The making of: You Are What You Eat…Eats!
Day 1
Seth Godin suggests that what separates successful people from unsuccessful people is the ability to bring your vision to reality.
Day 2
Seth Godin says, stop waiting for perfection and “just ship!”
Day 3
Ignite#4 Submission request comes in the mail, I submit.
Day 5
Ignite#4 Voting process begins, I try to vote but am late for a meeting and never get back to it. I have just enough time to see that my topic is way at the bottom; no one will ever see it. And if they do, all the others are so much better than mine…no one will vote for it. Tough competition.
Day 6
Attend #CincySM Happy Hour at the Brandery, am talking with a small group of people and introduce myself to a guy named Joe. Beth: “What do you do Joe?” Joe: “I’m the founder of Ignite Cincy.”Beth: “Oh wow! I just submitted my application to speak.” Joe: “Really…. what’s your name again?” Beth: “Beth Robeson.” Joe: ” You’re doing very well in the voting.” Beth: To herself: “Holy Shit!”
Day 7
“You’ve been selected,” e-mail arrives.
Day 8
Work all day on my presentation, just incorporating 3 past presentations into one really cool one. Don’t get it finished, but love the process. E-mail Joe:
Joe,
Wow!!! I’m working on my Ignite#4 presentation. What an amazing process, to try and convey something so amazing in such a short amount of time.
Thanks for this opportunity, it’s very exciting.
Beth
Reply:
It is a pretty awesome format, lots of work paring things down to their essence. I’m glad you are enjoying the process.
Joe
Day 9
Know what slides I want now. Create my shot list for the photo shoot:
Custom Shots:
1. Butter
2. Grandmother’s Breakfast
3. Family Breakfast
4. Barb’s Dinner
5. Grocery Cart Filled With Food
6. Sophie
7. Chickens and Kale
8. Orange vs. Yellow egg
9. Nestle vs. Hershey’s
10. Fair Trade Chocolate
Stock shots:
1. Cow
2. Barb
3. Earth
Day 10
Set up photo shoot, create slides….takes all day. Sophie won’t hold still. She keep flying back to the others.
Day 11
Editing, more editing…. editing…editing…needs to be shorter. Not really liking the process anymore.
Day 12
Slides are done. Now must memorize. Timing and flow is harder than I thought. 20 years of speaking experience and this is very challenging. Meet with Stuart Kunkler to help me be funny, Stuart is always sharing something brilliant and funny with me.
Day of The Event
Still haven’t gotten presentation memorized, too much client work, website launching, strategy sessions. Stress is pretty intense. Husband suggests I use flash cards, I balk at this. “It’s a presentation in front of 380 people I can’t use flash cards.”
Client calls, one after the other all afternoon, they have no idea how badly I want off the phone.
3 Hours Before Show Time
Stress is mounting, don’t have it down yet, take husband’s advice and create 20 flash cards, one for each slide.
2 Hours Before Show Time
It’s working…flows beautifully with the flash cards.
1 Hour Before Show Time
Head to the venue.
30 Minutes Before Show Time
The place is packed…Joe walks by. I ask him: “Hey Joe, is it ok to use flash cards when you present.” Joe says, “No, the format doesn’t work with notes or anything in your hands. He spends the next few minutes telling me how much better it will be without my note cards, reassuring me. I’m not listening, my mind is exploding. I can’t do it without the note cards!
20 Minutes Before Show Time
I stuff the cards into my back pocket and start quickly running through the slides without them….over and over and over. I have to take my seat. I drop my laptop off with my husband in the audience and take my seat. People want to talk to me, wish me luck. I smile, running through the slides in my head over and over.
10 Minutes Before
I take my seat…burning boats guy is sitting next to me on the right. We talk briefly. Guy on my left…. his lips are moving as he runs through his slide, thank god I’m not the only one.
1 Minute Before
I’m ok… I’ve made it through with out missing a slide. Burning boats guy finishes…up on the screen… my name.
