Perfecting the half-time pep talk
Anthony Johnson was selected as one of Westpac GroupTech's Future Young Leaders. Symes Group met Anthony during a Presenting with Impact course at Westpac. Barbara Harvey finds out more about how his on-field passion impacts his work and the role of Presenting
with Impact in perfecting
his pre-game speech.
BH: Describe your experience as an attendee of Symes Group’s Presenting with Impact?
AJ: Presenting with Impact helped to positively reinforce my methods of communication. Presenting with Impact challenged us with important questions on what we stood for, how others would describe us, and who we are when others aren’t watching. I feel that presenting with authenticity is one of the most important (and sometimes hard to find!) elements to successful audience engagement.
BH: Did you find the tools/techniques useful and have you used them since?
AJ: Presenting with Impact’s topics were relevant not only to my work, but also my extracurricular interests. Activities around speaking dynamics, advice on managing nerves, and understanding audience types all have helped me in professional and personal situations over the past year.
BH: Describe your interest outside of work?
AJ: I currently play Australian rules football at North Shore in the Sydney AFL competition. I regularly play at full back in our reserves and have been part of the side’s leadership group for the past couple of years.
BH: Why are you involved with this activity?
AJ: Playing any team sport is a great way to stay healthy and active, meet others, and socialise. I have enjoyed becoming part of the community at North Shore. Additionally, I grew up in the US and did not have the opportunity to play this sport when going through school. I have appreciated the chance to play the game and the challenge associated with learning new skills and styles of game-play.
BH: What is your involvement in this pursuit?
AJ: Our reserves side is one of seven at the club. We’re based out of Gore Hill Oval, St Leonards (in front of Royal North Shore Hospital). We train twice a week and play on the weekend. As with any club (especially one of our size) there’s plenty to do off-field
as well, such as helping out on game days or getting involved in the many social events. It is sometimes my responsibility to
give pre-game speeches as part of my role in the team’s leadership
group, and thankfully they have been well received. I like to believe my emphasis on authenticity (supported by the Presenting with Impact course) has helped with this.
BH: Does it enrich your work?
AJ: I certainly believe so. It’s a reminder that the most rewarding feelings come from attacking that which is the most challenging. Winning easily is good, but the sense of accomplishment from winning a hard fought, close game against a strong opponent is exponentially better. The same perspective applies at work – a lot of things which are really worth doing are also the most challenging. With football being a team sport, it’s also a great opportunity to put some of those communication and influencing skills to use in a fresh environment.
Why do you think it’s important to have interests outside of work?
Beyond enabling me to meet new people and take on new experiences, having a interests outside of work can be a form of emotional diversification. Experiencing success in one facet of my life can support my well-being if things are difficult elsewhere. For example, if footy is going well, it can make it easier to get through a challenging week at work. At the end of the day, I get satisfaction from helping and adding value where possible, and footy (like work) is another opportunity to do so.
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