I don’t know about you, but I like to challenge myself once in a while, so that I don’t end up in a rut, doing the ‘same old, same old’ things and, luckily for me, Mitsubishi is a great place to push yourself.
So, when I first saw the email asking for volunteers to host our annual conference in front of over 450 of my colleagues, I thought, ‘Why not. What have I got to lose’.
I was pretty sure that the company wouldn’t let me fall flat on my face, because we had all seen how fantastically our colleagues Hannah Towler and Harvey Loyal performed at our conference in 2024.
The pair acted as comperes for the day and were widely acclaimed for their professionalism and the chemistry they portrayed as co-hosts.
For this year’s event though, I was joined by nine other colleagues with each of us being given a segment to rehearse and prepare for. I’ve asked my fellow presenters for their thoughts on how the experience was for them, but first, I thought I’d check in with Harvey and Hannah.
George Clarke told me “No one knows what you are going to say so they won’t know if you go wrong”
Jo Lambert Product Manager for split air conditioning systems
Overcoming the initial fear
Hannah explained that when first asked she initially said “No, I can’t do that”, then after a bit of gentle nudging she thought, ‘you know what, maybe I can do this even though I am not comfortable presenting in general, let alone in front of over 400 people’.
Harvey was immediately consumed with a sense of crippling fear mixed with overwhelming happiness and gratitude at being asked to do it. He says he’s always had stage fright but, as terrified as he was, he seeks out opportunities to push himself forward and finds it a good mental and physical challenge.
Neither like being the centre of attention and they told each other that they would make sure they supported each other and kept themselves ‘in the zone’. They’ve also now admitted to a bit of frantic dancing behind the stage at various times throughout the day to keep themselves focused.
On how things felt for them after the event, Harvey said “Wow! I just did that and when can I do the next thing,” while Hannah added “I realised that if f I put my mind to it, I really can do anything, so I no longer instantly say no because I am scared of challenging myself.”
Hannah also says that she did it in part to inspire others to come forward, which really seems to have worked with this year’s ‘performers’, who everyone agrees absolutely smashed it!
The presenting team
For this year’s conference, which was attended by 451 of my colleagues, I was joined by Gary Pulley, Alex Black, Bhaskar Choudhury, Amy McEwen, Jamie English, Chris Thornton-Riley, Dave Archer, Manishka Hart, and Dan Hodson.
We were split into pairs with each duo opening a different part of the agenda, before handing over to the senior managers for that section.
I think one or two of my colleagues had spoken at weddings or events like that but none of us had stood up and, confidently and entertainingly spoken in front of hundreds of people before (especially daunting as these were the people we work with every day). I think it’s fair to say that even those of us who had been eager to volunteer felt a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies in our tummies!
The reason almost everyone gave for volunteering for this role was to “push myself out of my comfort zone”, which is a fantastic attitude and a really good way to progress in your life and career.
Gary said that he had been inspired by Hannah and Harvey last year and spoke to Harvey at an event last October, who told him about the preparation and “the sense of achievement that it gave him.”
Bhaskar on the other hand explained that his role is quite technical, so he wanted to do something different, and he also saw it as an opportunity to increase visibility of the MEHITS and CV side of the business.
Alex explained that having been part of the company for over 18 years, she wanted to get involved and help put on a fantastic event, even though “like many of us, I think that speaking in front of lots of people is quite scary, so wanted to push my comfort zone a little further”.
Overcoming the fear factor
Everyone was scared of falling over on their way to the stage, or forgetting what they needed to say, and I was lucky enough to have some advice from George Clarke who told me “No one knows what you are going to say – They won’t know if you go wrong, so just remember that and enjoy it!”
Jamie explained that he took a step back and thought ‘would Mitsubishi or those around me really let me fail? Of course not!’ And even when he felt that he was slightly losing track, colleagues were there as promised to prompt him and get him going again.
Amy told us how everyone had been given lots of training including an incredibly helpful session with a professional public speaking coach, Dannie-Lu, prior to the conference. “She really boosted my confidence and helped me to speak and move with gravitas. I also wore the same shoes from the first practice to the conference itself, which felt very grounding.”
Chris explained that as a trainer he regularly speaks to small groups of engineers so is quite comfortable talking in front of people, However, opening up in front of so many colleagues was quite daunting for him “I spoke about the importance of Quality and used a very personal and painful story, so I was worried about showing vulnerability in front of my peers,” he said.
Colleague reaction
Chris needn’t have worried though because the very same colleagues he was concerned about gave him their full support, “telling me to carry on telling my story to show just what Mitsubishi Electric and the value of quality means to me”.
And the whole team had a fantastic reaction from both colleagues they have worked alongside and from those they had just met on the day.
Alex says that the reaction was really positive and complimentary, and that people said they were “able to relate to what we all spoke about, with a few inspired to put themselves forward for future events”.
Gary said that “everybody that I have spoken to said how well I did, and I have received a lot of praise from people that I know and from people that I have never met before”.
All the team had really positive and supportive comments from colleagues, even though they had to keep their role secret until the day.
“There was definitely a lot of surprise from the colleagues I work closest with,” explained Amy, “I've heard lots of really positive feedback from both colleagues I know, and those I didn't know until after the conference, which I deeply appreciate”.
A learning experience
Everyone got a real sense of achievement out of taking part and from feeling part of a great team that all worked together and supported each other.
Jamie felt that he really benefitted from working with people from across the business that he doesn’t usually get to meet and Amy said that she really enjoyed getting to know colleagues whose paths wouldn’t normally have crossed, such as her co-host Bhaskar, who said that “being up on stage was a huge buzz!”.
For Alex part of the enjoyment was being able to speak to colleagues on a subject that she is passionate about, and “creating a great bond with all those involved in putting the conference together”.
Jamie echoed this sentiment and said it was great being part of the buildup “seeing what the team do behind the scenes is incredible and it was great to feel a part of it”.
Gary said he “didn’t realise how emotional I would get, especially in front of over 400 people. I spoke with a passion that I have been told came across and I also made some people have a tear in their eye when I shared my experience”.
Chris discovered that “it isn't as bad as I thought to shed a tear in front of 451 people. They don't actually mind you looking human”.
He also had conversations with colleagues later who told him how his story helped them to know we have a support network for mental health that works, and a strong, supportive team around us. “That gave me pride that I was able to show emotion and could help others into doing the same in the future”.
As a company, Mitsubishi Electric really does care about the welfare of its people and has developed a team of Mental Health First Aiders, identifiable with green lanyards, who colleagues can approach for a confidential chat on any issue.
Amy said that she learned that she can cope with nerves better than she thought.
For me, I discovered that I am much, much more than my fears and worries, and that nothing is ever as bad as the picture you can paint in your head.
There’s loads more that I could report but why not approach any of the 12 people mentioned here and ask them yourself? You never know where it might take you!
Jo Lambert is Product Manager for split air conditioning systems
