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Are you ever surprised by the reaction of your audience? Do you ever “experiment?” It can be incredibly valuable.

Last week, I was working on my own self-development. Fellow World Champ, Craig Valentine and I were attending the World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar by T. Harv Eker. Joel Roberts, an amazing speaker, and media coach was on stage leading an exercise. In the exercise we were told to work with a partner and tell them “our story.” Each partner was given a sign that said “IMPACT!” and they were supposed to hold the sign up each time something we said grabbed their interest.

The goal was to tell our whole compelling story in 30 seconds in such a way that we leave the listener wanting to hear more. Can you do that?

I decided to experiment a little bit during this activity, and tell a story I’ve never told before. It was an experience I’d had during an “open mic night” in Boston, MA. I thought it’d be interesting to see where in the story my partner held up her “IMPACT!” sign.

So, here’s what I said:

“Today, I’m the World Champion of Public Speaking. I out-spoke 25,000 contestants (IMPACT! Sign went up) from fourteen countries. But it wasn’t always that way. In 1992, I took the stage for the first time at a Boston comedy club… and I bombed miserably (IMPACT!) It actually got worse! I remember one night in Providence, RI, I was so nervous I peed in my pants 5 minutes before I walked out on stage. (IMPACT!) …”

I had never mentioned that incident to anyone before — but that was where my partner’s IMPACT sign went up the fastest. Many times, our ego keeps us from truly revealing ourselves. I thought about the comments I so often get after I speak. People say that even though I won the World Championship, I have humility and transparency. In this exercise, it became clear to me that in order to connect and relate at a deep level, we must be willing to use Truth and Transparency.

Those stories that your ego might not want to you to tell, are the exact stories that may just help you connect at a deeper level.

When you’re on stage, are you transparent? What is “the Truth” about mistakes you’ve made, or growth you’ve had that your audience can relate to?

Stage time,

Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking

This Week’s Video Clip:
What do people say AFTER your program?
How fast do they get results?
Click here to watch the video!

P.S. Do you know about the upcoming documentary about the fear of public speaking: SPEAKEASY? I interviewed the producers, Brian & Paul. Click to watch!

Darren LaCroix learned how to be funny the hard way by experience. He is a keynote speaker with a thriving public speaking career. He authored books, CD’s, DVD’s, & other public speaking courses. He gives motivational speeches all over the world including Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia