Call To Action

By David Tonen • May 25th, 2008

I had the opportunity to sit in on a key-note address today at a conference here in Halifax. The speaker was a high-profile individual who was once our country’s ambassador to the United Nations and who has had amazing influence on the world stage in dealing with humanitarian crises such as HIV-AIDS and poverty.

He was speaking to a highly influential group of leaders. His speech was filled with passion and incredibly eye-opening facts regarding the state-of-the-world. His main point was focused on corporate social responsibility. For 45 minutes he drew people in with his stories, raised the tension, and pulled at their emotions. And…then it ended. It just ended! There was no call to action. There was no “bringing it home” point. He left the cause at the pulpit. He had the undivided attention of of 500 influencers and had them captive with his cause. All of us in the room knew through his passion and conviction that something had to be done. We were ready to be mobilized into action…and he walked away.

This does not mean people left unchanged. It does not mean they will do nothing in response. However, I truly believe that a huge opportunity was lost. It is just too easy to walk away and forget about the need that exists. It is just too easy to shrug it off and go on with our comfortable every-day lives.

How does this apply to you and I? Whatever it is that we are passionate about, whatever the scale, whatever our cause, when we get the opportunity to share that passion…don’t walk away without a call to action. Don’t let your audience walk away empty handed. Tell them what they need to do. Tell them how they can change. Tell them what a difference they can make. Tell them how valuable they are in the solution. Tell them how you can help them and make a difference in their lives and their world right now. Call them to action while you can. Give them something they can do right at that moment. Don’t let them walk away unchanged. Don’t let them forget. Seize the moment…you may never get another!

I welcome your thoughts on how you might implement a call to action.

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Comments(5) Leadership, Management, Marketing, Networking
  • justingill

    I find it strange for someone to build up their presentation to such a level of intensity and “just leave”. Did you presenter have a particular meaning or message to convey by doing this?

    I don’t honestly think someone of his background would do something like that without having an intent.

    What were the thoughts of the others in the audience?

    Captivating article.

  • http://www.MarketingIntegrity.ca David

    Thanks Justin. The whole thing was very odd to me. It is seldom that a speaker can captivate an audience of 500+ people to the point that you could hear a pin drop. I was so disappointed that he left it hanging. I had never heard him speak before so I do not know if this is his style or if he was told by the event organizers to not solicit action. I just think that a golden opportunity to move the audience to action was missed.

    His main message was the importance of businesses to engage in acts of social responsibility and make a difference in the world with their money and influence. But he had us so gripped by the AIDS crisis (what he has seen and what needs to be done) that if he had asked the audience to donate to the cause right then and there he could have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in minutes.

  • justingill

    Thanks for the quick response David. It must have been a powerful lecture to invoke that kind of response.

    It’s ironic in how businesses are doing nothing and how he did nothing – might be a connection he attempted to make.

    Remembering back to my study of motivational speakers, the audience will only stay motivated during the lecture and shortly after the lecture. In a matter of hours after the event is over the “effect” felt from the lecture fades and people forget the exact “effect” felt from the lecture. To have people motivated to that level for periods of time they need constant reinforcement. The “effect” extinguishes very quickly if it’s not reinforced.

    If you ever talk to someone right after a Tony Robbins event they are very motivated to change themselves and shape the world they live in. Talk to that same person a day later, week later, and a month later. The majority of people revert back to their “state” before the Tony Robbins event.

    The best way to have someone remember something is to associate it with the unusual – in this case the unexpected act of “leaving the stage”. You will remember the event and it’s message far longer in this instance than if the speaker “finished on a high note”. Human memory and learning are an enigma to understand sometimes.

    This theory may be far out there, it’s the only way I can rationalize it.

    Thanks for the interesting food for thought!

  • ffgamingtv

    Great point David,

    I watched Sharkwater (http://www.sharkwater.com/) the other day and was left with the same feeling. Killer film with a great message but really, how can I help? It was not clear. This versus “An Inconvenient Truth” is clear. “An Inconvenient Truth” terrified you (true or not) and gave you some answers how to and what you should do to be part of the solution. Sharkwater, although a great film as well, left you wanting to not buy Tuna if that would help (in the same dolphin saving action). They missed a great opportunity to launch a huge grassroots buy-in through their audience. Unfortunately even the website doesn’t support a clear call to action. And when you’re messing with film budgets, get your money’s worth.

    Craig Moore
    CM Creative
    http://www.cmcreative.ca

  • http://www.MarketingIntegrity.ca David

    @ Craig: Interesting, even the trailer on their site talks about embarking on the journey to see how he can change things. It looks very compelling and I can see how you would be left empty if there is no call to action. Thanks for sharing that with us.

    There are so many great causes and we as human beings are wired through our emotions to want to respond when we see a need that resonates with us. Without a call to action the opportunity for us to make a difference is often lost. Too bad eh?

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