We will go to help orphan’s in Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, & Malaysia. I’ll be raising money for the orphans at my product launch on Sept 30th in Vegas. Here is a video from the tour they did last year.

Who do you give back to?

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

Last week, I was presenting in Los Angeles, and a well-meaning attendee asked me about “gestures.” AUGH! I freaked! (If you’ve seen me live, you have the visual!)

I love Toastmasters, and think it’s an amazing place to make mistakes. I’m still a paid member and go to my club meetings when I’m in town. This enables me to work on new material or get inspired by fellow members who are facing their fears. In fact, I think every professional — unless they have a full calendar at the fee they want — should be working on improving their skills. Our best marketing is how good we are on stage. That’s why I still take workshops.

There’s one particular piece of feedback that I see others recommend way too often, and although it’s well-intended, it’s very unhelpful. Can you guess what it is?

“You need more / bigger gestures.”

NO!  Never do another gesture again!

People tell me I have great gestures. I don’t do gestures. Doing a “gesture” implies that it’s rehearsed and should come in at a certain point in the speech. “When you say ____________, you should _____________ with your hands!”

I don’t do “gestures.” I just am very expressive on stage. I re-LIVE my stories, I don’t re-TELL them. I’ve probably given the story of my first time on stage at Stitches more than a thousand times.

When I give it, I just relive it.

If you’ve been to a few of my presentations, you’ll notice that my stories always vary slightly. Why? Because I have a different connection each time. It’s a different audience, and I’m in a different mood or emotion that night. It’s the same story, but I’m real and in-the-moment for that audience. I remember hearing that Bruce Springsteen didn’t reveal to his band what songs they would play each night, and in what order. They wouldn’t know until he started playing the next one on stage. He did this to ensure they would all be “in-the-moment.”

When I’m delivering a story and I become a character, I don’t do gestures as a character. I simply express the emotion of the character. I think about the character’s emotion and just express it they way they would. Does that make sense?

We do a powerful exercise in the Get More Laughs program that helps presenters see and feel this. It’s very simple to do. My goal as a presenter is to communicate the emotion of the character to the audience to help tell the story and bring the audience into the scene. If I’m telling the story and I have to communicate that the character is scared, I must authentically communicate “scared.” If I think of the emotion and become that character, and just allow myself to express it, it works. If you did the same character, and expressed same emotion, it would look different than when I did it.

It doesn’t matter how the gesture “looks.” It matters that you’re authentically communicating the emotion of the character in order to tell the story. If you’re just doing “gestures” without the authentic emotion behind it, you will come across as insincere. If you’re “thinking” about what gesture to do, you’re in your head and the gesture, too, will look insincere.

Here’s a video example:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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There are many powerful speakers who don’t do gestures. There are many horrible speakers who do lots of gestures. It’s not about the gestures. It is about authentic communication between you and your audience.

No worries, it is only your reputation… and perception.

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

P.S. Want to join me for the LIVE LAUNCH-inar (Launch Party & Seminar) in Las Vegas on September 30th? Click here to RSVP and we’ll send you the details as soon as the event has been finalized!

If you’ve heard Patricia Fripp speak, you know she quotes Alfred Hitchcock, saying, “Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.”

Have you ever noticed that Hollywood blockbusters always start off, “based on a true story?” They never start, “this is exactly how it happened.” If they told it exactly how it happened, we’d be bored!

After I went to lunch with Rudy Ruettiger, I began reading his book, and I learned that the movie differed from THE REAL STORY in many intentional ways.

Are you perfectly accurate when you tell your stories? The truth is important, yes. I’m not saying to lie or make things up. I just want your stories to be so memorable that people walk away clearly understanding your message.

If you saw the movie Rudy, you may remember that he had an older brother named Frank. Frank was the cynical, over-critical “big brother” who kept telling Rudy he was crazy for fantasizing about playing football for Notre Dame. This would be just a dream for a football fan growing up, nevermind a kid who wasn’t big, fast, or even had the grades to get into the school.

In reality, Rudy had 13 siblings. Wow! That’s a lot of brothers and sisters! Rudy was actually the oldest. In his book, Rudy’s Insights, Rudy says, “In the movie version of my life, they made my brother Frank, older than I was. That was for dramatic purposes. They wanted to show how my fantasies of becoming great were being beaten down by older kids. It was easier than dealing with thirteen siblings in a 90-minute film. In any event, it was true enough.”

In a short keynote presentation, we don’t have time tell the whole story. When preparing my World Championship speech, Mark Brown, my coach, helped me pare down the story about my “big bomb” at the Credit Union Association that originally took three and a half minutes. When telling my famous R.M.T. Valet story, Patricia Fripp advised me to make the meeting planner a six-foot Amazon woman. In reality, she wasn’t. Emotionally at that moment, however, it was an accurate description. That was how intimidated I felt.

Maybe you have a story you’re not telling because you think it’s not amazing? Perhaps you should dust it off and get some coaching on it? What could you do to make your best stories more interesting, more memorable, and more relatable?

Please hear my message, I’m not saying to make things up. The essence of the story, and the emotion of the story, should be “based” on a true story. Then have some fun, and make it more memorable!

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

P.S. Here’s my favorite part of the DVD. The real story… click here.

P.P.S. As I mentioned, I’m reading the book Rudy’s Insights. If you liked the movie, you’ll love the book. Check it out!

It’s because they “get it.” They “get” humor and how to use it. Good for them and their naturally-funny genetic code, right? What about you?

Well… the great thing is that you don’t have to be a naturally funny person to learn to infuse and use humor in your presentations at work. You don’t even need to know, or tell, a joke. You just need a few tips to get you started.

Three Reasons to Be Funny

1. Relieve the Tension.

Seeing stress in others and doing something about it is a great time to use humor. When you are making a presentation at work, identify the types of stress and tension of the parties involved. You may be stressed since you are the one delivering bad news, or perhaps trying to close a sale. Your audience might be stressed because they don’t want to spend too much for your product or maybe they don’t understand what it is exactly that you do. Doing something about these stressors is more than a chance to use humor; it’s your opportunity to offer the ultimate in customer service. Making your audience more relaxed is a good thing.

2. Interact with Your Audience.

Who really likes to sit in a room and be talked at? No one. Humor helps you engage your audience and opens lines of communication. You show yourself to be vulnerable when you use humor; they show themselves to be vulnerable by responding to it. Humor requires a response. It is a two-sided conversation, even if the attempt doesn’t get a laugh. There. Now you all realize you are just humans with a job to do so let’s do it.

3. Be Memorable.

When is the last time you left a presentation and thought the information was just stunning and memorable. Was it the information, or was it the way in which the information was delivered. A day later when you had sat through four more meetings, does anything peak your mind to think about the first? If it was an information dump with numerous slides, probably not. Now think about what your potential clients go through when they are listening to proposals. If you simply drone information to them they wont remember your presentation long enough for it to get a second thought. If you successfully use humor, you just exponentially increase the chance that they will.

Four Ways to Be Funny

A brief note before the “how to be funny” portion on what to be funny about: Stick to a topic that won’t be offensive. Don’t talk about how hot ladies are or the fact you can count the number of teeth the hotel receptionist has on one hand. Humor at work has the same rules that apply to small talk. Stick with the weather, wildlife, and driving.

1. The List of Three.

This technique comes from the stand-up comedy world. I use this regularly in my professional keynotes and workshops. You may already use in your presentations and not even be aware. Listing three steps, illustrations or examples is a tried and true presenting device. Three items help the audience identify themselves. Four items belabors your point and begins to sound like you are over explaining. You get the 1, 2, 3 set-up idea, now you just need to make it funny. You can do that by raising expectations and ending with a punch.

