This Moved Me

Several months back, my sister-in-law sent me a link to one of her neighbors down in Lawrence, KS. "He's a storyteller," she said. "He'd be great on your podcast." Hmmm, I thought. Checked out his website, did a little research. Yes, he certainly has the experience. So we exchanged some emails and kicked the ball down the field. We were both sure that at some point we'd record a conversation.

I was working with a speaker who was under a really tight time crunch - and as this time crunch came down to the wire (and as he searched for extra time to make this talk happen amid many other demands in his life) - he kept asking me to take on certain aspects of the work.

Now, there are a lot of things that we as coaches can do. Some research, lots of observation and note-giving, and many, many hours of editing and shaping.

But we cannot do the creating. You - as the speaker - must do the creating - or it won't be yours.

If you want to do something transformative - there are no shortcuts.

If you want it to matter - there are no shortcuts.

If you want to feel really proud of what you're doing at the end of the day, and allow the evolution of what you're doing to live its full life - there are not shortcuts.

I was working with a speaker who was under a really tight time crunch - and as this time crunch came down to the wire (and as he searched for extra time to make this talk happen amid many other demands in his life) - he kept asking me to take on certain aspects of the work.

Now, there are a lot of things that we as coaches can do. Some research, lots of observation and note-giving, and many, many hours of editing and shaping.

But we cannot do the creating. You - as the speaker - must do the creating - or it won't be yours.

If you want to do something transformative - there are no shortcuts.

If you want it to matter - there are no shortcuts.

If you want to feel really proud of what you're doing at the end of the day, and allow the evolution of what you're doing to live its full life - there are not shortcuts.

Stories are the birthplace of empathy, so it’s essential for us as speakers to wrestle with them, and do our best to master the art of storytelling. And many new speakers tell us ABOUT their story rather than actually tell us a story. It’s the difference between, “I really like ice cream, so went to the story to get some” – and “Last Wednesday it was so hot and humid that I a sudden wave of longing came over me for the wonderful min-chocolate-chip ice cream from the local ice cream shop down the street. So, I hopped on my bike and rode the two blocks to the store. I walked in – heard the lovely ding of the door, signaling a new customer – and said to the lady behind the counter, “Please tell me you have some Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream left!”

The specificity of a particular moment is what draws us in and makes it matter.

Stories are the birthplace of empathy, so it’s essential for us as speakers to wrestle with them, and do our best to master the art of storytelling. And many new speakers tell us ABOUT their story rather than actually tell us a story. It’s the difference between, “I really like ice cream, so went to the story to get some” – and “Last Wednesday it was so hot and humid that I a sudden wave of longing came over me for the wonderful min-chocolate-chip ice cream from the local ice cream shop down the street. So, I hopped on my bike and rode the two blocks to the store. I walked in – heard the lovely ding of the door, signaling a new customer – and said to the lady behind the counter, “Please tell me you have some Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream left!”

The specificity of a particular moment is what draws us in and makes it matter.

On this week’s This Moved Me, I got to chat with the awesome Jenny Evans, founder of PowerHouse Performance Coaching - and author, speaker, and expert on both fitness and resilience training. She has spoken in front of thousands, all over the world - and lucky for me, I've been one of those audience members!

The thing about Jenny is she doesn't just do your typical corporate training thing. She pushes the boundaries - and that's exactly why she is such an engaging and dynamic speaker and person.

Read more here: http://www.thismovedme.com/052-jenny-evans-on-pushing-our-and-our-audiences-boundaries/

On this week’s This Moved Me, I got to chat with the awesome Jenny Evans, founder of PowerHouse Performance Coaching - and author, speaker, and expert on both fitness and resilience training. She has spoken in front of thousands, all over the world - and lucky for me, I've been one of those audience members!

The thing about Jenny is she doesn't just do your typical corporate training thing. She pushes the boundaries - and that's exactly why she is such an engaging and dynamic speaker and person.

Read more here: http://www.thismovedme.com/052-jenny-evans-on-pushing-our-and-our-audiences-boundaries/

On this week’s short and sweet Mini Moved Me, I talk about the "so what” of what we say. Digging down past the obvious to the next layer will help you find the new meaning, and avoid the easy answers.