How do they think?

80% of storytelling is not on the microphone.
Most of the impact comes from the work no one sees. When people ask me how much I charge per hour, I always think, you’re not paying for the hour. You’re paying for the hours before it.
If I’m speaking somewhere new, I arrive early. I listen and watch the people who will be in my audience. I hang in the ladies toilets, try to blend in and be part of the unfiltered conversation. 
I often ask, what are you hoping to get from today’s talk? 

I once spoke at Bradford University to a room of teachers. I didn’t know the culture, or the things they found funny, I was very unclear about the way they think or the challenges they had other than the ones gathered in the briefing call.

So I called a few teachers I know beforehand. I had lunch with them. I asked what was hard right now. I paid attention to the language they used. I wanted to understand how they think. 

Because I know that I’m only as good as the stories I choose to bring to the stage. Connecting with your audience is vital.
Knowing what annoys them, what makes them laugh out loud, what worries them and what they are fed up with? All of these insights are going to help you choose the right story. When you understand how people think, you have a human advantage.

AI will write you a talk that sounds really professional but generative talks feel generic, you can feel the room disconnect. You will either be forgettable or people will be irritated and remember you not for a good reason.

Think about, how you can get your words to stick with them?  Think porridge, I don’t even like porridge, but it sticks. If you want your words to stay with people, don’t just prepare your slides and write a wordy script. Think about how your audience thinks. 

(I’ll talk about slides another time)🤦🏾♀️