Say you are visiting a client out of town. It’s a great tool to show the client that you have made the effort to know more about where they are from. You can use humor to show your efforts. For example:

“I’m glad to be able to visit you here in _________. I’m told you have great native wildlife. I saw a (insert cute fuzzy nice animal here) on my way from the airport. Then I saw a (insert nastier local animal here) this morning on my run. Of course neither of those compared what I witnessed when I drove by ___________ stadium and saw the (insert local rowdy college or pro team) fans. (Pause… LAUGH) Wow, are you all passionate fans!”

Each example builds up to a more intense level, and ends in a punch with the last example, which is not meek fuzzy and cute native wildlife, but bound to either get cheers from the fans and non-fans alike. The third one is the exaggerated.

2. The Unexpected.

From the last example you can see that the set-up and punch is an important element of infusing humor. The set-up creates expectation, and the punch line changes that expectation. Unexpected responses work the same way. The listeners are caught by surprise. You can plan an unexpected response in your presentation. What might your audience not expect you to say? What question are you constantly asked in presentations that you could twist to make humorous. For example:

You are creating a list of a clients needs for the development of a new product. The client asks, “can your product do X?” Your normal response during the meeting is “Oh yes, it can do X and it does it better than companies L, M, N, O, and P.” Your humorous response could be “Yes, but only when the moon is full. We subcontract to werewolves for that portion. Wait ‘til you see what they have planned for rollout at Halloween.” If your client laughs, good. If they smile, then they acknowledge your attempt to make emotional contact. If they stare blankly… maybe they don’t know what werewolves are.

3. Making Light of Yourself.

Being comfortable with yourself is key to your audience being comfortable with you. Going overboard on self-depreciating comments isn’t going to win you any champions, but using self-humor is a good way to break the ice. While its unfortunate that many stereotypes exist, you can gently use them to get your audiences attention and create a relaxed atmosphere. For example:

“Good morning everyone. I’m Ted from Acme Company. I’m a salesman. So that means I’m going to start pumping you for information, show you a lot of charts, and talk in a REALLY LOUD VOICE, starting riiiiiight… (pause) Now.”

Of course we hope Ted doesn’t actually do that during the rest of his presentation, but he’s instantly made his audience more comfortable with the tension placed on the sales meeting by showing he is aware of the stereotypes of salesman.

4. Funny Photos.

Have you ever experienced a boring slide show presentation? Ever given one? One easy way to stand out and use humor is with images. Ever seen a sign that cracked you up? Well, pull out your camera phone and take a picture! Start your own collection. Ask yourself, “What point could this make in my presentation?”

These days, a short video is powerful to use, as well. Make your own or use one that’s public domain. But, please do your audience a favor… make sure it’s relevant to the presentation and your point.

When connecting with your audience, is it crucial to understand their thoughts, objections, and preconceived notions about your topic. As I learned from my humor mentors, the problem is funny, the solution is serious. Do not “make fun” of people — leave that to the comedians. Offensive humor leaves a lasting bad taste. Please your people with relevant humor. It is easy to “lighten up” a presentation and stand out from a boring one. Your audience is looking at you thinking “Humor me?”

Remember that every audience is different, and their reactions will be as well. Even professional comedians try out new material and hone it until it gets a laugh almost all the time. So don’t feel bad if your first attempts fall short. Keep practicing and trying to infuse humor a little bit at a time into your presentations. You really can get more laughs, and it will show in your success.

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

P.S. Want to be the first to know about the LAUNCH of Get More Laughs By Next Week? Go to: www.GetMoreLaughsByNextWeek.com

Too many people, when putting a presentation together, try to write the whole thing out. If you use slide presentations, you know the crutch of creating a slideshow by taking an old one, and just “tweaking” it. Guilty? I know I am.

A brilliant presentation is clean, clear and concise. It’s built from scratch (even if you’re ‘reusing’ pieces of another one). To have a masterpiece, each piece must be mastered. Focus on each piece. One at a time.

