**1. If you look worried, they feel worried.** The audience takes their emotional cue from the person at the front. If I had paced the stage looking like I was about to cry, 400 people would have felt incredibly awkward for me. Because I laughed and kept moving, they felt safe. As a manager, your team is constantly 'vibe-checking' you. If you look like the sky is falling, they'll start looking for the exits. Stay calm, and they'll stay with you.
**2. No one remembers 90% of the day.** At a big conference, people are bombarded with information. By the time the third speaker stands up, most brains are full. You have to accept that they will forget 90% of what you say. Your job is to make sure the 2%-memory they take home is unforgettable. In leadership, don't drown your team in 100 instructions. Give them one clear, powerful North Star they can actually remember when the week gets messy.
**3. Slides do not equal success.** We spend hours- days!- faffing with PowerPoint animations and font sizes. But when the tech failed me, I realised that the slides were just a crutch. People didn't come to see a deck; they came to hear a person. If you can't lead your team without a deck or a spreadsheet to hide behind, you aren't leading- you're just presenting.
**4. Being formal is overrated.** There's a temptation at big events to put on a 'professional' persona, and use big words to sound important. It's boring. The moment the slides broke, the formality vanished, and I just talked to them like humans. The energy in the room shifted instantly. Don't be afraid to drop the manager mask. People follow people, not job titles.
**5. Humility always sells.** There is a massive tendency at conferences (and in boardrooms) to 'flex'- to talk about how great everything is and how much we've smashed our targets. But vulnerability is an incredibly attractive trait. Admitting that the slides were broken and that I was winging it created an instant bond with the audience. Leadership isn't about being bulletproof; it's about being real.