Dare to be cheeky

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Monday, 22 June 2020

A few days ago I saw a former client posting on LinkedIn about an upcoming webinar. I was feeling pretty good so I posted a comment offering my services as an online webinar moderator. Knowing that many organisations feel they have to take their events online but don't feel comfortable with online events yet, I figured I could help.

I've been doing a lot of online events and moderating recently, both for clients and in the community. I thought it would be an interesting project so I cheekily commented and one day later, I was hired for the job. The client was happy to have an experienced pair of hands for their event and was not put off by me putting myself forward. My spark of cheekiness led to a win-win situation. She who dares gets to help.

I'm a fan of Pete Mosley's work around marketing for introverts, what he calls Shouting Quietly. I sometimes use his coaching cards in client sessions and for my own reflections. One of his cards is 'Write a cheeky letter' and I have been reminded of this recently as I reach out more to see how I can help.

What if being cheeky backfires?

Well of course there's a boundary between being cheeky and being rude. I have overstepped this line at times. And learned a lot in the process. I've learned to take better care of how familiar I can be with the person and also how receptive they are in that moment.

What I do know is this.

When I am grounded in myself and in my convictions, being cheeky works for me.

Cheeky is disarming, it makes people feel at ease. As long it is balanced with substance, it can be a very accessible way of communicating. It connects us, one human to another. I am talking about being a grounded professional with a sense of humour not about being the class clown.

Things are heavy in the world right now - with good reason - so sometimes we need some levity to keep us going. It reminds me of the stand-up comedy workshop we did at SC. I wasn't much use as a stand-up comedian because I was laughing so hard I couldn't speak. I invite you and your teams and families to see how humour and laughter can help you move forward.

What if being cheeky was the secret to making change?

You are welcome to practice on me.