important. Fortunately, it was only ever in reference to content I had either prepared myself or was familiar enough to feel confident speaking to. While still nerve wracking, it helped me build more public speaking confidence and over time I started to ditch scripting.

    Now, if I’m going to speak in front of an audience or in a large group setting, I prefer to be completely unscripted. I like to have a strong handle on the content. And I still prepare. But that might be as simple as reflecting on the takeaways I want the audience to have or the key points I’m trying to convey. There’s a cost to presenting this way. I’ll often forget one or a few of the points I’d ideally have made. Or I’ll word something a bit awkwardly. Or I’ll need to pause for a few seconds to gather my thoughts. But I’m a firm believer that even if you only deliver 75% of what you intended, it’s better to ditch the script.

    When I hear someone give a speech or presentation that is obviously scripted, I find it challenging to stay focused on the content. There is something less authentic about it. Intonation and body language tend to be more muted. If you’re used to scripting or planning out every word of what you’re going to say, I’d encourage you to start cutting back on having a precise script. And like so many skills that are hard to master, you only improve through repetition. It gets significantly easier over time. I still get quite nervous before speaking in front of a large audience, or when the stakes are high, but only to a fraction of the degree when I was younger.

  • Dining in Toronto

    We recently returned to Calgary after spending nearly 6 weeks in Toronto. Despite having been in Calgary for over 6.5 years now, Toronto still feels like home. I had such an enjoyable time catching up with family, friends, and colleagues. The end of August and start of September is the best time to be in Toronto. The evening weather is still warm, patios are still open, and people are enjoying the last taste of summer. This visit was special in that we introduced Henry to so many of the people we care about. My Cousin Rebecca got married and the wedding was a blast. And importantly, we managed to get to my in-law’s cottage on Kennisis Lake for a week, which is one of my favourite places to spend time.

    I live to eat and one of the best parts of being back in Toronto is trying new restaurants. Last year we went a bit crazy going out practically every night and so this visit we tried to be a bit more selective. We ate at: Casa Paco, Conejo Negro, Immigrante, Nobu, and Union.

    Casa Paco stood out relative to the rest. It was an exceptional meal and a place I’m keen to return to. It’s so rare to have a meal that delivers excellence across atmosphere, food, company, and service. Eating there felt like sitting down in a cozy living room, being served by a caring and dedicated master of craft, enjoying consistently delicious food with unique wine to complement, and it was our first meal leaving Henry at home (with his grandparents). I highly recommend making a visit, particularly on Sundays, when they do Paella.

    After enjoying building out a tracker for places we’ve eaten in Calgary, last summer I decided to do the same in Toronto. If you’re interested in seeing my Toronto list, you can take a peak here. And if you have any good recommendations, please share!

  • Mercenary

    I’ve come across an employee a few times that I deem to be a “mercenary”. This is an individual who produces good work but takes an entirely transactional view of their role. Likely, they are misaligned or uncaring about the organization’s broader vision and exclusively care about achieving goals for their own purposes as opposed to accomplishments for the benefit of their team or the company. Importantly, this person may be entirely likeable and easy to work with; this is not the prototypical ‘brilliant jerk’, which is routinely discussed.

    Reconciling what to do about the Mercenary can be extremely challenging. Not only are they seemingly producing high-quality work and accomplishing goals, but they get along well with others. So, what’s the problem? Inevitably, once they no longer perceive sufficient benefit in the transaction, they will leave, and when they do, they will leave behind a Beverly Hills sized walk-in closet of skeletons. If someone is entirely self-interested, they will take every single shortcut to achieve their goals as quickly as possible, often at the expense of longer-term considerations. Over a brief period, this can be misleadingly positive. Many of these minor short-cuts and trade-offs will be hidden, but unfortunately, they will compound over time. And once they are gone, the effort required to clean up the unintentional negative consequences can be material.

    Here is a practical and well-known example:

    • You have a Sales person or executive who realizes that committing to unrealistic deliverables, or embellishing (but not lying) will help her win more. So she does it regularly and closes many deals. Awesome. Fast forward six months, and those customers are now disappointed in what they purchased and end up leaving for a competitor shortly thereafter. And of course, by the time those unhappy customers start surfacing, she’s on to her next gig. It can be tempting to turn a blind eye to the behavior even when you’re aware of it because of the results, but the long-term negative repercussions will certainly come back to bite you.

    Usually, it’s fairly apparent when you have this type of employee on your team. As hard as it can be to reconcile, it’s important to either engage with and develop alignment with them or cut your losses.