I normally don’t use videos or even PowerPoint to do presentations. I hope it is not simply because I am old-fashioned. I know their use is almost universal now. I am willing to use them when I think they are appropriate or add value. And since that is a subjective judgment, I am sure others we see appropriateness and value much quicker than I do. That said, I recently made a presentation to a group where I did use a little video.
The topic of the presentation was trust. I suspect most folks underestimate the significance of trust when you think about teams, co-operation and so forth. Simply put, when trust is low or missing, things will not go well. As our new book, Exception to the Rule, demonstrates, you certainly don’t get high performance when trust is lacking. Trust is foundational. And I would add, when I talk about trust, I am also talking about faith. For me faith and trust are virtually synonymous. I know some people don’t think that is true, but for me they are. So what I say about trust, I am also saying about faith.
The question for my presentation was how to engage the audience in a consideration of trust. What is trust? How does it work? And how do we strengthen it? These are key questions for faith communities and the formation of any teams. Most people have ideas on this, but the ideas are usually not explicit. For the most part, no one comes up to us as asks us, “what is trust?” In effect the video was used to bring to the surface the assumptions the people in the audience had about trust.
The video was simple. It opens with two girls---probably about eight or ten---in their bedroom. One girl tells the other girl they are going to do a trust exercise. This typically is a good hook for the audience, since many of them probably have done just such an exercise. The girl who is initiating the trust exercise goes behind the other girl and stands a little bit behind her. “Ok,” she says to the girl in the front of her. “Relax and fall.”
To the astonishment of those of us watching, the girl slowly begins to fall forward! The point of the video has been made. And so we don’t get to see the girl fall all the way to the floor and obviously bang her head. The girl in the back looks stunned. Of course, she expected her friend to fall backwards into her awaiting arms and establish trust. The girl in the back had faith in a backward fall and her ability to catch the falling girl. I suspect it never occurred to her that her friend would fall forward.
I have watched this little video many times and every time, it is just like the first time. Every time I expect the girl to fall backwards and am surprised when she begins to totter forward. Unbelievable! And then, the natural tendency is to laugh. Every time I have seen it or shown it, the people in the audience laugh. It is funny. But why is it funny?
It is funny because what happens is unexpected. As the video begins to play, I am confident 100% of the audience think they know how it is going to unfold. And then, boom, she begins to fall forward. We are shocked and then we laugh. The point is made and there is no reason for the video to be longer. Clearly, the trust was not established and, no doubt, caused some pain.
As I thought about the video for this inspirational piece, I realized we can take the teaching further than the video goes. Unfortunately, the video mimics real life. Surely, most of us have experienced those times in life where we fell forward. To “fall forward” becomes a metaphor for the times and places where trust did not happen or where it happened very badly. And that typically does cause pain. We can indeed fall flat on our face!
I think about the times where I have heard the phrase, “bad faith.” Bad faith is nothing more than trust that face-plants us. Bad faith is where I trusted and it did not work. Maybe the person behind who was to catch me couldn’t or wouldn’t. I trusted and it was a bad idea. Other times, sadly, I think I have been the one who was not trustworthy. I may have said I would do something or be something and did not follow through. I think I have done this to God more than once. In this sense I was responsible for “bad faith.”
This is good to think about. Whenever trust has not gone well, there is probably a need to think about apology and forgiveness. This is tricky if and when the person who was supposed to trust doesn’t really care. We see this in relationships all too often. Someone is face-planted and the other person doesn’t care enough to help recover the situation.
Fortunately with God, this never happens. Trust and faith are crucial---indeed foundational---to our relationship with the Holy One. Where and when “bad faith” happens, it is going to be our issue. The good news is God is a God of grace. God always wants relationship. And when trust fouls the relationship, God seeks news ways of healing and righting the relationship. The good news is restoration of trust is always possible. It may not be easy, but it is possible.
Trust me.
The topic of the presentation was trust. I suspect most folks underestimate the significance of trust when you think about teams, co-operation and so forth. Simply put, when trust is low or missing, things will not go well. As our new book, Exception to the Rule, demonstrates, you certainly don’t get high performance when trust is lacking. Trust is foundational. And I would add, when I talk about trust, I am also talking about faith. For me faith and trust are virtually synonymous. I know some people don’t think that is true, but for me they are. So what I say about trust, I am also saying about faith.
The question for my presentation was how to engage the audience in a consideration of trust. What is trust? How does it work? And how do we strengthen it? These are key questions for faith communities and the formation of any teams. Most people have ideas on this, but the ideas are usually not explicit. For the most part, no one comes up to us as asks us, “what is trust?” In effect the video was used to bring to the surface the assumptions the people in the audience had about trust.
The video was simple. It opens with two girls---probably about eight or ten---in their bedroom. One girl tells the other girl they are going to do a trust exercise. This typically is a good hook for the audience, since many of them probably have done just such an exercise. The girl who is initiating the trust exercise goes behind the other girl and stands a little bit behind her. “Ok,” she says to the girl in the front of her. “Relax and fall.”
To the astonishment of those of us watching, the girl slowly begins to fall forward! The point of the video has been made. And so we don’t get to see the girl fall all the way to the floor and obviously bang her head. The girl in the back looks stunned. Of course, she expected her friend to fall backwards into her awaiting arms and establish trust. The girl in the back had faith in a backward fall and her ability to catch the falling girl. I suspect it never occurred to her that her friend would fall forward.
I have watched this little video many times and every time, it is just like the first time. Every time I expect the girl to fall backwards and am surprised when she begins to totter forward. Unbelievable! And then, the natural tendency is to laugh. Every time I have seen it or shown it, the people in the audience laugh. It is funny. But why is it funny?
It is funny because what happens is unexpected. As the video begins to play, I am confident 100% of the audience think they know how it is going to unfold. And then, boom, she begins to fall forward. We are shocked and then we laugh. The point is made and there is no reason for the video to be longer. Clearly, the trust was not established and, no doubt, caused some pain.
As I thought about the video for this inspirational piece, I realized we can take the teaching further than the video goes. Unfortunately, the video mimics real life. Surely, most of us have experienced those times in life where we fell forward. To “fall forward” becomes a metaphor for the times and places where trust did not happen or where it happened very badly. And that typically does cause pain. We can indeed fall flat on our face!
I think about the times where I have heard the phrase, “bad faith.” Bad faith is nothing more than trust that face-plants us. Bad faith is where I trusted and it did not work. Maybe the person behind who was to catch me couldn’t or wouldn’t. I trusted and it was a bad idea. Other times, sadly, I think I have been the one who was not trustworthy. I may have said I would do something or be something and did not follow through. I think I have done this to God more than once. In this sense I was responsible for “bad faith.”
This is good to think about. Whenever trust has not gone well, there is probably a need to think about apology and forgiveness. This is tricky if and when the person who was supposed to trust doesn’t really care. We see this in relationships all too often. Someone is face-planted and the other person doesn’t care enough to help recover the situation.
Fortunately with God, this never happens. Trust and faith are crucial---indeed foundational---to our relationship with the Holy One. Where and when “bad faith” happens, it is going to be our issue. The good news is God is a God of grace. God always wants relationship. And when trust fouls the relationship, God seeks news ways of healing and righting the relationship. The good news is restoration of trust is always possible. It may not be easy, but it is possible.
Trust me.
Comments
Post a Comment