I was humbled to be the keynote for the Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists 2020 Annual General Meeting. It was an absolute honour and I am truly humbled to be able to share my signature keynote, Awethentricity: The Awesome Art of Owning Your Authenticity & Influencing Others.
It is one thing to be able to speak, perform, and present in front of 1000 educators, professionals, and caregivers at a sold out convention or conference. In those situations, I am completely in my element because I think I have a protective barrier in a way or rather a certain distance between myself and my audience. Although, I strive to authentically connect and share my vulnerability with each audience, no matter who is in the audience or no matter where we are in the world, when I presented in front of my own professional peers in my own province, I was very anxious and nervous!
Was it because I had my own professors in the audience? Was it because I had the Registrar of my own professional college in the audience (I have had challenges with my own unprofessional misconduct earlier in my career and this may have triggered me? Stay tuned for a future blog describing my painful mistakes and how I have grown from this). Was it because my laptop was not properly connected to the projector and the audio was not connected to the sound system? Or was it simply because I had to really check in to see if I actually believe in my own message in front of my peers?
I think it was all of the above. However, I was reminded of a very important lesson in influence and sharing my message: authenticity comes with risk and courage. I decided to be open with my audience, which was being broadcasted across Alberta for each member to either watch live or watch a recorded version. I shared that I was very nervous and that it was a healthy reminder to connect with my authentic self each time I not only speak for a group, but also anytime that I connect or interact with anyone. This is what it is all about; I owned my authenticity tonight and by doing so, I invited other professionals across the province to do the same.
