Is this idea crazy?

Recently, Jonathan Stark ran a great exercise to rethink how to start your talk:

… imagine that you simply walk on, write a single word on the board, and then just stand there until people either start asking questions or leave.

One word. To create the tension that opens up a discussion.

Not a word to summarize your talk.
A word to light a path into your talk.

What would be yours?

PS: Hit reply to let me know. If I get more than 30 responses, I’ll share mine.

Keep reading

Here’s a simple truth that great authors understand:
We start reading. Then we keep reading.

In other words: The story unfolds. Step by step.

Specifically, a story is not told by dumping everything the author knows at once. We don’t learn the backstory of the hero on page 1. We learn it when we’re ready to learn it … when it’s exactly the information that keeps us reading.

Looking at storytelling through that lens means that it might be simpler than most storytelling frameworks suggest. Basically, we face two challenges:

  1. We need to get our audience’s attention.
  2. We need to keep it.

Specifically, we don’t need to tell our audience everything at once. We only need to make them keep reading. (Or listening. Or watching.)

The good news is that this starts with the simple skill of listening. The better you listen, the better you’ll be able to understand what resonates so strongly that it will get – and keep – your audience’s attention.

Meet Rambo

We don’t meet Rambo when he was born. We don’t meet him in school. Not even in Vietnam.

We meet him after all of that has already happened. We see him walking down a path, arriving in Hope, Washington.

We meet him at the latest possible time in the story.

Most business stories are different. They start at the earliest possible time. Usually when the business was founded. And then they continue by telling us about the company milestones – all kinds of events that matter a great deal to the founder but not at all to the audience.

When they get to the interesting parts, they have long lost our attention. Rather than to make us curious about the story, the founders expect us to be already curious. Which we’re not.

It’s much better to do it like the great novels and movies. Start at the latest possible point. Speak about things that grab our interest. Give us a reason to care

When you do, it’s almost inevitable that we want to know the details.

The (real) importance of the first impression

Every once in a while a study pops up that proves the importance of the first few seconds of a speech. Often, the conclusion is that the first impression would be the most important part of your speech.

Yet, one crucial aspect usually gets overlooked by these studies: Great speeches are often great from the start. Not the other way around.

As humans, we’re quite good at estimating the quality of a talk from a few impressions. Body signals, voice signals, but also the clarity in the text. We’re super quick to make first estimations based on these signals. Amazingly often, these estimations prove to be correct.

Here’s the pitfall: The speech is not great because it begins great. The beginning is just an accurate snapshot that we base our estimation on. Judging from a short snapshot of the middle or the ending of a great speech would quite likely predict the quality of the speech just as accurately.

Great speeches are usually great throughout the entire duration of the speech. (Because the speaker cares, actually knows what they’re talking about, prepares well and rehearses thoroughly.)

It’s a mistake to focus on the beginning of a speech as the deciding factor (if only because great speeches exist that started poorly and vice versa).

The better strategy is to make a great speech and make it great from the start.

Start with WHAAAAAT?

When developing your story, it’s a good idea to start with why. But when delivering the story, it’s even better to start with “WHAAAAAT?” – with a question mark at the end.

What would irresistibly lead your audience into a WHAAAAAT?-moment? Something that makes them think “How is that even possible?”. Or “I can’t believe we never saw this, how did you discover it?” Or – if they are more of the cooler kind – just plainly: “That’s rather surprising. Tell me more!”

The WHAAAAAT?-moment is the reason that your audience is dying to know more. Because you’ve sparked their curiosity. You’ve hit the mark. Your intro is a promise that you’ve got something that’s really worth their time.

While others struggle with keeping their audience’s attention for even 2 minutes, your audience would riot if you stopped talking after your intro.

How far will you go when you know that you’re doing the right thing?

If you’re absolutely sure that something would be the right thing to do but you also knew that it’s against the norm, then would you still do it?

If you were forbidden to do it, would you still do it?

Even if you knew that it would cost you $250.000?

Well, George Lucas did.

He knew that it was the right thing to do to leave out the credits for Star Wars at the beginning and only show it at the end. He knew that he needed to drag the audience right into the story. That he couldn’t afford to miss a second of their attention.

It cost him $250.000. Movies were required to credit the director at the beginning if they showed any name at all (which Star Wars its sequels did because the Lucasfilm logo was present).

Lucas refused.

He had to pay a fine of $250.000 and left the Guild.

Because he knew that it was the right thing to do.

How far will you go when you know that you’re doing the right thing?

The house is on fire

Think of a great book you enjoyed lately.

How did it begin? Mine started with a burning house.

Great authors know that once the reader is drawn into the story, there will be plenty of time to introduce all the details.

Great authors also know that when they fail to draw a reader into the story quickly, they will just put the book aside after a few pages.

Now think about the last presentation you listened to.

How did it begin? Mine started with the presenter introducing his CV … and it continued with milestones of his company’s history.

Not only didn’t he draw me into the story right from the beginning … he just never bothered to draw me in at all. He delivered all the details but never provided me with a single reason to care. He told me everything but failed to make me curious for anything.

Great stories draw me in because they make me care. They make me curious. They give me a reason to want to know what’s next.

Right from the very first sentence.

Once the audience is drawn into the story, they will want to know more. They will want to know all the details.

Regular presentations dump info. Great presentation make me care for the info. Regular presentation start somewhere. Great presentations start by making me curious.

How does your presentation begin?

Spread the Word

Picture of Dr. Michael Gerharz

Dr. Michael Gerharz