I Never Used ChatGPT for My 21 Videos - Here's Why Authentic Storytelling Wins

Because a few of the challenges were like that. Camera is your friend. So now I know how I have to look at the camera and when I have to be here and there. Yeah. Now I'm not using much filler words which I used to do in past. That's why that is also a great learning for me. I'm improving.

I'm not perfect.

But then I realized, so it is not just one or two person in our life. Those factors, those motivators at different stages of our life, from childhood to teenage to college life and then professional life. There are many people who have helped me, and in all the 20 million videos which I made, I haven't used any AI or ChatGPT, etc.

All these stories are authentic and Hey everyone, welcome to another Finisher interview series, another interview in that. And one of my biggest joy nowadays has been to interview some of the achievers of the community. If you are not aware, in Confidence Storytelling Hub, every month we do a monthly challenge, 21 days and all, where members actually get out of their comfort zone, create video, post it in the group, and sometime on social media as well. And towards the end of the process, they experience a larger breakthrough, some of the great things that has happened. So in that series, we have another interview. So today I have the honor and privilege to interview Mr. Dinesh Kansal. Hi Dinesh, how are you?

Hey Haritosh Srivastav, good morning.

How are you? I'm doing great. Good to have you here. Are you ready to get started?

Yeah, I am. Awesome.

So let's get started. Tell us a little bit about your journey. What do you do? Where are you from, etc.?

So I belong to a small town from Haryana, Narwada, and did all the schooling from there. Then mechanical engineering, and then almost 20 years back shifted to Delhi and have been— so started my professional journey as a production floor, doing the mechanical stuff, all that stuff. After 6-7 years, I switched to the IT, and from last 17 years, uh, continuously in the IT domain. So yeah, that's pretty much in brief introduction.

Awesome, thank you for sharing that. And yeah, both of us are part of Toastmasters, and that's how we got to know. Yeah, so tell us, uh, Why and when did you join Confidence Storytelling Hub, and how long have you been part of this community?

So I joined in the last week of August, so it's around 2 months only. So not any, not much veteran in this community. In the first challenge in September, I didn't do much, just posted 3-4 videos. But yeah, in October, uh, I had plans that I will be doing 7-8 videos in the month, but because of your motivation and your persistence, I was able to complete the challenge. Yeah, thanks a lot for your motivation.

Yeah, absolutely. So you've been here for almost 2 and a half, 3 months. If I ask you about the challenge you already talked about that you started in September, couldn't do, uh, you, you did a few, you tried, and then you had in October, and yeah, you got some push from me also, and then you completed. So if I ask you what has been your top 2 or 3 learnings from the challenge, what would you say?

Uh, first of all, uh, would be the videos need not to be perfect. So in September, what I was doing, so for the first video I did 15-20 times 3 takes. And so that's why it was becoming difficult. But yeah, later on when I joined your weekly sessions and I get to know, yeah, people are doing just 3, 4, or maximum 2 or 3 takes. And videos need not to be perfect. People forget the things and their eyes may be going here and there. That is fine. The first thing is the videos can be imperfect. That is fine. The second learning, uh, I would say discipline can do magic. I haven't thought that I would be able to complete these 21 videos in this month, but yeah, when I block my calendar that, yeah, I every day I have to put at least one video, and I blocked one hour for every day, so that certainly does the magic. So that is another thing I would like to highlight.

Awesome. I love that. Progress over perfection and then blocking your calendar. Two very important principles of success. I know, I think, and you are not alone. And I have worked with so many of community members and even outside as well. Everybody has a thing that, okay, when I start the camera, I don't feel I have the perfect setup. I have the perfect memory, or I can recall every single word. Let me do another take, another take. And the first time we make it so difficult, then second time we dread it. Like, okay, it'll take another 2 hours to create the video. Let me not do it. But it doesn't have to be that complicated. So yes, you learn on the go, you learn by doing more and more. So, and the second is time blocking. Because something is, when it is in your calendar, it helps you. And it brings your focus back. Even if you get digressed, it brings your focus that, okay, yes, I have this interview schedule. So I know whatever I'm doing, every time I look at my calendar, okay, I have to be here before time, on time. So awesome. So I want to ask you, uh, what was that one thing that you really like about all these, uh, tasks, all these challenges, and what was your favorite one?

So it's difficult to identify the only one because there were many, uh, which I like. Uh, just to name a few, I would say, uh, the number one would be the panel discussion, interview panel, uh, with the media people. Yes, yes, that was good. Uh, other than that, the pitch that inspires So that was also good. And then data presentation and influence people with data. So that I like most. Yeah, so these three I can say.

So these three you liked? Okay, the media one, the panel discussion, and yeah, using data to inspire.

Using data to—

yeah, awesome. And what, what was it that you really liked about them?

See, as you know, so I was looking to pitch my own thing. So that's why it was related to that. So that put you in out of comfort zone. So it's difficult to do that, right? And even some of the challenges I would like to say, so like gratitude and thanks, thanks speech, or, uh, I would say when there was one where we were giving tribute to someone So sometimes it feels these are interrelated, uh, but actually— and we don't have much words, so how to speak about one person or two person again and again. But then I realized, so it is not just one or two person in our life, those affect us or those motivate us at different stages of our life, from childhood to teenage to college life and then professional life. There are many people who have helped me. I can just choose different people and just provide or do that gratitude thing for all of them. So although we just remember the people who are just in a recent memory and we are interacting with, but there are a lot of people from whom we get their help and who motivated us.

