How to Make Your Sales Meeting Effective and Fun

By John Yoder

I don’t know a thing about you, but I’ll bet that people find it tiresome and grueling to attend meetings that include not even the smallest amount of fun. Yes, business meetings should be formal and geared towards accomplishing the agenda but that does not mean it should not be fun, right? Why not include sale meeting entertainment sometimes just to maintain that enthusiasm of your employees and at the same time, energize them for another round of work?

Having sales meetings are vital for the development of your company. During these meetings, issues regarding marketing strategies and progress will be discussed and if problems arise, solutions will carefully be thought of. It is therefore very important that these meetings are well prepared and will serve their purpose.

There are different things that you can do to make sure that your sales meeting will be effective and will be beneficial to you, your staff, and the clients. How? First of all, sales meetings should be well planned. Having meetings with no specific agenda, or not giving guidelines to the people who are needed in the meeting will make things confusing. In fact, it may even make the meeting useless. Why? It is because you and your team won’t have a specific and concrete idea of what to accomplish.

During the meeting per se, you must encourage your people to talk. It’s not all about you, the head, or any speaker. Knowing what your team has to say about the strategies, tips they would want to share with others, or discussing any difficulties or problems encountered. In this way, you would be able to interact with them, and at the same time, discuss business related matters.

Lastly, do not fail to acknowledge the effort given by your team. Congratulate people who have achieved their marketing goals, appreciate their allotted time for the project, and thank them for working on deals. These positive reinforcements will serve as motivation to your sales team.

Now, aside from the tips given, another way to keep your meeting productive and fun is by including sale meeting entertainment. Sale meeting entertainment will make old style meetings exciting, memorable, and at the same time, effective. There are a lot of entertainment forms that you could choose from. For example, hiring a comedian to experience sale meeting entertainment to your employees is a good idea.

Variety acts like mentalists, jugglers, and magicians are also another option. Interactive events and game rentals add to the many ways of sale meeting entertainment. Sales meeting entertainment will not only bring in the fun to work, it would also help build team work and camaraderie between your employees. It is still best to work in an enjoyable environment where you could laugh with your teammates, right?

For 25 year, Funny Business Agency has been a top resource for companies and event planners looking for expertise in the corporate entertainment market. With over 3,000 entertainers and events nationwide, Funny Business has provided entertainment for such companies as Legos, General Foods, Kelloggs, Pfizer, Honda Transmissions, Frito Lay, Iams, Proctor & Gamble, Perrigo and more.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Professional Sales Training – Managing Leads to Generate New Sales

By Kate Tammemagi

Many sales professionals are very comfortable maintaining long term relationships and developing repeat business from existing clients. However, it is the goal of every company to retain existing business and to develop new clients and new sales. This involves identifying a pool of sales leads, and converting some of these leads to new business.

Key Points with Sales Leads

There are several key points when it comes to beginning work on developing your leads.

1. EVERY lead is precious, do not dismiss it easily.
2. Keep an open mind about every lead. Sales people make assumptions about the potential of each lead, whether this person is likely to buy or whether they will be interested in our products. Unfortunately, clients that prove to have a huge spend do not come with a label on their foreheads! Work every lead until you have firm evidence that this is NOT a prospect.
3. Think of yourself as competing with another very good Sales Person rather than an opposing Company. If this lead is a real prospect, they WILL buy from someone. Is it going to be you, or is in going to be the other guy who gets the sale?
4. Plan how you will work those leads effectively, develop a good personal management system.

Set Targets

Sales is a numbers game, the bigger the numbers the better the Sales Person! However, when it comes to managing leads, it is better to think in terms of conversion rates rather than flat numbers. The reason for this is simple. Take 2 sales people, one with 10 sales and one with 20 sales in a week. You might at first think that the second sales person with 20 sales is the better of the two. However, you then find that she contacted 100 people to generate those 20 sales, while the first sales person contacted 20 people to get their 10 sales.

The sales person with the 50% conversion rate is by far the better sales person. Indeed, the first sales person, with the 10% conversion rate may well be a liability. It would be much more productive to give her leads to your good sales person. This is the way to think about your own leads.