I’ve published this before, but I now have even more clarity on its practical application because of a new program I’m working on. You may have seen this before, but it’s time for both of us to revisit it.

Put each piece of your script into a “box” using Microsoft Word. This will help you not only focus on each piece, but it also ensures you make the transitions between each piece clear and concise. Look how cleanly this was done for my winning speech (below).

It does take a good deal of work, but it’s worth it. When you shortcut the process, you shortcut the result.

OUCH!
By Darren LaCroix

OPENING:

TRANSITION:
Do you feel I stayed down to long? Have YOU ever… stayed down… too long?

TRANSITION:
I remember my ridiculous idea.

TRANSITION:
Who do you want to be? What changes would you like to make in your life?…

TRANSITION:
Strangers will mock your first step…

TRANSITION:
We also have friends and family that love us and don’t want to see us fall.

TRANSITION:
Its part of the process…

TRANSITION:
Then… I remembered SUBWAY….

TRANSITION:
We learn from the ouch.

TRANSITION:
If you are willing to fail you can learn anything.

CLOSING:

Winning Speech, August 25th, 2001 Anaheim, CA

Study the speech in my DVD, The Path to Powerful Presentations in my new FAST Start Pack.

What do you think? Do you see how each piece was focused? Can you see how this makes it much easier to focus on one piece at a time?

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

Have you ever felt like that?

This wasn’t the World Championship of Public Speaking, but it might well have been. That nerve-wracking event took place on April 25, 1992 at an “open mic” night at a Boston comedy club. Nine years and four months later, I became an “overnight success,” winning the World Championship of Public Speaking on August 25, 2001, with my speech “OUCH!”

Whether you dream of being a World Champion — or just want to be a better speaker – you can learn from those who have succeeded before you, just as I did.

Unbeknownst to me, my preparation for the World Championship of Public Speaking started on that night in 1992. Being good at anything is a process and there are many “ouches” along the way. Don’t let falling on your face stop you. Understand that falling is an inevitable part of the process.

In my winning speech, the emphasis was on Dr. Robert Goddard, America’s first rocket scientist, and how he referred to failure as valuable negative information. What did I do right? What were the “Ouches” along the way?

OUCH # 1 – BE A FARMER?

Every “ouch” contains a lesson. The failure of my Subway Sandwich Franchise was no exception. I thought I knew it all. I was 22 years old and fresh out of business school. A dangerous combination. Subway told me that the most successful franchisees were farmers. Farmers? And the worst franchisees? Business graduates. Franchises are proven success systems. Farmers understood that they had bought into a different type of business, and they followed the system to the letter. Being right out of business school and a little over confident, I felt I knew better and tried to change the system. Boy, was that an ouch!

OUCH #2 – STAGE TIME, STAGE TIME, STAGE TIME

“It must be nice to have the ability to speak in front of people. That is a gift.” I laugh when I hear that because most people think speaking comes naturally to good speakers. It took me nine years to look natural. I can show you videotapes of early speeches that would have you shaking your head. Most don’t understand that it can be a learned skill.

The best advice I ever received was from my comedy mentors. They all concurred that the three most important things to becoming a good comedian is stage time, stage time, stage time. Not necessarily in that order. One explained it to me, “Darren, how can you be funny onstage until you are comfortable?” For Toastmasters I ask, “How can you communicate effectively until you are comfortable?” Get comfortable first, then worry about the little things! There are no short cuts. In my opinion 95% of your growth as a speaker comes from being in front of the audience.

It is easier to see the growth in others than in oneself. Which speakers grow the most? People who speak more. Compare everyone’s 10th speech to their icebreaker. Their first table topic to their 20th. Are they better speakers? Yes! Are they more comfortable? Yes! What is often the most comfortable moment at a Toastmasters meeting? When someone at the meeting volunteers to speak before the scheduler points to you. Whew! “Sure,” you think, “I’d like to speak more, but I don’t have time to prepare. I’m too busy.” Have you ever seen anyone get a table topic that they’re passionate about? You can’t get them to sit down! Have an outline ready to go.

