Latitude59 2023: Don’t just talk, say something

LATITUDE59 2023: DON’T JUST TALK, SAY SOMETHING This is your how-to-not-be-a-dud- guide when giving talks, networking, and navigating social media.

I now live and breathe and sniff out stories, which means I've had the joy of coaching 16,000 people in 70 different countries for the past 12 years to get up on stage and pitch.

I have three positive statements, and they are: "I'm confident and it helps my client," "I've got loads of energy and that's fine," "I help people tell stories and that is enough."

We've all got an inner critic. Name your Gremlin and one thing they say to you. They might say you're not enough, you'll never be good enough, someone knows more than you. Because I guarantee your inner critic is stopping you from presenting.

I hate networking, but I love telling stories. And I think the answer for me is you've got to have a story toolkit ready. What's your 30-second story? What's your one-minute story?

Your brain will go, "No, no, no, I must be serious and speak jargon." Trust a Nobel Prize winner. Force yourself to speak in short sharp sentences. It will reveal what is actually there and will kill the jargon.

Those two things - breathing and short sharp sentences - they will change your voice, they will change your posture, and ultimately they will actually make you more confident because you're fully present to the thing in front of you. All of this thing is about being fully present. Steve Jobs spoke short sharp sentences.