106: Mini Moved Me – On Breaking Down the 4th Wall
So today’s Mini Moved Me is all about two very simple ways you can break through that 4th wall and set a tone of connection with your audience.
- Seek out the people in your audience who can bring the rest with them – and then share something together. For me, for years, it was finding the 7th grade boys who know how to do the worm. They do the worm, we cheer them on, and now we’re buddies. Now we have a common connection.
- And secondly, make sure you get out from the front table and make it your deal to get really curious about the people in the room. Get their advice, find out who they are and what they’re thinking. (You will know based on more than just what they say, btw. Their body language will say it all.)
Two easy things. I’ve got a bunch more strategies – but this is supposed to be a “mini” moved me, so we’ll have to say them for later.
024: Mini Moved Me – On the Value of Feedback
Today’s Mini Moved Me is all about feedback.
Do you hate it as much as I do? Probably.
But the thing is, the value of feedback is essential in the growth and development of your talk… and of yourself.
055: Mini Moved Me – On Shortcuts
I was working with a speaker who was under a really tight time crunch – and as this time crunch came down to the wire (and as he searched for extra time to make this talk happen amid many other demands in his life) – he kept asking me to take on certain aspects of the work.
Now, there are a lot of things that we as coaches can do. Some research, lots of observation and note-giving, and many, many hours of editing and shaping.
But we cannot do the creating. You – as the speaker – must do the creating – or it won’t be yours.
If you want to do something transformative – there are no shortcuts.
If you want it to matter – there are no shortcuts.
If you want to feel really proud of what you’re doing at the end of the day, and allow the evolution of what you’re doing to live its full life – there are not shortcuts.
047: Mini Moved Me – On Polish vs. Perfection
On this week’s Mini Moved Me, I’m shedding some light on moving away from perfectionism – which sometimes creates distance between the audience and speaker. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be polished!
053: Mini Moved Me – On Telling a Specific Story
Stories are the birthplace of empathy, so it’s essential for us as speakers to wrestle with them, and do our best to master the art of storytelling. And many new speakers tell us ABOUT their story rather than actually tell us a story. It’s the difference between, “I really like ice cream, so went to the story to get some” – and “Last Wednesday it was so hot and humid that I a sudden wave of longing came over me for the wonderful min-chocolate-chip ice cream from the local ice cream shop down the street. So, I hopped on my bike and rode the two blocks to the store. I walked in – heard the lovely ding of the door, signaling a new customer – and said to the lady behind the counter, “Please tell me you have some Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream left!”
The specificity of a particular moment is what draws us in and makes it matter.