Plan how you will manage each batch of leads and set your targets in terms of conversion rates. Set a target of -

• How many leads you will convert to contacts
• How many contacts you will convert to clients

Managing your Sales Leads

To manage your leads effectively there is a useful model called the Sales Cycle. This gives us the stages from lead to advocate.

1. Leads
2. Contacts – we make contact with the decision maker, perhaps on a telephone call or casual meeting
3. First Contact Meeting – our first sales presentation meeting, where we build rapport, establish needs, present our offering and, hopefully, close a sale
4. Active Prospect – we have met, and the prospect may buy, but hasn’t made the decision yet
5. Client – the client buys from us
6. Advocate – the client is so pleased they recommend us to others

The idea is to work at each phase to improve our conversion rate and effectiveness at sales. The more leads we convert to contacts, the bigger the pool we have for the next phase. Work conversion rates for each phase of the cycle.

Improving your Conversion Rates

We improve our conversion rate at each phase of the Sales Cycle by using skills, recording and tracking systems, and good motivational techniques. Above all, every good sales person plans HOW they will improve each week and each month. As well as managing the normal weekly activities, they focus on an improvement area so that they are constantly increasing their potential.

For example, you could concentrate one week on improving the first phase of the Sales Cycle, generating more contacts from your leads. Isolate a time for making appointments. Prepare a list of contact names and telephone numbers, and anything else you will need to carry out an effective period of calling. Set a target of number of dials, or number of contacts or number of appointments made. Work out how you will motivate yourself to keep going till you achieve your target. After the batch of calls, review your performance, and use this review to plan your next session.

Spend the next week focusing on improving your recording and tracking system, with the target improving the conversion from your Active File to Clients. A good sales professional is always working at his or her role and is always working at improving.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Sales Manager Duties:Susan Boyle and Possibility

We have had a theme going about Sales manager duties over the past month or so.

One of them “should” be to watch this video and take inspiration about a number of things including:

1. Any thing really is possible……………………………….yes even for you!

2. The power of connecting with an audience……………if you dont get emotional watching this there
really is no hope for you

3. Viral marketing and the use of video……………….now for some reason You tube wont let me embed the video player so you will need to click the link. At 9am UK time today this had received 18 million views in under a week.

4. Giving your market what they want……………Simon revels in mopments like this. He understands what audiences want do you know your audience that well.

Paste the link to watch Susan Boyle on Britains got talent inspire you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

To You and Your Teams Success

Denise and Sharon
PS. If you didn’t realise the people that watch this might include some of your market? do you know how to tap into their emotions and give them what they want?……………think about it.

Popularity: 70% [?]

Want greater results? Then give more and get creative!

One of my mastermind buddies just sent out his newsletter. There are some really interesting points I thought you might like! For any one in sales management or sales it provokes a re evaluation of what is actually important when it comes to being successful

Did you see the independent report on childhood this week? According to the panel, “excessive individualism” is to blame for many of the problems children face and needs to be replaced by a value system where people seek satisfaction more from helping others rather than pursuing private advantage.

This struck a chord with me. It is easy to slip into patterns of habitual behaviour that seem normal as everyone else is doing it. It was not long ago when the acceptable norm was for hospital doctors to work 56 hour shifts.

Today the kennel club are in a mess because what is acceptable in dog breeding has been challenged by the Panorama programme. Do you think it is acceptable behaviour for you to sleep with your daughter an official was asked? If not why is it for dogs? They have a point.

I would like you to consider two points.

Give and you shall receive – ‘….helping others rather than pursuing private advantage’. These statements are not actually exclusive. If you are generous in giving to others, it is human nature that usually you will receive in return. This is a great principle for business. If you add value to your customers in innovative ways you increase the likelihood of receiving more business in return. If you come from a position of what can I get; rather than what can I give; this is counterproductive and you will ultimately suffer the consequences. This is the same with children. Give generously of your time and you will be rewarded with ‘private advantage’ through a closer relationship. By helping others you can attain advantage.

