It a future lesson I'm going to tell you specifically about how you practice on video.
But I'll never forget why it rings so true to me and why it's so important.
Many years ago I was training a prime minister over in Eastern Europe my first time in that part of
the world.
And the prime minister said well TGT mine if I give it in my native language it was an Eastern European
language I didn't understand.
So it was sure fine.
We were in this former dictator summer palace.
This was a democracy now surrounded by bodyguards with machine guns and the prime minister stands up
proceeds to read his speech head down in his foreign language.
We then watch the tape he turns to me and says Well T.J. what did you think of the presentation.
I was frankly a little bit nervous because I thought he was awful he was so boring.
It was just monotone head down no expression no eye contact.
I was also think him in this foreign part of the world I'm surrounded by people with machine guns.
This was a long time ago.
I tell them the truth or do I sort of make him happy and I finally said you know he's paying me a bunch
of money to tell him the truth.
I'll just tell him the truth.
I said With all due respect Mr. Prime Minister I have no idea what you said but you bore the hell out
of me.
He looked at me.
He looked at his armed guards.
He looked back at the video.
I thought for a second said T.J. you're right it was boring as hell.
So what do we do.
We took his speech tore it out.
He came up with a new simple outline where he spoke looking up giving examples telling stories looked
at the video and he loved it.
OK.
So what did I just do that I told a story.
Is that a brilliant story.
No.
So get the win awards.
No.
It happens to be true.
All I was trying to do was to communicate one point the importance of practicing on video because it
becomes obvious to you how awful and boring you can piece of dies.
Anybody can learn.
It doesn't matter if you're prime minister or a seven year old giving a show and tell presentation in
a classroom.
Anybody can benefit by practicing on video.
Now it only takes two seconds to say practice your speech on video.
Instead I told a story it only took a little more than a minute but it had characters.
It had dialogue.
It had a setting that had a problem.
It had my feelings.
I was nervous about it.
It had a point.
It had a resolution.
So you might not consider yourself the world's greatest storyteller.
That's OK.
But I want you to pick one of your points the most important point in your presentation.
And I want you to tell our story to make that point come alive doesn't get to be as dramatic as being
in a strange part of the world surrounded by machine guns.
It can you it can be you simply retelling a conversation you've had with a real customer a real client
a real prospect and a fellow employee about a real problem where you were how you felt how it was resolved
and how that relates to an issue of importance to your audience.
So I want you to think of a story you don't have to write it all out.
You can just write a few words.
Henderson client and Asheboro whatever it is that's going to remind you of a conversation that you can
then give in the presentation.
It's the single biggest difference between great communicators and awful communicators great communicators
illustrate every single important point in their presentation with the story.
Awful communicators consistently go through the day to do a big data dump no stories.
If you have a great story that's relevant to your audience makes an important point.
They are going to think you are a far better speaker than one of your colleagues who's been writing
and rewriting and practice and rehearsing this speech for six months.
So here's your chance to really leapfrog above all the others and to do it quickly and easily.
So think of that story right now.