The crucial question that’s almost never asked when preparing a talk:
Am I excited?
Instead, preparation is dominated by “Does it make sense?”
Which is crucial, too. But does your gut agree? Are you excited?
Make no mistake: Logic is important! But the difference between good and great talks is often the passion that comes with the latter.
The good news is this: It’s not hard to find out whether you’re excited, is it?
“Does it make sense?” is tricky. You need research, fact checks, data, reasoning, etc.
But “Am I excited”?
That’s easy. Just listen to your gut. It’s an immediate answer.
Then, work with the answer:
If it’s a “yes”, go out there and light the path!
If it’s a “no”, dig deeper. What’s off? What’s missing? What’s just corporate speak that just isn’t you? Where could you be bolder? Shorter? More emotional?
That’s the beauty of it. You only need to start that process, even if it’s with the most boring story. If you let your gut guide you, you’re going to end up with a story that excites you – one that feels like this is how you always wanted to tell your story!
So, how excited are you about your story?