Bohemian Rhapsody: Lessons for us all

On the way back to London (from the US) I was able to get to watch Bohemian Rhapsody. Rarely do a post a review about a movie however I thought in this instance an exception was warranted.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a fantastic movie telling the story of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen. Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddie Mercury was genius and worthy of the Academy Award he was given this year. All that aside, the movie provides important lessons for the audience.

It’s About Confidence

I was a young kid when Queen was in their prime. I was also in my early teens when Freddie Mercury passed away. My musical tastes didn’t revolve around Queen at that time; they do now. The one thing evident in Freddie Mercury was his confidence on stage. The way he sings, moves and performs just exudes confidence. Perhaps in Freddie’s may not have considered himself confidence behind the scenes however on stage he was in a high performing state.

Audience Engagement

Within my world of Toastmasters and Public Speaking, I hit on the aspect of audience engagement. It is by far the most important aspect of communication. You may have the content or you could have the body language – but it is how you use them that counts. Freddie Mercury had his audiences on the palm of his hand. He and the band wrote music and performed it with the audience in mind. They were brought in as a 5th member of the band.

Lessons Learned

Like most bands, we have issues with cohesion when we grow. Queen wasn’t any different. At one stage Freddie had realised he was at fault and knew he needed to change. He also contracted HIV which developed to AIDS. In both instances he knew the mistakes he had made. More importantly he moved fast to put them behind him in order to make the most of our his time remaining. Lessons need to be learned and reflected on yet one must move through this process as quickly as possible.

Friends, Family and Trust

Trust is critical today. Your family and friends are at the foundation of your network. They know you best – warts and all. In the movie Freddie finally reconnects with his family, dumps the toxic relationships he had developed over the years and again moved fast to capitalise on the learnings. Tony Robbins reminded me a few weeks ago at his seminar that you are who you associate with. Fair words of wisdom!

So What?

Bohemian Rhapsody is certainly a stand out movie for me. The story and lessons it demonstrates are something we all should learn from. Be confident. Engage your audience whoever they are. Learn lessons and learn them fast! Keep the people close who can lift you up and be honest!