Takeaways
Your best speaking and selling tools are your stories. But not all stories are born equal. Here are three key qualities of the ultimate story you can tell:
#1. Personal. The ultimate story you can tell is your own story. Genuinely told, your personal stories can quickly connect you with your audience and your customers. And when you open up to them, they will open up to you. Dare to be personal.
#2. Passionate. The ultimate story your can tell shows your passion. Your passion will charge your voice, energize your body, and help you tell a powerful story. It can help your audience and your customers feel the value of your idea, product or service. Dare to be passionate.
#3. Purposeful. The ultimate story you can tell helps other people. There are people only your story can reach, lives only your story can touch. Dare to be purposeful.
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Full Transcript
(Below is the full transcript of this episode of Pres Says with the 2013 World Champion of Public Speaking Pres Vasilev. To watch new episodes, subscribe to Pres’s YouTube channel. To get the free podcast, subscribe to iTunes and Stitcher).
If you ask me, “Pres, what’s the best story I can tell?” I’ll tell you what I tell my clients when they get ready for that sales presentation or that speech contest. Focus on three things.
First, the ultimate story you can tell is your own story. That’s right, it’s personal. When I was a teenager, I came to America by myself. Family and friends remained back in Bulgaria. And I remember struggling with the language, struggling with the culture, lacking the words to fully express all the messages within me.
And when people would hear my sexy accent – oh, they’d ask, “Where’re you from?” And with the few words I knew, I’d tell them about my home, about my journey, about my challenges. And every time an amazing thing would happen. I would feel connection.
Many, many friendships were born that way. And now I know what they were asking me back then was “What’s your story?” That’s the burning question in the minds of your audience, in the minds of your customers. You’ve heard it – everybody has a story. The question is, do you dare share yours?
Second, the ultimate story you can tell has passion. Oh, passion, passion is a powerful force! I remember when I competed in the World Championship of Public Speaking, I believed with every fiber in my being in the importance of my message, in the power of reaching out to others. After all, that’s how I learned to survive and thrive in a new culture.
How about you? What drives you? What’s your passion? How can you build a story around it? Your passion will charge your voice, energize your body, and help you tell a powerful story. And your passionate story – oh, it will help your audience and your customers feel the value of what you offer.
Finally, the ultimate story you can tell helps other people. It’s purposeful. When you and I speak, when you and I sell, it’s never about us. Yes, you share your story. Yes, you share your passion, but ultimately, it’s about your audience, it’s about your customers.
And you know what? There are people only your story can reach, lives only your story can touch. So as you get ready for your next sales presentation or speech contest, remember, the ultimate story you can tell is personal, passionate, and purposeful.
Till I see you next time, keep rocking! Share your message. Share your passion. Share your story.
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