Before speaking at an event, I try to watch or listen to a great speaker while I get ready in the morning. This weekend I watched and listened to Seth Godin’s keynote at the ConvertKit conference as I got ready for my own keynote later that morning.
What I enjoyed most about the presentation was that it was really only about one thing. He was only trying to make one point. He had slide after slide with images and videos to show example after example of the point he was trying to make.
There’s a rule for writing that says “show don’t tell.” This absolutely applies to public speaking. I have the tendency to make a very important point about the beginning of a talk without really building up the intellectual and emotional motivation it takes to believe this point.
Godin shows us at the beginning of the talk how our culture and economy has changed. He cites example after example to show this is the case. Only then does he start to explain the implications for what this means for the audience. That’s why people leave there inspired. What his presentation lacked in practical ideas, it made up for in motivation.