Love that perspective. Yes, I mean, I always say that even if you're given the task the same task, how can you do it differently? And, and what your calling is exactly, right? That we all have this thing called recency effect. Whatever has happened recently, we'll remember it more. And this is where taking a pause or reflecting, looking at your journey from where you are, from where you have come, what all things you have done, who all has helped you in that journey in big way or small way. And giving them gratitude, recognizing them. So I love that. I love you taking it in the right spirit. And for the audience, we are recording this at the start of November, and what we have decided to do is in November, I'm not doing any new challenges, but I'm bringing the best of all the challenges that we have done in this year. So, so even if you get a chance to do the same challenge again, don't do the same exact thing. Think about how differently, how new innovation can be brought, how you can choose a different person from different part of your life to know, just put the honor, just, just recall different story. Awesome. I love that spirit. So now I want to ask you, uh, what has been the outcome of you going through this challenge? I mean, what has really changed in you, uh, internally as well as externally after you completed the challenge this time?

So first, internally, so I feel I got lot of motivation and feel positive from inside, uh, because whenever you complete something— so if I could be in between of the challenge, so probably I didn't— couldn't have that much motivation and that much positivity. But once we start, I think, and complete the goal, that, uh, itself gives positive effect. And so dopamine and whatever hormones you want to say. So, right, so that is really nice in that term. And in terms of outer, I would say now I'm not much worried while I'm speaking in front of camera. Otherwise I used to be a bit worried and a little bit conscious because a few of the challenges were like that. Camera is your friend. So now I know how I have to look at the camera and when I have to be here and there.

Yes.

Apart from that, there was one more learning in terms of poses. Yeah. Now I'm not using much filler words which I used to do in past. That's why that is also a great learning for me. I'm improving.

I'm not perfect. Nobody is perfect, first of all. And I love that you are You've taken it as a motivation. You've taken it as a skill of, you know, treating camera as your friend, not as somebody who's gonna haunt you. And to use less filler and using mini pauses to make an impact. So true that. And I always say that be progressist, not perfectionist. So we all are work in progress. I'm not perfect. I totally know that. So nobody. You can't say they are perfect. Only people who are out of this world, they are perfect. Hopefully. I want to ask you, you have gone through this challenge, you have completed one round, and you already started working on the second round. I want to ask you, what is your message and tip for anyone who wants to take up the challenge in terms of improving their public speaking, improving their storytelling, improving their communication skills? What what would you tell them?

I would say, first of all, although we already discussed, so videos need not to be 100% perfect. So that is fine. Apart from that, so one more thing. So sometimes people are using AI, ChatGPT for their stories. So probably that becomes difficult to remember and all that stuff. And then when they are making videos, So they lose the path, and that's why it becomes difficult to create the videos. So I would prefer just make your stories. Yeah, and it happened with me as well. Even though I have written something else, but when I am speaking, so I get detoured. But because I have written that, I can move the words here and there, and I can do improvisation how I have to say. So in that case, we need not to remember, just one or two takes, uh, for all. And like, in the— during the end of the, uh, challenge, last 4, 5, 6 videos, I just did in one or two take only, means maximum one or two. And in all the 20 million videos which I made, I haven't used any AI or ChatGPT, etc. All these stories are authentic and Either even if fictitious, so even then it is written by me. So, so, so that, that, that is one thing if people wanna go with that way.

Very nice. I love that. No, uh, video is the way to go. You cannot, even if you want to, you cannot avoid video and you have to be authentic. Everybody now knows we have come to a point now where people can look at the course and say, okay, this is something which is created out of ChatGPT, and this is something which is using iGPT or MeGPT, as they say. So I feel that we can use ChatGPT as a tool, but only after you have done the foundation work. If you haven't written the first draft, then even ChatGPT won't be able to help you much. Other thing is, as you say, it has to be internalization where you know this is what I'm going to talk about. You don't remember word by word because If you try to do that, you're going to forget. And if you forget, you're going to be completely derailed. So if you know the concept, you know this is the flow, then some words here and there doesn't make any problem, but actually it makes you human. So now I'm going to ask you one of the very important questions, and which is that you've been part of Confidence Storytelling Hub for almost 2 and a half months. You also attempted once, you cleared. The Finisher Challenge and you're on your way to the next challenge. So if I have to ask you, would you recommend anyone should join Confidence Storytelling Hub? And if yes, why?

Of course, means there are many people, but the thing is, first I wanna improve myself, like, because I am not that old in the community. Probably after 2-3 months when people will start feeling, Dinesh, what did you do? So rather than I am pushing that, yeah, just join this community, it should come from them. We wanna be like you. So, so that will make more impact. Then I need not to tell, uh, means I need not to push you, join this. They will be eager to join, and then I will tell, yeah, join this, come with me.

That's the best, best promotion you can do for anyone, right? Change yourself, transform yourself. And there's a cycle to that as well. First, you will feel that the change is happening, and then slowly those around you will feel, and then, then later the world sees that, okay, there's something that has happened with this particular person. And that's when you know that, okay, the change is now complete, or change has evolved you into something that you really wanted to be. So awesome. Thank you so much once again, Dinesh. You have been a great action taker, especially last month where I know you had your own doubts. You were a little bit lagging, so you needed a little bit of push, but I'm glad you took the push in the right spirit and you just went past. So congratulations on being a finisher once again, and I'm looking forward to you becoming a Hall of Fame, which is when you complete 3 challenges within a time frame of 6 months. So all the best to you.

Thank you. Thanks, Haritosh Srivastav. Thanks, Aditya.

Thank you. And story power to you, as we say in the community. So this was Mr. Dinesh Kansal, who completed the 21-day video challenge in our community. If you are someone who's looking to build confidence, if you're somebody who wants to tell your story to the world for impact, for influence, or for income, consider joining Confident Storytelling Hub, where we help our members break through their barriers, break through their fear of speaking, break through their fear of what will people think about my story, because we have so many members who have done that and would love to have you. And with that said, as I say every time, until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep going out of your comfort zone. I'll see you in the next Finnishian interview.