So, why don’t you speak more? Are you afraid of looking unprepared? Just to clarify, I called Toastmasters International Headquarters and found out that in the history of the organization, there is no record of spontaneous combustion as a result of lack of preparation. Get up and speak! That is how you will grow. Challenge yourself.

I originally joined Toastmasters as a means of getting more stage time because comedy clubs are only open at night. Then I joined four clubs to fall on my face more often… to learn. I disciplined myself to get in front of every audience I could. I was more concerned with my long-term growth than with looking foolish giving a five-minute speech.

OUCH #3 – PREPARATION

Have you ever been intimidated by an incredible speaker? He or she didn’t start out that way. No one does. Watch other people at your level and get advice from people who are ahead of you. After winning the first few speech contests, I got serious about winning my district. I asked for coaching from Dave McIlhenny, a person in my district who had won at that level before. My style of writing a speech was always in outline form. I had never written a speech out word-for-word. I just didn’t like writing it out. When Dave told me I needed to write out my speech, I never questioned it. He’d been there and knew what it took. I followed his success plan. After winning the Region VII contest, Dave introduced me to Mark Brown, the 1995 World Champion, who had offered to give me some guidance. Whatever Mark said, I took to heart and never questioned. I completely trusted his judgment. I became a better student. I asked better questions. I drove two and a half hours (one way) to work with him, twice. Yes, I’m glad he never told me to jump off a bridge. I would have.

When I asked David Brooks, the 1990 World Champion, what helped him the most, he replied, “Let no one out-prepare you.” I took his advice to heart. I knew I was probably not the most talented speaker, nor the best speechwriter. What I did have going for me was my resilience to get stage time. One of my comedy mentors, Dave Fitzgerald, prepared for each of his national TV spots by getting on stage every chance he could to practice the same five minutes over and over. He would run from one Boston comedy club to another for a week. That’s what it takes to deliver with confidence and precision and to be able to deal with the unexpected when it’s showtime.

Let me give you the hard numbers. I watched 90 World Championship contest speeches on video (10 contests), presented my speech to 22 Toastmaster clubs, received 151 written evaluations, videotaped 6 hours, 46 minutes, 43 seconds of my practice speeches and verbal evaluations — all this to make the most of SEVEN minutes in Anaheim. That’s what it took to deliver it with confidence and precision…. to be able to deal with the unexpected. Some days, I would go to a Toastmasters club in the morning, go to work for a few hours, hit another club on my lunch break, back to work, and finally another club in the evening.

One of my final “live” practice runs was at a Toastmasters cookout. I had practiced earlier that evening at a club 30 minutes away. By the time I reached the party, it was dark and the mosquitoes were biting. There were too many Toastmasters there to fit in one room, and I needed a large area to use as my stage. What would you do in this situation? My solution was to practice the speech outside in the back yard, under a flood light, while standing in the wet grass. I didn’t think twice about it, and I got a lot of great feedback to go along with my grass stains. Some people may be envious of my award, but few are envious of that much preparation. I am willing to bet that the few people who are willing to work that hard will be on the stage next year in the World Championships.

OUCH #4 – FINDING AN “11″

Knowing I would be compared to eight of the best speakers in the world, I searched for an eleven. I knew that my fellow contestants would rate as ten in most of the categories on the judges’ forms. Many people will say that you can’t be an eleven on a scale of one to ten. You can, if it has never been done before in a contest.

To my knowledge, David Brooks was the first person to wear blue jeans and get the audience involved in his speech. Know yourself. I understood that my strength was my gestures and my weakness was my writing. I had to bring my writing up to a “ten” and tried to make some of my gestures better than everyone else’s. I kept looking, and asking myself, “What can I do to rate an eleven and stand out?” The constant asking of a good question usually results in a good answer.

