Sunday, March 08, 2020
Sunday Reflection: The gift of a small audience
I gave two very important talks this week.
The first was on Wednesday, right before I ran for the plane to DC. I teach at a Catholic school, but on Wednesdays at noon we have programming for Protestant students, called "Manna." I really like speaking at Manna, because it is a great way to have a spiritual experience with my students. This Wednesday, I planned to give a very personal and somewhat vulnerable talk about transitions in life. I prepped, gathered my things, and headed for the room.
When I opened the door, I found that there were only four students there. There usually is a much bigger crowd, and I'm not sure what kept the numbers down.
But I did know that it was an opportunity. I love a small audience; you can make eye contact with everyone, read the room, see how they are reacting or feeling. I stepped up a few stairs in the auditorium to be closer to them, so that we were within a few yards of one another. Then I told my story. I think it was one of the most impactful presentations I have ever given.
There weren't hundreds of people there to hear it. But there were those four, and that means the world. If just one of them, in twenty years, remembers what I said, then it will be worth all that I do.
Then I went to DC, to face another small audience, a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. The hearing room for the House Judiciary Committee is remarkable, was been the site of Robert Mueller's testimony last year. Before that, it was the room where President Ford appeared to defend his pardon of Richard Nixon, and where Nixon's impeachment proceedings took place.
Me and the other three witnesses (Rachel Barkow, Cynthia Roseberry, and Kemba Smith) would have a small audience: the 14 members of that committee, plus the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler.
And again, a small audience was good. We could see who was interested and who was not, who wanted to speak and was waiting it out a bit. The hearing went over three hours (with a break for a vote on the floor of the House), so there was a lot to observe.
We fool ourselves when we think that we need a crowd to make change. Sometimes it is in ones and twos, small groups, when you can see formation of thought and emotion.
The first was on Wednesday, right before I ran for the plane to DC. I teach at a Catholic school, but on Wednesdays at noon we have programming for Protestant students, called "Manna." I really like speaking at Manna, because it is a great way to have a spiritual experience with my students. This Wednesday, I planned to give a very personal and somewhat vulnerable talk about transitions in life. I prepped, gathered my things, and headed for the room.
When I opened the door, I found that there were only four students there. There usually is a much bigger crowd, and I'm not sure what kept the numbers down.
But I did know that it was an opportunity. I love a small audience; you can make eye contact with everyone, read the room, see how they are reacting or feeling. I stepped up a few stairs in the auditorium to be closer to them, so that we were within a few yards of one another. Then I told my story. I think it was one of the most impactful presentations I have ever given.
There weren't hundreds of people there to hear it. But there were those four, and that means the world. If just one of them, in twenty years, remembers what I said, then it will be worth all that I do.
Then I went to DC, to face another small audience, a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. The hearing room for the House Judiciary Committee is remarkable, was been the site of Robert Mueller's testimony last year. Before that, it was the room where President Ford appeared to defend his pardon of Richard Nixon, and where Nixon's impeachment proceedings took place.
Me and the other three witnesses (Rachel Barkow, Cynthia Roseberry, and Kemba Smith) would have a small audience: the 14 members of that committee, plus the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler.
And again, a small audience was good. We could see who was interested and who was not, who wanted to speak and was waiting it out a bit. The hearing went over three hours (with a break for a vote on the floor of the House), so there was a lot to observe.
We fool ourselves when we think that we need a crowd to make change. Sometimes it is in ones and twos, small groups, when you can see formation of thought and emotion.
