5 STEPS TO
GETTING STARTED
1. EXPAND YOUR AWARENESS.
There are lots of places to look
for inspiration. “Don’t just watch
other speakers,” says Dan
Thurmon, CSP, CPAE. “When
you’re at the movies or the theater
or watching stand-up, think about
how you can apply some of the
nuance of what they do.”
2. TAKE AN INTEREST
INVENTORY. Victoria Labalme,
CPAE, asks her clients to make
a list of their specific hobbies,
talents, and passions outside of
their area of expertise. From there,
think about how to use _______
to teach your area of expertise.
3. BE AUTHENTIC. Choose
something that feels right. “Make
sure that it’s something that works
with you,” Omékongo Dibinga,
PhD, advises. “I’m not a dancer,
so I’m not going to be dancing on
stage. It’s not authentic, and I’m
not going to do it just because
I feel like I need to bring some
diversity to my presentation.”
4. HAVE PURPOSE. To ensure
that the message is the master,
Bronkar Lee makes each of his
pieces of entertainment audition
its way to the stage. “Everything
has to have a purpose. If it doesn’t
serve the purpose, I let it go.”
5. GET GREAT. You don’t have to
be a master of what you’re doing,
but you need to be confident that
you are great at it, Dan cautions.
Victoria believes that in each
person is hidden genius. As she
says, “Just because no one else
has done it doesn't mean it’s
a bad idea.” She encourages
people to trust their own creative
ideas and develop new material
in low-stakes settings. “Bit by
bit, it just keeps getting better.
But the ideas can’t be borrowed
from someone else. They have to
come from within. And that takes
courage. It requires you to Risk
Forward®. But if you can do that,
you will find yourself in a whole
new land.”