It is worth always asking yourself ‘where can I add more value to others’?

Creativity not competition – The report said people are over competitive. We have been conditioned from early childhood to be so. However, it does not always result in an endearing character and can mean we are focused on what others are achieving rather than developing ourselves step by step to achieve more. Those companies who are really excelling, compete not by continuously using the competition as the benchmark but by looking to add greater value for the whole through creation. Take Apple IPOD who created a new market sector rather than price cutting in existing sectors. They got very creative. Nintendo Wii is another example.

In the words of ‘Wallace Wattle’ while writing about wealth creation ‘People must be taught to become rich by creation, not by competition. Every man who becomes rich by competition throws down behind him the ladder by which he rises, and keeps others down; but every man who gets rich by creation opens a way for thousands to follow him, and inspires them to do so.

How can you get creative?

Being creative and adding value for some sales people are new concepts for others the really successful ones maybe not?

Chris Cooper launches his new website in a matter of days you will find it here

 

Best Wishes

 

Denise

Popularity: 39% [?]

8 Steps To Creative Sales Management

8 Steps To Creative Sales Management was part of a recent sales management seminar we ran.

The client was concerned that creativity was totally absent from his team so we ran a brief session. The top line chanks are below for some stimulation and suggestion.

With the increasing pressures in business and the need to perform at the top of your game. Creativity is probably the last thing on your mind. Am I correct.

Well fear not because with some basic easy to implement steps it is more than possible. The added benefit is it and will help boost your performance more than you ever imagined.

Being creative is an ability every one has. Yes even you. The fallacy over the years has been that only people in the arts and media are creative. Not so.

If you look at some of the best sales people ever it often boils down to their unique and creative way of presenting their product. This results in high volume sales they always seem to achieve.

Being the most creative sales manager in your division usually means you will have the best ideas to motivate and inspire your team to success.
The result of which is always an improvement in your sales line, through a combination of a motivated team inspired by a manager that is unique.

So let’s explore 8 steps to improve your creativity:

1. Nutrition

Think about what you eat and drink. Boring I know. A great time to start now post the festive season.The saying of having a clear head is actually true. The body is well over 80% water particularly the brain. That headache and mid afternoon lull is usually down to dehydration. Not wishing to sound like your mum here and, fruit and water will make a major difference to how you feel and process information.

2. Question Yourself

Ask yourself questions you want the answers to. This primes your subconscious mind to go out and find the answers.
Remember the last time you were wrestling with a problem and then suddenly the solution popped into your head. How often you wake up in the morning and the answer is there straight away.

Tell yourself the answer is on its ways. Not I am not creative!. Positive imprinting on the brain works. Don’t believe me though try it for yourself

3. Go for a Walk

When you feel yourself getting frustrated. Stop what you are doing and change your physical body position.If it is possible go for a walk. It is logical when you think about it. Physical movement helps you take in oxygen and increases blood flow to the brain.

4. Listen to Music

On a similar vein listen to music. Researchers in Germany studied in depth the relationship between music concentration and the ability to learn. We know it works. Music has a profound effect on mood. Worry anxiety and fear all block ideas. Music is one of the quickest ways to change how you are feeling and actually allow ideas to come through.

5. Define the challenge

Get a piece of paper, computer whatever. Then write out the challenge in question in real detail. Remember to throw some questions in to get the subconscious mind working on it.

6. Brainstorm

Great idea. Only if you do this without judgments though. Just throw all the ideas down on a flip chart or your business journal. Then group and analyse them later. Top tip do this when you are high energy and upbeat or it will be like pulling teeth.

7. Read

As much as you can whenever you can. About all sorts of different things. It really helps to stimulate the brain. If you put great ingredients into the brain that are varied and different. It can create results you never dreamed of. Instead of a run of the mill home page why not use one from the industry you are selling to? If its photocopiers for instance perhaps they have an online journal. Its amazing what you will take on board just by skim reading. It gives you a talking point with your customers and clients as well.

