E-Tips

Walking to Fight Breast Cancer

by Mary McGlynn

On July 27, 2000, my sister Colleen, my colleagues Rindy and Tia, and 3000 other men and women completed a 60 mile walk from Cupertino to San Francisco, The Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day. We helped raise 6.2 million dollars to fight breast cancer. It was a journey of kindness, compassion, poignancy, tears and laughter, personal struggles, and community victory. I had the opportunity to celebrate my 51st birthday cheering wildly and crying joyously for my fellow walkers.

What does the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day have to do with an e-tip on presentation skills? There are some parallels between my walk and a good speech. Let me describe four ideas.

Keep the Big Picture in Mind

Why were there 3000 people walking 60 miles? This year over 175,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 42,000 will die. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The statistics are staggering. Why did I walk? It's more personal. It's because I have been touched by this insidious disease. I held my father's hand as he died of cancer. I continue to hold the hand of my friend and colleague, Jerry Sello, as she has completed chemotherapy. 60 miles is nothing if it can bring us one step closer to eradicating cancer.

Taking the view from 30,000 feet is helpful in the thinking process of a speech. Why am I giving this talk? What is it that I believe in? What is it about this project or product that makes a difference? How does this talk fit in with the bigger vision? If you can answer these questions, you are set for the journey.

Focus on the Main Message and Repeat It

When it came to safety, the core message was repeated in a thousand ways, "Stay alert. Stay alive." From moment one of the walk, individual and group safety was stressed. No one was allowed to walk unless you wore an orange wrist band indicating you had seen the safety video. Every large intersection had a monitor who, while having a good time, guided traffic, stopped walkers, supported walkers, and stressed safety. As we left Skyline College at 6:30 AM Sunday morning the fog was so low it was difficult to see 25 feet ahead. The organizers had police escorts and a human chute of volunteers with fog sticks to show our way. "Stay alert. Stay alive." Everyone knew the message!

When it came to the physically handling the 60 miles, there were two core messages: "Eat before you're hungry. Drink before you're thirsty," and "Stretch for five every hour." About every mile and a half we encountered a "Grab and Go" or a "Pit Stop." The volunteers handed sliced oranges, bananas, bagels, energy bars, Gatorade and water to all the walkers. There was a place to stretch. Volunteers reinforced all efforts, cared for the walking wounded, urged people to eat, drink, and stretch. (I certainly got the message about eating. I gained five pounds on a 60 mile walk!)

It's the same in a presentation. If a message is catchy and right for the talk, your audience will remember it. Once you have a clear core message, everything else can fall into place. It is the advanced thinking that makes a difference. For me, I can't just sit down and say, "Oh, it's time for me to write my talk." I percolate. I use my walking and shower time to get the right message. It is the heartbeat of the entire organism. If I can craft a message that is the essence of my talk, the bulk of the work is through. In one, clear, succinct sentence, what is your main message?

When You Have Information, You Can Deal with Almost Anything!

Over the three days, it was surprising how dependent I became upon the routing information given to us when we signed in for the walk. I knew elevation, mileage, cross streets, distances to the next Stop 'N Go. I watched closely for my next street marker. I was able to keep focus. Volunteers shouted words of encouragement with a comment, "You've already gone 13.5. Wow! Only 6.5 left to go for today." On the first day we walked 23.5 miles. Because Colleen and I were towards the end of the 3000 people trying to get out of DeAnza College, we knew we were going to have a very long and slow day. While the first walkers stepped out on Steven Creek Boulevard around 7:20, we did not actually start the journey until close to 8:30. That day was sweltering. By mile 21 I was tired and ready to be done with that day. It was those signs, those words of encouragement and information, that allowed me to put one foot in front of the other. "Yah. We can do that. Only three more blocks to the next rest." "Just around the next corner, only one mile left to go." Information allows you to deal with anything.

Presenters need to do the same thing. Provide your audience with information. Provide your audience with clear, boldly apparent transitions. Don't be reluctant to let your audience know what your agenda is, how many points you are going to make, when you are transitioning to another part of the talk. If you provide information and structure, your audience can sit back and relax and listen to your message.

Stories Propel You Forward

Every single walker had a story. Colleen and I walked with a man who wore a laminated picture of his beautiful 41 year old wife, lost to breast cancer in February. He cried, talked and healed for almost 72 hours straight. A family of nine walked to celebrate their mom's ten year and their son/brother's four year anniversary as survivors. His journey of 60 miles was even more daunting because he had lost his leg below the knee to bone cancer. He was doing his walk with a prosthetic leg. We experienced 60 miles of love and support and cheers and stories. People wore signs and messages from family members and friends. "We love you, Mom. You can do it," "I miss you, Melanie," "Sarah, 1963-1999. This is for you." As we walked we heard the stories. As we walked, we created a magical bonding into community. With every story, I was drawn in.

Do you want your audience to be drawn in? The sure formula for success is stories. Stories personalize. Stories create links to your audience. Stories make principles and ideas more clear. Stories separate successful speakers from the ordinary.

The End-and Beginning-of a Journey

I was fortunate. Physically I arrived in San Francisco for the closing ceremonies with only a small blister and a little sunburn. Emotionally I arrived with a heart bursting with appreciation. I realize that the pains that my friends and I endured are nothing compared to those going through chemotherapy or for those who have lost a loved one to cancer. As a temporary community, we made a difference by walking one step after another. But magically those steps add up. The challenge I would have for you is to ask yourself how you can make a difference. Whether it be through walking or talking, I urge you to take the first step now.