I was at the end of an intense three-day certification, and my gray matter was mush. The experience had been a rich one; insightful and thought provoking, but I was ready to sprint out the door with my new credentials and fade into the sweet abyss of Netflix and junk food. But, in the final moments of the third day, we were “teaching back,” the absorbed materials, when another participant, making a good point, had us attempt to sign our names using our non-dominant hand. My signature was a toddler-level at best, and it bothered me more than it should have.

Double Whammy

I know. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I was confounded by how something so close to me, ATTACHED to me could forsake me in such a way. Sidenote, the way things “look” matter a great deal to me. I enjoy order. I don’t enjoy having my boat rocked, and I hate to lose. My brain registered this signature as a double whammy; it was ugly and a loss. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t create an acceptable signature that matched that of my right hand… it would just be sad to tell you how many times I attempted signing my name, it wasn’t a small number.

From Left Hand to Sore Thumb

Point being, the two signatures were vastly different, the product of my left hand stuck out like a sore thumb. I was operating out of place that I was extremely uncomfortable. When you find yourself in a place that you are unaccustomed to, most of your energy is consumed by trying to cope and to manage the unfamiliar elements making very little available for the actual task. As soon as I had the opportunity to place the pen back into my right hand, I rejoiced on a cellular level; it felt so good to be back in a position that felt like me!

A Right-Handed Presentation

As a development company, we are often asked to help cultivate the ability to adapt and change. It’s hard but necessary for a significant number of employees who are required to drive results through a team. There is a time though when we will not ask people to place the pen in the other hand, and that is when we are helping to develop presentation skills. PLAB (Present Like a Boss Leader) is the one developUs course where we encourage you to increase the grip on what feels most like you. It is nearly impossible to resonate as authentic and engage an audience while being anything but yourself.

Right or Left

Whether it is the right or the left hand, we assure you that it will tire from jotting down the many Ah-ha moments and valuable content that PLAB provides. Our team has crafted this experience to impact:

1. First-time leaders
2. Professionals who deliver group presentations and lead meetings
3. Employees who are participating in Leadership Development Programs

If one of the mentioned descriptions fit or would benefit those that you lead, follow the PLAB link below for more details and registration information: https://developuscom.wpengine.com/present-like-a-boss-leader/.

Give It a Try!

Go ahead, give it a try, place that pen in your nondominant hand and tweet us the results @developUs!