Someone asked me recently: "How did you get to be a confident public speaker?"
After all, I'm a big introvert.
And then I took my kids to a magic show...
And the answers were right there on stage.
We act like the secrets to public speaking success are just that:
Secrets.
And yet, magicians have known them for centuries.
And they've been sharing them right in front of our eyes the whole time:
Keep the show moving fast
If no trick is longer than 5 minutes, why are there PPT slides that take 15 minutes?Make it visual
Could you imagine a magician just describing the trick? Heck no - you gotta show it! And no, that doesn't mean animated bullet points... :)Call on volunteers
How exciting would the saw-the-lady-in-half trick be without the... lady? Well, that's exactly how most presentations feel without the audience involved.Surprise people
What if there was no rabbit in the hat? That's what your presentation is like if you just tell people what they already know. More rabbits, please!
So bottom line: The next time you're called upon to deliver a presentation, ask yourself "How would Harry Houdini have gotten this message across?"
And you'll know exactly what to do.
Just like magic... 🪄