When you show up to give a speech, a presentation or a keynote, you are giving a gift – your knowledge. And more important (just as important), you are giving your time.
I see a lot of speakers cheapen that gift by doing things like down-playing their stories or warning the audience in advance that they may have already heard the joke they are about to tell. When you are giving a presentation, you must give it like it's the first and last time you are going to give it – it's that special.
When you go see a comedian, they are doing the same routine over and over, night after night – they get better and better. Every now and then they add in something new (improvisation).
They know many in the audience have heard (some of) the jokes and one-liners before but they still do it like it's the first and last time
You have to do the same thing – the more you give the same speech, the better you will get. I have given the same presentation twice in the same day and have had 10 or 15 people who were in the first presentation come back to the second one. I know that when I'm about to tell a joke, those same people have heard it before. A lot of speakers want to say things like, "Some of you heard me say this earlier today …" NO! That only cheapens the gift! That's stealing! Not only from the ones who heard you earlier, but even more so from the ones who want to hear it again and also enjoy watching their friends hear it for the first time.
Now I have a lot of people disagree with me on this next one. When I'm telling a story that I heard someone else tell, I don't warn the audience in advance by saying something like, "so and so tells this story". I turn that story into my story and tell it like it's the first and last time I've told it.
Everything I do on stage, I do for one reason: to make a difference in someone's life. The best way to do that is to take them on an emotional rollercoaster and I can't do that as well if I'm stopping in the middle of a story or joke and explaining where I heard it, or that they may have heard it before.
I don't use many stories from other people because the best stories to tell are your own personal stories. Just remember, when you're telling another's story, it's yours
Every time you do a presentation, you should be getting better. This means, you can never, nor will you ever, give the same presentation more than once. So, give it like it's the first and last time you are going to give it.
Have a better than outstanding day!
Brain
Brian Adams is a Professional Speaker, Author,
Sales Trainer and Peak Performance Coach
www.EndlessPossibilites.net
Brian@EndlessPossibilities.net