8. Meditation and relaxation

Now I am not going woo woo on you here. Even a well known business school beginning with H, recommends meditation for managers. We are such busy people juggling so many different things in our life. Both in and out of work. As a new sales manager on a steep learning curve probably more than most.
The brain need to have periods of relaxation so the best thoughts can bubble to the surface. Meditation gives it the space to actually do that.

Like anything nothing actually happens till you take action. Here are some simple steps to get you going.

Good luck!

Sharon

Popularity: 29% [?]

X Factor 2008 Final Alexandra Burke and Determination

The X Factor 2008 final, Alexandra Burke and determination? You might ask exactly what has that got to do with sales management training and development. Well the truth is it is a perfect example of the fact that “the great results we achieve in our life all start with us”

The you tube video above gives a brief snapshot of Alexandra’s story. Have a look at some of the other videos on You tube to see how she has improved each week on X factor 2008.

The top facts are, Alex auditioned in 2005 for the x factor and was rejected at the later stages and told to go away and do some more work.

Now unlike a lot of other people when they are given feedback she actually went away and implemented what she was told.

Believing in herself and what she was capable of, she took action and really put in the work. She went through some dark times as well and yet still kept the faith.

The result was winning on Saturday in front of millions of viewers. In fact over 9 million of them voted for the three finalists. Half way through the night she performed in a duet with Beyonce which was awe inspiring.

Over the weeks you can see her development and how she really worked at her craft. Improving bit by bit across the last few months.

It is easy to think. Yeah but! its different in business. Well the truth is, it isn’t. The greatest impact on our performance is us. We are our own biggest leverage point. That leverage point starts with what we think, how we then respond to our thoughts and the pictures they conjure up for us.

Now, most people don’t really think through this process and what it can mean for them and the results they do or don’t achieve. Let’s break it down.

First off we have a thought. We then have an emotional response to that thought ( yes we all respond emotionally just to different degrees) this then moves us to take actions which then bring us the results.

Lets use an example. We have the thought.
Perhaps it is that you would love( a desire) to play the piano. This conjures up pictures , sound and emotions as you imagine yourself playing the piano. Having a ball and entertaining people. It gives you a good feeling. You start to think about it more and more. You daydream during the day. You start to notice more programmes on the TV with pianists. The paper falls open at an advert for pianos. You strike up a conversation with someone and find out they are a music teacher. Get the picture? I thought you might. This is how it happens, have you noticed?

Now, some people ignore this. Others who have a really strong desire then take some action and sign up for a few piano lessons.
It’s not easy at first and yet they love it. So they keep going. A few months down the line they can play their first tunes.

Now this is how easy it can be. You know in your work place it is exactly the same. You have a desire to be the top sales manager. You start to obsess about it. You have decided that 2009 will be your year. You are now getting really fired up. Lots of ideas are coming your way. Ones you have never had before. You have this picture in your mind of what success looks like for you.

Now here comes the big question. Do you take action? because its the action that will lead to the result.

Let’s go back to Alexandra. She went away in 2005 and practised and practised. While her friends were out ” clubbing” she was singing in local clubs and pubs. She studied great singers. She kept her vision. This is how it works.

So what will 2009 bring for you in business?, the answer is it can bring anything you want.
You just need to be clear about what it is you want to achieve.

Then understand how you can make this happen.

To you and your teams success,

Denise

Popularity: 38% [?]

Determination to succeed in sales and sales management? What is yours like?

Popularity: 30% [?]

Positive thinking: How Often Do You Utilise it’s Power?

Positive thinking and its power has been a topic of discussion in a number of areas we have been involved in, this week. Not least of which is if we think positively it might just stop raining this summer!!….of course we do live in the UK!

As the week draws to a close I have been going through my usual practise of thinking and asking myself questions. Such as “what is working?”  “how could I do things better?” .

Its something I started  a couple of months ago to really utilise the power of my subconscious mind.

The business community as a whole is becoming much more aware of  how having a particular mindset can make a major difference to results. If we think and then act in a particular way we will get particular results.

So why not think and then act as the person we are becoming rather than the person we are leaving behind?

We are running a sales training programme with a colleague for an insurance group at the moment. Its great to have the luxury of running a full day on how to manage thoughts  and develop the act as if mindset. 