I questioned my gesture: falling on my face. Many people had dramatically gone down to one knee or described falling, but no one had ever gone down completely. I asked myself, “How would most people fall on their face?” In my opinion most people would fall down, then get up immediately and brush themselves off. I believed that you can’t win the contest by being like most people. I chose to stay down and deliver the speech from the floor. It seemed to make the most sense, and be more dramatic. Although I knew it was risky, I also felt that since “falling on my face” was the essence of my speech the judges would reward the risk rather than take points away. It was a gesture that allowed me to stand out and made my point even clearer. What eleven can you develop?

OUCH #5 – EVALUATIONS

Three times, I thought I was finished, and thought I had the “perfect” speech. Three times, it was ripped apart by an advanced Toastmasters club. Three times, I went to bed ready to quit. Three times, I woke up with a better speech. Being evaluated by advanced clubs was difficult. I stood there and took my lashes and asked for more. It was like college hazing, “Thank you, sir. May I have another?”

I knew that if my message was not clear to advanced Toastmasters, how would it be clear to 2000 people in Anaheim? People for whom English is not even their first language? Other winners’ messages seemed to be simple, clear, and entertaining.

The biggest problem I found with the flood of feedback was what to listen to and what to throw out. Since I was speaking about America’s first rocket scientist, I had a brain flash of taking a scientific approach to the feedback. I developed my own evaluation form. I asked only two questions. What inspired you? What grabbed you? After each question, I gave evaluators an A, B, and C encouraging three responses to each. I told my rough draft speech containing all of the stories I wanted to tell. It was 10 minutes long. Then, I took the evaluations and started a list of the stories & points mentioned by the audience members, putting hash marks next to ones that had already been mentioned. I was surprised by the results. This process helped me narrow the speech down to my most powerful stories & points.

OUCH #6 – SELF-EVALUATION

I had to cut one of my favorite lines from my speech: “Did you ever watch your own presentation on video? OUCH! Did you learn anything?” It just didn’t ring true for me. Your body speaks to the audience louder than your words. Know what your body is saying. Turn down the volume on your TV when you watch it. Is your message coming through? I didn’t like lugging the video camera around from speech to speech, but I knew the value of watching myself. It was an “ouch” that I was willing to endure so that I could touch the 2000 Toastmasters in Anaheim.

When you are relaxed and away from a situation, you can think clearer and evaluate yourself better. Some of the best ideas come while you are watching with a more relaxed state of mind. These new additions will make the speech better, clearer, and more entertaining. Yes, it can be painful. However, I guarantee you will learn from it. This is an “ouch” we need to learn to love.

Why do you keep going after all of these “ouches?” It’s all about your impact on the individuals in the audience. When I wanted to rest, I remembered my responsibility to 2000 people that would be in the audience during the championship. The only road to the trophy is through the hearts of the audience. In my opinion, the trophy is not as much a symbol of success, as it is a symbol of a willingness to fail and learn from it. Every World Champion got there with a different approach. Your approach must fit you! Be authentic, be an Ouchmaster. I was not given the gift of being a great speaker… I was given the process to learn by doing. So were you. Just like great jokes — the best speeches are not written. They are rewritten. Above all, if you want to be more of a speaker… speak more.

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

P.S. Check out my winning speech, given at the NSA Convention a year after I won. Click here!

–Doug Stevenson, creator of Doug Stevenson’s Story Theater Method

Thanks Doug!

Want to Get Paid to Speak?

I’m usually very clear about the one point a story makes. I think this one has several. Maybe you can even see one that I don’t. Though I’m not totally sure why, I felt compelled to write this story.

