Jason Jennings: A Generous Colleague

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.

John Wesley from The Letters of John Wesley

The other day a colleague of mine passed away. His name was Jason Jennings.

While I did not know him well, I respected him. He was a colleague whose spirit of generosity made him seem your friend even when you hardly knew him.

In our one face-to-face encounter, we hit it off instantly because we are fellow Michiganders. Jason lived in Marin County, California, but had deep roots in the Mitten state. His mother still lives there, and he had owned property in the Upper Peninsula. Jason was a loyal alumnus to Northern Michigan University and pledged regular donations to the school.

Jason began his career as a journalist, becoming a highly successful television reporter. He later migrated to the stage, the speaker’s stage, that is, how I got to know him. Crisp and professional yet warm and inviting. Jason could command a stage in moments and always earned what he worked hard to get: a standing ovation.

For Jason, a standing O was not a “hey, look at me, I’m great” moment. Instead, it was an acknowledgment that he had imparted a lesson (or more often lessons) to the audience that they embraced and would put into practice. Jason was an author specializing as he did in his presentations on leadership. Jason wrote eight best-sellers and earned the rank of №11 on Global Guru’s listing of the top 30 leadership experts.

Jason was a speaker’s speaker. And here I will quote the great champion golfer Bobby Jones who said, “There is a big difference between golf and tournament golf.” So it is with presentations. There is a big difference between speaking in public and speaking in public professionally.

As a professional, you are an entertainer. Your role is to provide information the audience can find nowhere else and do it in a manner that is inspiring, uplifting, and oh yes performer. Not easy. It takes at least a few years to get good at it so that the stage feels like home, but to get there requires lots of practice. In short, you speak locally before speaking globally.

One moment that I know Jason enjoyed was delivering a commencement address at this alma mater Northern Michigan University. At a reception, the night before Jason’s speech, Fritz Erickson, university president, praised Jason’s accomplishments and added, “I’ve spoken to many people about Jason and the one word that’s always used to describe him is that he’s a nice man.”

Indeed, the last time I spoke to Jason was via video chat. He spent an hour with me, as he had with so many of our colleagues, sharing his insights into how to become a better and more professional speaker. I share some pointers gleaned from our conversation below because I think Jason would want it so. Jason Jennings was not only nice; he was generous.

Godspeed, Jason! Thank you for all you have done for me and so many others.

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Speaker’s Notes from Jason Jennings

Turn your presentation into an event. Offer to participate in “extra-curricular” activities around your presentation. These include breakfasts, dinners, breakouts, and book signings.

Do extensive research to customize your presentation. Schedule meetings with organizers and the CEO. Also, ask to speak to a dozen employees. Get the lay of the land and integrate it into your presentation.

Integrate client testimonials into your website. Capitalize on the “curve of gratitude” immediately following your presentation.

Earn a standing ovation every time. When you are to make your final point, ask everyone to stand, and then commit to the lessons you have taught.