Andy Zimney: Why Personal Stories Create Unexpected Connection | Ch. 28

Okey dokey, let's press go on the video too, um, because everything is content, everything is content, everything is content, but I'm not looking at the camera. Deep breath, and with me, deep breath in, deep breath out. We are rolling right along. We have just— oh my gosh, just 2 chapters left of part 5. Is that right? Just 2? Just 1? Just 2? Wait a second, where did my Andy chapter go? Wait, hold please. Did I skip it? Did I skip it? Oh, I did. Okay, this is good. Whoopsies. Sorry, Andy, almost missed yours. Chapter 28. This is the Andy chapter. This is where we're gonna talk about my husband. My husband.

Welcome back.

If you're happening upon this, hello and welcome to the free audiobook version of Speaking Story, a book that I wrote. Uh, my name is Sally Koering Zimney. I'm a keynote speaker and coach and turns out author of this book, and I'm working on another one. Let me just say that. But hopefully it won't take me like 8 years to do it like this whole first one did. Yes, that's right. So I wrote Speaking Stories several years ago, uh, and then I recorded it a few years ago and am finally getting it out into the world. And yes, you can go get the ad-free version over on Audible if you'd like it, but free here on your podcast feed or on YouTube, I'm walking you through chapter by chapter, episode by episode of the book because I just want, I just want everybody to have this. I just want you to have this info. I just want you to take it and use it and go change the world. Okay? Got it?

Sounds great.

That's your first assignment. Go change the world. And we are in part 5, towards the end of part 5 here. And part 5 is where I get to highlight a handful of speakers who have this really wide range of styles and messages and ideas, 'cause I wanted you to see a variety of ways that people bring the Moment, Meaning, Move formula to life, this framework that is central to the book. Moment, Meaning, Move. Triple M.

Eh.

I think this is so important because it's all theory. It's all theory until it comes to a specific moment in time, a specific context, a specific audience, you as a speaker, who you are. And it's a fun iteration that it's like, it's live theater. Chapter 28. Chapter 28. Is Andy. Every other speaker in this part, uh, their talk is public in some way, or it was public. Um, Jason's is one that you can't find online necessarily. You can find it if you go grab the story kit, speakingstory.com. But Andy's was basically— it was recorded on a cell phone. It's not a well-lit room, but it is such a great example of moment meaning move. Almost like his wife taught him everything he knows. I'm just kidding.

I—

that is absolutely not true, but he has great instincts and he's a great speaker, and I love his story, and I love the meaning that he draws from it and illuminates from this experience. And it feels more realistic. A lot of these other ones, they're big stage moments, right? It's a TED Talk or a TEDx, and it's a big stage conference talk. And these are— the speaker knows in that moment that this is a big moment. But for you, most of the time you may not have that big moment, but you can still leverage moment, meaning, move. You can still take this idea and let it shape perspective and draw people into your idea. Pull them in to lean into the power of story. Even in these moments that feel like, "Mm, is this a story moment?" Guess what? It is. It is.

It is. It is.

The context might adjust exactly how you go about it, but story still is the tool. So I'm really excited for you to get a little taste of Andy Zimney's talent and this beautiful idea that he's sharing in this and his approach to moment, meaning, and move. Here you go.

Hey everybody, and welcome to This Moved Me, a podcast about creating talks that move the world with me, your host, Sally Koering Zimney.

This complimentary listening of this Speaking Story audiobook is brought to you in part by the Be Moved Institute, what we also call B.M.I. And I want you to hear something from Tony, former Fortune 500 executive who came to me at a real turning point in his life and his message.

You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you're not clear, if you don't come through clearly, then none of that matters. But in the end, are you connecting? Are you really moving people? And that's what Sally teaches.

Tony also said that working together brought him, his words, out of the shadows and into the light. That is the work. And here's the thing. Leadership almost always comes with a microphone. A meeting, a board presentation, a conference keynote you didn't exactly volunteer for. And most leaders have never had anyone actually help them find their story, not just polish their slides. And that's exactly what I built the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling course for. It's audio only, so you can do it on a walk or in your car. It's $49, just enough to get you going, and it is the fastest way I know to help you find the leadership stories that are already inside you. You can get started at sally-z.com/unspeaker. And when you're ready to go deeper, come find us at sally-z.com/institute.

Now let's get into the chapter. Chapter 28: Andy Zimney. This example is one where the setting is a little more real. Unlike the other examples, there's no production, no stage, no lighting. It's not a speaker with a capital S kind of moment. Most of us are speaking day in and day out in much less glamorous situations than the previous examples, and we may find ourselves in a situation like the one that my husband, Andy, was speaking in. It's not a high-quality video. The sound's not great. Andy's not mic'd up, but I want you to take a look at what he's doing here. Because he follows the moment-meaning-move structure well in a more realistic situation. Now, if you'd like to watch Andy's talk, you're not going to find it online, but you can grab it by going to speakingstory.com, downloading the toolkit, and finding the link in the Spark section. The moment. Andy does a classic story. One time he was in philosophy class and Professor Wagner asks this question: Then Andy gets a little interaction from the audience. We hear a little dialogue from Professor Wagner. It's a very simple, effective story. The meaning. Andy's meaning connection is his own reaction, which mirrors the audience's likely reaction and connection. Yes, what should I do today? He asks a question of the audience, a question that we ask ourselves a lot. What should I do today? It takes this simple, seemingly innocuous question and adds more meaning and new perspective to it. Too often, we rinse and repeat, and we don't make the needed changes. If we want to be more productive and creative, it comes down to that same question: What are we doing with each day? The move. Andy sets himself up well for the move. Together, We're going to tackle that question in a new way so that we can be more productive and creative. Pro tip: As you're watching stories and talks, especially thought leadership stories, TEDx talks, conference keynotes where leadership stories are taking center stage, see if you can identify moment, meaning, move structure. It will help you bring your own stories to life more intentionally. In your speaking.

That's the end of this chapter of Speaking Story. You can find the full audiobook ad-free on Audible or subscribe so that the next one drops right in your feed. And if anything in this chapter stirred something in you, that feeling of, "I have more to say than I'm currently saying," that is the feeling I want you to follow. The Unspeaker Simple Storytelling Course is $49, and it is literally like having me in your back pocket on a walk. So start there. Go to sally-zimney.com/unspeaker. And when you want to go further, we are here for you at sally-zimney.com/institute.

All right, movers.

This moved me.

What is moving you? See you next time.