While attending the Orlando NSA Convention, I was feeling very overwhelmed. So, on one of the free nights, I wanted to get away from the chaos and relax. My friend, Joyce, chose her favorite place to eat in Orlando, Johnnie’s Hideaway. Sounded fine to me, so we hopped in a cab and went to eat.

When we got to Johnnie’s, it was cool inside and I’d been in air-conditioning all day. We decided to enjoy the warmth of the early evening sun. They couldn’t seat us right way, so we walked towards the bar, when I heard a voice from behind the bar ask, “Excuse me, are you Darren LaCroix?”

“Yes?” I turned toward the voice, and the bartender reached below the bar and pulled up a copy of my book, Laugh & Get Rich.

My chin dropped, as he continued, “I’m Michael Carr, I met you at a Direct Selling Association conference six years ago and got your book and speaking tools. I was an aspiring speaker.”

He went on to explain that he had left his job to to pursue his own dream and start a new company, Big Ol’ Trucker Energy Juice. It’s an energy drink that doesn’t have caffeine. He’s working part-time at Johnnie’s as he works towards his dream.

Here’s part of the irony. I didn’t even speak at that conference! I was actually at a tradeshow booth when he saw me. At the time he worked for a company that sold pots and pans. They were pretty cool, and I didn’t have any at the time, so I traded him. I still cook with them… um… well… on occasion.

Fellow NSA member, Randy Pennington, says, “Speaking is a distribution system. It’s like being a Coke machine. Would you rather be the Coke machine or the Coke?”

Speaking is just a method for transferring our stories, knowledge, and experience. What Randy is saying is that we are not “speakers.” We are experts, thought leaders, consultants, whatever, but we are not speakers. Books CDs, and DVDs are just additional “distribution” methods. If you are serious about your message, find more distribution systems for your expertise. Multiply your impact.

He told me that he listens to the CDs two to three times per month, is re-reading my book, and was inspired by my Path to Powerful Presentations DVD with my “Ouch!” speech and the story of my first time on stage. Michael said that he gleaned from my story that I didn’t do a lot a little, I did a little a lot. Think about that. It’s like the famous story of the Little Engine That Could.

Points I see in this story:

• It’s amazing, the things that happen

• We never know how we touch people

• The power of product

• The power of inspiration

• We may never know whose lives we’re touching

• Success comes not from a lot a little… but rather a little a lot

What are the odds of that happening, that night? I believe it was meant to be. Not sure I even understand why. It did inspire me to write this article for you.

What are the odds…

• Joyce picking that restaurant?

• We decided to eat outside that night?

• Michael working outside that night?

• Michael being told to bring a book?

• Michael choosing my book?

• Me going outside because it was too cold inside?

Michael asked me to sign his book before I left. I signed it, “Dream Big… your kids are watching.” He sent me an e-mail asking what I meant. Throughout my life, I remember several times wanting to quit. Sometimes we need extra motivation. I know he still has some challenges ahead of him as he continues to pursue his dream, but most people will do just about anything for their children. Michael had expressed how much his kids meant to him. I wanted him to remember that kids hear what you say — but more importantly, they see what you do. That’s what teaches them the most. I guess it struck a cord with him.

I was so excited to see his excitement. I hope that somehow, some why, you too see the results on the face of the people who have invested in your programs and done something with the inspiration and wisdom. There is no greater compliment to a mentor than the success of a student.

Michael sent me another e-mail saying that he, too, has told this story to many people. He’s getting the same reaction, “What are the chances of that all happening?”

Congratulations, Michael. I’m pulling for you!

What other points do you see?

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
World Champion of Public Speaking

P.S. Meet Michael. Hear him tell this story into my iPhone video camera. Forgive the quality, it was “in the moment.” Click here!

P.P.S. Peak behind the curtains on my trip to Australia! Click!

Stage time,
Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

Join me on my tour of Australia and see what I see, from the stage, driving through Sydney, and a bout with a Kangaroo that has a surprise ending when I stop scratching him.

PART 1

PART 2

Stage time,
Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking