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CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

Fig. 6 I 31 special _ public speaking I CAD/CAM 3_2011 worked for Master Craft and he just died of leu- kaemia.” She went on to tell me all about her brother and how much she loved him. Mypointhereisthatyouneverknowwhatlisten- erswillconnecttofromyourdisclosure.Mywater-ski story is about Dave Benzel’s philosophy about win- ning, but for her it was about her brother. This is the delicious mystery of not knowing where our in- fluence resides within our disclosure; listeners are selectiveaboutwhattheyareinfluencedby.Because of one, small detail within my story—Master Craft— this woman became my biggest fan. You tell a story that is meaningful to you and in that story exists a hundred different opportunities for listeners to latch onto something that is mean- ingful to them. Disclosure is what people are really hungry for and is at the heart of what leverages your ability to be interesting and influential. The stories you tell shape your image in the listeners’ minds, so it is crucial to be strategic and purposeful about the storiesyoushare.Youmaybelikemanyoftheexperts Iworkwithwhotellme,“Idonothaveanyreallygood stories to tell.” Yes you do! Discovering your stories is a matter of imagina- tion and the right coaching. Here’s a quick, six- step process of discovering your story to get you started: 1.Pull together those items that have documented your past, like photo albums, day timers, Outlook calendars, diaries. 2.As you look through your past events, think of the places and people associated with those events that had an impact on you, for better or worse. 3.Think back to those places and people and answer this question: “How did this place and/or these people change me or someone else?” 4.As you answer this question your story emerges. Great disclosure stories are about what we have learned in life, how we learned it and how it has changed us. 5.Do not think your disclosure story(ies) must have an intriguing plot. Plot-centred stories tend to get too long and do not work well for the purpose of disclosure. Think of your disclosure story(ies) as simple memories. Focus more on the people in your story and how the event changed you. 6.Also, do not think your story has to be heroic (“I lost both arms saving orphans from napalm in Vietnam.”), stupendous (“After I came back fromClimbingMountEverestIwonWimbledon.”), or tragic (“… and my fiancé died in my arms at thealtaronourweddingday.”).Youwillbeamazed how simple, well-told memories resonate. _Movement MovementisthesecondleveloftheLeader’sPyra- mid.Itsignalsconfidence,whichhelpsearnattention (Fig.5).Ifyourmovementsignalsalackofconfidence orsendsamixedmessage,listenersmaybereluctant to act and/or will not pay attention. Movement is what you do with your body while speaking. Movement includes walking left and right, advancing and retreating, leaping/squatting and body posture. I am not including facial expressions, rotations and hand/arm gestures as movement. Therolesofmovement Movement plays several roles in creating peaks of interest; it _signals your confidence to the listener; _adds emphasis to specific content; _creates authenticity during narratives (stories and memories); _signals transitions between logical and emotional domains; _boosts the listener’s experience of connection. Movementandenergy Movement is one of the things that will hurt you morethanhelpyou.Whenitisdonecorrectly,move- ment will not make a bad talk good, but done in- correctly it can make an otherwise good talk BOMB! Itpaystokeepmovementundercontrol—lessismore. Consequently (and ironically), the most important aspect of powerful movement is knowing the way to stand and deliver with minimal movement. Minimal movement means not pacing back and forth or advancing and retreating (front to back movement). However, even though I am advocating minimal movement, I will endorse liberal gestures,