Which brings me nicely onto an article from an ezine by Bernadette Doyle. It a great example of believing and doing and what results can occur!!

 

Hope you enjoy it

 

Several years ago, I was on holiday at Club La Santa in Lanzarote, a sports resort where there are lots of fitness classes scheduled throughout the day. One lunchtime I was lounging by the pool in a perfect position to observe the following scene as it unfolded before me.

An aqua aerobics class was scheduled for midday. Shortly before, the instructor arrived, set up her music and waited for her participants. There had been a big party the previous night, and I did not predict a huge turnout for the class. But when it got to midday, not a single person had turned up. I saw the instructor walk towards the music system, and guessed that she was about to pack up and leave. To my surprise she started her music and started her warm up, calling instructions to an empty pool.

I was stunned. It must have taken some courage to lead an empty class. But I was also impressed by her commitment. As far as she was concerned, she had been booked to lead the class, and just because participants hadn’t turned up, that wasn’t going to stop her from showing up and doing her bit. She didn’t run around the pool trying to rally support and persuade us up from our sun loungers. She just started the class.

Years before I had even considered the phrase ‘client magnet’, I was witness to this demonstration of client magnetism. Because after a few minutes, the combination of loud music plus the spectacle of an aerobics instructor shouting instructions to an empty pool pulled a few curious observers. A couple of them got into the water and joined in. Before long at least 10 people had joined the class. The instructor didn’t care how many people turned up, she had decided that nothing would stop her from fully showing up and give 100% commitment to the class. In doing so, the instructor became a powerful magnet who had her vision of a full class manifest before my eyes.

This memory was a big inspiration for me when I was preparing for my first paid teleseminar. As the date approached, only two people had registered for the class. Of course I was tempted to cancel, but then I remembered that aerobics instructor and realised that there is something very powerful about following through on our intentions. I ignored the little voice inside that said ‘who are you to talk about being a client magnet when there are only two people in the class?’ and stayed committed. And then a funny thing happened…

On the day of the teleseminar, as I was making final preparations for the calls I received not one, but two enquiries. The second call came just 30 minutes before the teleseminar was due to start! This felt like a lot more than coincidence, and it felt like just as the instructor attracted participants through her willingness to show up, that my willingness to show up was acting as a magnet too.

Fast forward a few short years, and since that bumpy start teleseminars have become a very important part of my business. From a starting point of just 4 people, these days I’ve had over 950 people register for a single call. But I can’t help wondering what would have happened if I had given in to that temptation to cancel. Would I have ever mustered the courage to try again?

I’m sharing this story today for two reasons. First I want to ask how often do you set an intention and then cancel it due to apparent lack of interest? Are you really showing up? Or are you waiting for clients to show up first? Maybe you’re the one who needs to demonstrate commitment before you can expect clients to do so.

Second, it’s a word of encouragement to anyone who is feeling how I felt when the day of my first teleseminar approached. Keep going! Don’t give up. If you’ve said you were going to do something, then follow through on your word. Recommit to your project and trust that whatever happens is perfect for you. In my first year of business I was tempted to cancel a course because I was barely covering my costs. I proceeded anyway and one of the participants went on to refer over £18,000 of business to me over the next 12 months. The truth is, you never know what’s around the corner. But if you give up this time, you’ll be tempted to give up the next time things get tough, and the time after that.

I’ll wrap up with one of my favourite quotes, one that I live by and has served me well, ‘the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.’

Until Next Time!

 

 

I hope you found this article from Bernadette Doyle inspiring. Being the ultimate professional is about doing what you need to do no matter what.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Best Wishes

 

Denise

Popularity: 29% [?]

How to Refocus after setbacks

How to Refocusing after setbacks is the subject of todays post.

First an apology on lack of blog posts ! I am just getting used to this technical thing! and forgot to load up the posts to automatically come on while I was out of the office last week. 

Whenever I am out of the office and with clients there is always lots of rich material and learnings to share. Last week some clients we are working with had  a couple of setbacks. The session was spent helping them reframe what had happened and looking at strategies to deal with set backs as they arise. I thought it would be an idea to share it with you.

