Energizing a Winning Team
(Speaking Topics for Corporate Events)
2 bearded 20-something Germans wearing Star Wars T-shirts looking like they had barely survived Oktoberfest grabbed the last couple seats, lit up cigarettes, and asked us, “how is das lokale beer”?
People around the world are energized by a winning team…
They feel the energy right away & can’t wait to be a part of it..
Istanbul: In the Sultan Ahmet section of town at a café table out in the street, crowded with Turkish restaurants, with the smell of spices and cooked meats wafting in the air…
My 22 year old son and I sat at a table that could seat more than a dozen. We ordered drinks first & the Turkish street-food specialty called testi kebabi - bbq lamb inside a 1-time-use-only sealed clay pot which is then cracked open table-side and served while erupting smoke. It was usually guaranteed to attract a crowd.
What started out as the two of us - relaxed, welcoming & ready for an experience, quickly festooned into a significant international gathering..
First to join us at the table from inside the cafe for a Turkish cigarette and scotch on the rocks was the restaurant owner, happy to get outside and mingle.
He was followed by another well-dressed Turk in his 50s who spoke very good English.
Then a backpacker couple in their 30s from Spain saw the empty seats and dropped their packs. Turned out he was from Italy and she was from Spain, and they had chosen Istanbul to meet for a romantic weekend.
Not 15 minutes had passed when 2 bearded 20-something Germans wearing Star Wars T-shirts looking like they had barely survived Oktoberfest grabbed the last couple seats, lit up cigarettes and asked us, “how is the local beer”?
Game on!
Language note: My Turkish is nonexistent other than 15 words, my German is passable for pleasantries, & Italian and Spanish is good - ergo.. I had a ball communicating,
But within the first three minutes everyone settled on English..ha!
Inside of 25 minutes on this warm summer night in Istanbul, we had gathered together an eclectic international team.
We talked about music, business, life, love, travel, and everything in-between for the next 2 hours ...
...and then we merry band of global citizens went on our way…
It’s amazing how shared language and a shared meal with a healthy dose of laughs can bring people together..
..stay tuned for Punching Above your Weight - coming up next!
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