In the moments prior to their final performance at the Olympic Games, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, the most decorated figure skaters of all time, lingered rink-side, hugging. Their closed-eye, tight embrace lasted for what seemed like minutes. They appeared to be in a serene state, totally connected, and protected from the prying gaze of the spectators and cameras.

It was their pre-performance ritual. Most top athletes have them.

Every time the Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth Games come around people across the globe tune in to watch athletes perform incredible physical feats with astounding precision or creativity or speed or strength. We cheer loudest as our fellow patriots climb the podium. What we might forget in that triumphal moment is that those athletes arrived at that spot partly because they learned how to fail well.

A few months ago I was asked if I would deliver the University of Toronto (Mississauga) Last Lecture to a large group of graduating students. Modelled after the tradition Randy Pausch made popular in 2008, the last lecture is meant to be an occasion where a specially chosen lecturer shares meaningful advice as though the address was their last message to the world. No pressure, right?

Sometimes old-fashioned discipline, status quo and routine get in the way of innovation and creativity. Claire shares ideas about how to make space for your next big idea. 

Is your workplace just like high school all over again? Are there in-crowds and out-crowds? Secret coffee runs and favourite employees?

To be a great emcee you need to employ all of the presentation skills you’ve learned over the years: projection of your voice, poise, and body language that suits the content of your script and mood of the event. 

Have you been described as a fast-talker? As you speak, do you feel your face flush, your shoulders rise, your anxiety build?

Recently, a client asked for advice on how to prepare to speak at the funeral of a close friend. His question got me reflecting on all the times I’ve attended ‘celebrations of life,’ funerals, and memorial services, and how apparently difficult it is to speak publicly on those occasions.