It would be great to think that everything in life will turn out hunky dory? Well this isn’t usually the case. In honesty we wouldn’t want it to be either.

I don’t know about you  but often the toughest times I have experienced have taught me the best lessons ever. Setbacks do have a place.

How many times have you started a diet, a new way of thinking, or tried something different and then a setback occurs and you just go back to the way you were?

Don’t worry, you are not the only one!

Setbacks difficulties or challenges as I was taught to call them!! occur all of the time – they are a natural activity of life.

There are two ways of facing challenges.

You either change or alter the difficulty or you can alter yourself to be able to deal with it.

Deal with difficulties correctly and it will enhance your confidence, deal with them incorrectly and they can do some serious damage to your self worth.

When you are faced with any setback your ability to deal with it can be turned around into a position of strength by asking yourself positive empowering questions.

There is an unwritten rule that says:

Ask your mind a stupid question and you will get a stupid answer!

So, if after setback you ask yourself something like

“Why does this always happen to me, I never have any luck?”

Your mind will probably come out with:

“Because you are useless and good things do not happen to you!”

Sound familiar?

Instead, if you ask yourself a positive empowering question like:

“What did I learn from this setback for next time?”

Your mind will kick into solution mode and help.
Here are some rules and things to think about when setbacks do occur:

Acknowledge that it has happened. Don’t hide from it. These things happen. So what?

What positive empowering questions can you ask yourself?

What is good about this situation?

How can I make the most of this situation?

What can I learn from it?

What are the facts about this problem?

How can we make it a successful outcome?

• Acknowledge that setbacks occur to everyone and you are not being singled out.

• View them as a challenge to overcome rather than an issue or problem
Think about the negative dis-empowering thoughts that you think on a regular basis after a setback.

What new empowering questions could you ask yourself to give some better answers!

Write these down now and make them a habit.

 

To you and your teams Success

 

Denise

 

Popularity: 26% [?]

J.K. Rowling Harvard Speech Part 2: Imagination

Carrying  on from a couple of days  ago part two of J.K. Rowlings Harvard speech. This time on the power of imagination. A skill we have in plentiful supply when we are younger. Then suddenly it seems to disappear as we take on board messages that living in your imagination isn’t the way to get on in life.

 

Oh dear I would suggest combined with action it is the only way to get on.

 

Enjoy the post

 

 

You might think that I chose my second theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation.

 

In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.

One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs. Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working in the research department at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London.

There in my little office I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends. I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries. I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes.

Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to think independently of their government. Visitors to our office included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had been forced to leave behind.

I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.

And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just given him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.

Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.

Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard and read.

And yet I also learned more about human goodness at Amnesty International than I had ever known before.

Amnesty mobilises thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have. The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners. Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet. My small participation in that process was one of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life.

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places.

Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces can lead to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid.

What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy.

One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.

That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives. It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people’s lives simply by existing.

But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of 2008, likely to touch other people’s lives? Your intelligence, your capacity for hard work, the education you have earned and received, give you unique status, and unique responsibilities. Even your nationality sets you apart.

 

The great majority of you belong to the world’s only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

I am nearly finished. I have one last hope for you, which is something that I already had at 21. The friends with whom I sat on graduation day have been my friends for life. They are my children’s godparents, the people to whom I’ve been able to turn in times of trouble, friends who have been kind enough not to sue me when I’ve used their names for Death Eaters.

 

At our graduation we were bound by enormous affection, by our shared experience of a time that could never come again, and, of course, by the knowledge that we held certain photographic evidence that would be exceptionally valuable if any of us ran for Prime Minister.

So today, I can wish you nothing better than similar friendships. And tomorrow, I hope that even if you remember not a single word of mine, you remember those of Seneca, another of those old Romans I met when I fled down the Classics corridor, in retreat from career ladders, in search of ancient wisdom:

As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.

I wish you all very good lives.

Thank you very much

Wow a great reason to remind us to use our imagination.

 

Take Care

Sharon

 

 

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