Don't forget to dream big...
Jul 25, 2016Here's today's story ..
I remember doing some filming with Les Brown in Orlando in February 2014. Both our birthdays are around the same date and so we thought it would be fun to do a few informal videos.
‘Susan, hit a brother up with some mascara would ya?’ We were filming in our suite and Les wanted to borrow some of Susan’s mascara for his touch-up – some of you will know what that means, if not, that’s another story for another day!
A few minutes later and we were ready to go. The filming was completely unprepared, unrehearsed and even un discussed. We just launched straight in to it.
As soon as the camera came on, the Les Brown we all love and know came on too, radiating out life in every direction. ‘Hi I’m Les Brown and I’m here with my good friend Roddy ..’
After we cracked a few jokes about birthdays and my incredibly white legs, Les asked me a question ‘Share with everyone what is the most important thing you’ve learned on your journey’
I thought for a moment and then said ‘Well, if had just one thing I could pass on to my children, it would be something from James Allen’s great book, As a Man Thinketh .. he said we don’t get what we want, we get what we are. I think beingness is more important than anything. More important than thinkingness, more important than doingness, and obviously a lot more important than not doinginess.’
Les nodded his approval and said ‘I love that book too, and that is important .. but also dream big! Having big bold dreams is so important .. dream no small dreams for they have no magic to stir the soul ..’ And on and on he went in that immediately motivating way that only Les can. We were all swept along with his rhetoric and his quotes and the power of his personality.
Afterwards I watched the videos and thought about what a fantastic communicator Les is. And then I had a realisation of truly epic proportions, as I watched and re-watched him in action.
When he asked me what was the most important thing you’ve learned so far, I thought he was asking me what was the most important thing you’ve learned so far. And so I told him. Very sincerely. Very honestly. Very BORINGLY!
What he was really saying is, here’s a question that will give you total freedom to give us your very best, most inspiring piece to camera. You’re on video with Les Brown, make the most of it. Give us your best bit, right now!
I saw then very clearly that there is sometimes a huge difference between what we think our audience really NEEDS to hear and what they actually WANT to hear! No one wants to try to get down giant spoons of foul tasting medicine do they? But if it tastes good, and might do them some good too, then that’s much more appealing.
The challenge as a speaker is getting the balance right for your particular audience.
Everyone wants to dream big, don’t they? It’s so exciting. So inspiring. So infectious. And when Les shares this great concept with us, he does it in a way that he has perfected over the years.
As a mindset expert, Les has great information. But I realised that even in the information business, it’s not just about the information. The information may be the bit they need but it must be packaged in a way they want.
If you had a few minutes with Les, do you have your 'best bits' ready?
Until next time ..
Don't miss my new Speaking360º weekly newsletter!
Communicating is not just about words. We need to think about our body language, tone, and pacing. How we feel impacts the way we speak. Struggling to find the right content makes us ineffective. Great speakers know that becoming an exceptional speaker isn't just an art - it's a process with many essential elements.
Every Sunday evening Roddy sends out his Speaking360º newsletter, an action packed and inspirational article filled with tip + tricks you can start to use right away!
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
Author + Owner of SpeakerPro.com
