Dinner with a Difference
The process of creating Dinner with a Difference began with a simple question — how could we make it different?
Three years ago, the previous Leadership NZ event was reinvented into Dinner with a Difference. But now some of the “difference” had been worn away. How could we craft an event that was truly different and that also embraced our 2015 theme of Fearless Leadership? The word fearless up all sorts of meanings, generally around being in a situation which creates fear that is then overcome. So the easy answer was we just needed to make all our attendees face their fears and overcome them. And for most people, one of the most fear-inducing situations is being on stage.
Fast forward a few months and it’s opening night. Our attendees are a mix of people that have attended a Dinner with a Difference and are suspicious about the lack of banquet tables, as well as some fresh faces excited to be at their first Leadership NZ event. Everyone clutches a red envelope and a notebook, handed out on arrival. The notebooks have been made for the event and their covers are graced with fearless leadership quotes. These are the only clues to the evening. No-one is too sure what exactly is happening and everyone seems to linger near the exit, too cautious to venture too far into the atrium of the Sir Paul Reeves Building.
Rewi Spraggon breaks the silence with the mihi whakatau, with a group of Leadership NZ alumni singing in response. The MCs take the stage next and everyone seems to lean in, eager to understand exactly what is to come. Our MCs — Chris Parker and Eddy Dever — help get the crowd warmed up with battle cries, but still the envelopes stay sealed. Finally, with an audible gasp from the audience in response, the night is unveiled and envelopes are torn open. The attendees will be more than just an audience tonight — they will be the performers. Through accessing the creative part of our brains and taking to the stage, we can experience what fearlessness means to us. When was the last time you wrote a poem? Walked a catwalk? Told a story with movement? By embracing our fears, we can all become more fearless.
There is a moment of panic as people realise what is being asked of them. This quickly gives way as everyone is ushered to their breakout spaces. Dinner is served in a casual style as we each start meeting our Creative Mentors and Workshop Participants. Over dinner, different groups start discussing what fearless means; what courage means; what has been holding them back; how they can be more fearless. Themes emerge, the wine flows the drums start echoing across the building. Turns out even the soundproofing couldn’t hold back our twenty-five fearless Music Workshop participants led by Murray from Strike Percussion. The Digital Storytelling Workshop Participants roam the building, capturing key moments of fearlessness and preparing everyone for having an audience. The Improv Workshop’s laughter echoes across the auditorium. The Poetry Workshop practice being fearless with a choir of hums behind them. Drawing out the themes from the participants, the Crescendo Trust team weave together lyrics in the Song Workshop. The Movement Storytelling Workshop come down to the stage, to rehearse their theatrical looking individual pieces. The Art & Drawing Workshop try to hide their creations from us, getting ready for the big reveal.
The final portion of the night sees the auditorium refreshed into long tables for each group. 200 nervous participants wait their turn on stage — some eager to get it over with, other relishing in the challenge. First to take the stage is Movement Storytelling, silencing the audience immediately. We watch a group of people, some still dressed in their suits from work, use only their bodies to communicate a story about what ‘fearless’ means to them. I turned to Eddy and Jade from Curative, absolutely speechless. The three of us had sat together less than three months ago, brainstorming an idea that would allow our attendees to show what being a fearless leader meant. In that one performance, I felt that we had really achieved that. The following six performances are equally breathtaking and give each participant the opportunity to truly be fearless.
The event would not have been possible without our event partners stepping up and being fearless with us — thank you to Curative and AUT Business. Thank you to our event supporters, who also trusted our fearless concept and came along for the ride. And most of all, thank you to everyone who joined us on the night and showed me how we can all be more fearless.
This article was originally published in the Leadership NZ Yearbook 2015. The full version is available here.