Do you know about Remembrance Day in Canada? It’s like Veterans Day in the US with a twist. In Canada and a few other countries, we wear poppies.
To recognize our fallen soldiers and people who have served, the Poppy Brigade is launched in late October, and the red lapel pins are available at every retail outlet checkout. The money raised from selling the poppies goes back into the community to support hospitals, care homes, research centers, and the Red Cross.
When I was still living in Dallas, working at the speakers bureau, I booked famous newsman Walter Cronkite into a speaking engagement on November 11th in Toronto. I flew to Toronto to oversee the event. There were a number of conditions in his rider, including security, because he was a pretty big deal!
When I met Mr. Cronkite, I was so nervous my hands were shaking. But he was lovely to talk to, and when I saw that he wasn’t wearing a poppy, I told him about the Canadian tradition and asked if he’d like to wear mine. Being a smart celebrity speaker, he obliged, and I pinned it to his lapel a few minutes before he walked onto the stage. Walter Cronkite knew that you always want to recognize the customs of your hosts and host country. The client noticed and was thrilled with his performance.
It’s the small things that make the biggest difference.
Another time, one of my US speaker pals, Rick, was coming to Canada to speak to an audience in Red Deer, Alberta. Rick’s luggage was lost, and I told him about the local Red Deer hockey team. He ended up buying and wearing one of the jerseys of the hometown hockey heroes for his speech (explaining that his luggage was lost), and the audience loved it!
I also told Rick about our version of Duncan Donuts, which is Tim Hortons and how they sell the donut holes called Timbits. Rick had a funny story he told about having a bad day in his car and spilling his coffee. When he told the audience he spilled the coffee all over his lap and burned his Timbits, the audience nearly rolled into the aisles howling. Rick was a hero of the night because some of the small things made a big difference.
When you are travelling to unknown territories to speak, make sure that you find out some of the local customs and traditions, no matter how small, so that you can make a big difference with your presentation!
I’ll see you soon Wealthy Speakers!
