I believe wholeheartedly in the power of a compelling and well-told story. If you want people to internalize a message, to experience a real change, you have to sweep them away with a story.
SPEAKING.COM: Can you tell us about any particularly memorable speaking engagements / unusual situations that arose while on the road?MASSARI: My career as a speaker has given me some of the most enriching and awe-inspiring moments that I’ve had in my life.
The first one that comes to mind is when I spoke on the main stage at the Million Dollar Round Table. It was a profound and humbling experience to be in front of so many people from around the world (8,600 people from 75 countries). They had more translators at that event than they do at the United Nations.
Afterwards, I went backstage to thank the interpreters for sharing my message in all of their native languages. I was eager to show my gratitude. I knew how hard they must have worked, and they had given me such a gift – because of them, my message reached so many countries in a single day. I excitedly entered each country’s sound-proof booth, ready to give each interpreter a big hug, and to my surprise they were jumping up to hug me. In every single booth they greeted me so lovingly, and they were so grateful for my message. It was very emotional for all of us. As I went from booth to booth – from Thailand, to Japan, to Italy, to Germany, to Indonesia, to India, and on and on – I felt an immediate bond with each of them, an instant friendship. Jamaica to my left, Israel to my right – it felt like such a small world – and a world of the sweetest friendships and deepest connections. I will never forget that day as long as I live.
Another spectacular experience was speaking for the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. It was such an alive audience – can you imagine 8,000 critical care nurses all in one room!? There was so much heart in that audience – it was palpable! They were so responsive to every story – so much laughter, so many sighs, such delight. Here I was, coming to love them, to give back to them – and they ended up giving me so very much more. I am still smiling.
As I am reflecting on many of these sweet memories, I am seeing that what has made every event so poignant and memorable is the love and kindness of people. It is always the light of the human spirit that makes everything come alive.
SPEAKING.COM: How do you keep your audience engaged and actively listening during your keynotes?MASSARI: I believe wholeheartedly in the power of a compelling and well-told story. If you want people to internalize a message, to experience a real change, you have to sweep them away with a story. It has to touch each person’s heart, their mind, to create images, to move them emotionally, to captivate them.
The stories I share are about courage, and about taking personal responsibility for your life. They are an extremely candid sharing of my own dramatic journey. Every single story has layers of take-aways and through them, I reveal answers to some of life’s most difficult questions: How do you truly deal with extreme adversity? How do you adapt when the challenges seem to come non-stop? Is it possible to understand that very difficult person? Is there a purpose to suffering? What does it take to be ok in this world and to thrive?
Even though my story is unique and personal, the nuggets of wisdom that I share are incredibly relatable to everyone. They provide vital and immediately actionable tools to handle a difficult situation, cope with adversity, to feel encouraged, supported, and motivated.
My keynote is ideal for clients who are invested in the well-being of their leadership teams, employees, and customers, and who want to help revive and restore passion, as well as inspire personal and professional growth.
SPEAKING.COM: What type of client would most benefit from your message?MASSARI: My message is universal. It’s a celebration of the incredible power, resilience and courage of the human spirit. My keynote is ideal for clients who are invested in the well-being of their leadership teams, employees, and customers, and who want to help revive and restore passion, as well as inspire personal and professional growth.
I’ve had wonderful feedback from larger organizations including GE Healthcare, SAS, and Siemens, as well as from smaller events like leadership retreats and hospital association conferences. I speak to every industry including Healthcare, Finance, Insurance, Sales, IT, Real Estate, Energy, Agriculture, and Non-profits.
I love to come and deliver my speech when a group is undergoing big changes, or is having to manage a very high stress environment, or are dealing with burnout. My commitment is to deliver a grounded message of true hope and to ultimately elevate an audience in a lasting way.
After my accidents, and after working for so many years on my own healing, I woke up one day with an intense desire to share what I had learned. It was like a fire within. I had learned how to navigate my way out of pain, I had learned to overcome challenges, to find my way to a life that is beautiful.
SPEAKING.COM: What inspired you to start doing speaking engagements?MASSARI: It was a desire to help people, for no person to feel alone, and to let people know what is possible.
Prior to becoming a speaker I was a full-time artist – making paintings, sculptures, and mixed media work. Even as an artist, my passion was always to touch people in a meaningful way, and create an impact. I wanted to find the common thread that unites us as humans, and to honestly share my own vulnerability in order for the viewer to feel seen.
After my accidents, and after working for so many years on my own healing, I woke up one day with an intense desire to share what I had learned. It was like a fire within. I had learned how to navigate my way out of pain, I had learned to overcome challenges, to find my way to a life that is beautiful. I knew in my bones that it was time to share with others, everything that I’d learned about life, to offer this incredible message of hope.
That’s when the spoken word became a new art medium for me. I have completely devoted myself to the art of speaking. I’m very aware of the way the sound of my voice and the cadence of my words and pauses land on the audience. When I speak on stage I think of that same sensitivity and awareness of how a brushstroke lands on a canvas.
A beautifully crafted speech has the power to change someone’s world. It can shift their entire paradigm. The greatest gift for me is when I get emails years later from people who explain how they still think about my speech every day, or that it changed the way they see their life, or that they still use the tools at their work that I shared. These emails are incredibly moving for me. They fuel my devotion to keep growing and improving my craft as a speaker.
Now everything has come full circle. My visual artwork is now an integral part of my speaking. My entire keynote has a PowerPoint with my artwork as the backdrop. Each image has been chosen to match the feelings of the particular story I am telling, enveloping the audience in a very full and unique visual, sensory, and oratory experience. I want to sweep them away, to lift them up, to encourage hope, and to create a shift in thinking so that they can view their lives from new coordinates. This is the heart of my mission and my passion. I give them my whole self.
© 2018 Allison Massari – This content is the copyright work of Allison Massari. No reproduction without written permission.
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