The One Big Thing Missing From Most Speeches

I wasn’t sure what I should say. I’d been called upon suddenly and didn’t have time to prepare any words of consequence. There I was in front of an audience who was intently staring back, anticipating words of wisdom. And I had NO IDEA what to say.

But, I couldn’t keep the audience waiting. So, after a few moments, I took a deep breath and asked them to imagine something. I took them on a journey by simply asking them to imagine what their world would look like if…

I could see smiles. I could see relaxed faces and some even threw their heads back as if they had just begun to experience a cool breeze on a sunny day. They were taking it all in.

I went on to speak and share for 10 minutes with the group. After the event, a participant came up to me and said, “Oh my goodness, Robert. You really took me there!”

A bit puzzled, I smiled and calmly responded, “Where did you go? Tell me more about what you felt.”

She excitedly began to share how she created this picture in her mind when I told her to “imagine.” Then, she connected it to the area where she was struggling.

“But Robert, what really helped me get into my space was your voice. You had this passion and energy in your voice that just got me into my zone. Do you do this every time you speak?”