Ep. 165 PART 3 - 2022 World Championship Speech Critiques-Cyril

Part three, where we dissect the World Championship speech from 2022 by Cyril. His presence was amazing. His writing was brilliant. Watch how we dissect some of his magic moments and a couple of things that we might have advised on. By the way, pass this along to some of your speaker friends.

Anyone can give a presentation. Few deliver unforgiveness, unforgettable presentations. What's the difference? You're about to find out. Welcome to the Unforgettable Presentations podcasts with your hosts, world champion speakers and coaches, Mark Brown.

Mark Brown, your life tells a story and there's someone out there who needs to hear it.

And Darren Lacroix and Darren Lecroy.

Stagetime, Stage time. Stage time.

Ready for some powerful presentation? AHAs. Let's dive right in.

Guys. I'm going to dive in, but I think we need to show the very beginning of Cyril's speech because Mark, this is like the epitome of what you say. You bring you to the presentation. And I think I counted seven seconds. So watch this. After he gets the acknowledgment from the contest chair. Seven seconds before he turns and says anything. Seven. And then he turns and then there's one or two more seconds before he speaks. Check this out.

Thank you, contest chair.

You're welcome.

I love that the contest chair sounds more Zimbabwean than I do.

Check this out. He's four seconds in and gets a laugh. Like four seconds in.

I wrote down solid opening set. The audience at ease, owned the room and got his first laugh.

Hmm. Wow.

We speak Shona, and in this beautiful language we have a very important word that I'd like to share with you today. In Shona, we say ndini.

Another thought on the opening, because we always teach people, do not start with a joke. That was not a joke. That was a line, an observation about something happening in the room which just happened to be the accent of the contest chair. There's a subtle difference. It wasn't a one line joke as much as it was a way to set them at ease, to get them laughing. But it also related to someone else in the room.

Yes. When an opening connects the audience to what they know they experience is not the same as telling a joke. It's simply addressing them where they are with a mutual understanding that really connected very well in this case. So shuddering on that one as well. And you'll notice also early in.

So I just want to show this part.

N D I N I D knee.

Try it.

Beautiful.

Loved that ace element.

He got the engagement, but he Noticed how he opened his arms to get the. To signal to the audience. No, no, no, I want you to say it. And got them to do that by commanding. By opening up his arms with such confidence. And then never mind the ultra bright smile. Man, he could do toothpaste commercials.

I guess the other part of that, the aspect I love, is he just established the theme without saying. And my theme today is dini. No, he one word. He planted it. We kind of know where we're going. And he kept us wanting to hear more.

And I said earlier, I use the phrase pace element. What we mean is anything you use that gives the audience a different kind of experience. We often talk about pace elements in virtual presentations, but he got the audience to acknowledge. But then he got them to participate as well. And that was in the first minute or so of his presentation. It's about 1:17 on the video. That's getting the audience to respond, to laugh, and to actually join him. Was a. Was well done that early in the presentation.

Yeah. One thing I didn't love is he broke one of our rules. Now, obviously it didn't matter anyway. It's picky. But he said, I'd like to share with you. So I'm not a fan of using that term, but look, he did amazing. He had so much going. I'd just like to point out some of the things that we teach. I'd like to share with you. Not a fan of that.

By the way, Darren, there's a question here about someone thought he ran over time. You said in the. Earlier in our podcast today, you said that toastmasters established that they would greet the contest chair, who would then respond to them. And then after that interchange, the timer would begin at the first word or action for the audience. That will account for why the time seems so long. Tracy. Okay.

Yeah. Because when he does his megapause for nine seconds, the timer does not start until he makes a definite communication to the audience.

Correct.

I also loved how he touched upon. Darren, you taught. You've been teaching this for years. Humorous touch upon frustrations that we all have. And he did this in such a subtle way when he said that I may know a few Nigerian princes.

Right.

So he touched upon. So much of. That was subtle. I thought that was just brilliant writing and great humor.

Yeah. Now I see. I see a conversation here about the timing. I think Alexandra answered the question about when the clock starts. Okay. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

The other part of that, about touching on something that is a frustration for all of us. When he had self deprecation. About his name being a password.

Oh, that was brilliant.

We all get upset. But it was self deprecation, but suddenly tying into a common frustration.

And it was not the first time he used the familiar. He also said at around 2:17, I wanted to get a cool name like Martin Luther King Jr. Or contest chair. Everyone in the audience knows contest chair is a term we use in the contest as part of protocol in every contest. So the audience in the first two minutes are being acquainted with the familiar but also intrigued by the name he has. And having his name as a pastor was humorous. What he also did well was he switched from humor to serious when he said people thought it was used for magic, you know, like black magic. So it was humorous. A pastor, but then black magic. Which now establishes why he did not like his name, why he felt so passionate about changing his name. He did not like it. And also, even though we don't really dive deeply into it, he says, my father, whom I never knew, those four words spoke volumes about why he felt the way he felt about this name. From a nation he wasn't part of, from a man who wasn't part of him with those four words, a man whom I never knew. Very subtle, but very well written. Very well written.

And I mentioned Alexander, how he connected with me. Cyril did the same thing because this is not the last name I was born with. I have a father I've never met, changed my name to my stepdad's name. So there was a connection there. He also connected with me when he mentioned Chihuahuas. Those of you who are part of stage time know I have two Chihuahuas. And I love the fact that human beings evolved them from wolves to Chihuahuas. Fantastically funny line.

Yeah. And Mark, I want to show that clip because it's also a great use of stage when he talks about his name. So watch how he backs up and uses the stage to get the emotion across too. A long winding Nigerian name. And then, like you said, Mark, my father, who I never knew. My father, who I never knew. Six words. Six words. So much backstory. Such great writing. Check this out, though.

You see, even though I grew up in Zimbabwe, my middle name was a long winding, complicated Nigerian name because my father, whom I never knew, was Nigerian. Now, yes, I may know a Nigerian prince or two.

Nice.

I also think he was using a form of foreshadowing, which is a great technique at 357. When he says, I've not said that name once ever since, he's letting us know it's going to come back.

Yeah.

For me though, my response was different. My response was okay, but what is it? What is it? What is it? Hoping he would share it. Not convinced that he would. And he did not till the very end of the presentation. You're hoping that he will. But it's in the back of my mind, is he gonna tell us? Is he gonna tell us? And eventually does it at the very end. I thought it was well done. The suspense was brilliant. I thought.

And Mark, I just want to back up what you had said at 2 minutes and 22 seconds. My name was useful as a password, gets a laugh. Yes, my name was useful as a password. So seven words gets a laugh. Notice the brevity. We talk about Seinfeld taking so long to make a nine word joke. A seven. Well, it's seven words gets a laugh. And then he switches so artfully to a curse from black magic. A curse from black magic. Five words goes from funny to drama. So it's at 222 and then 249. And then there's a great relatable statement that you might not remember, but it made you feel connected at 250. Have you ever hated something about yourself? Brilliant. Everybody has something about them or most people have something about themselves.

And by the way, really quickly a question came in about what you said. Darren, rather than saying I'd like to share with you, what should we have said? Chick says, just share it. Well, the reason why that is a concern is certainly in professional speaking world, we realize your audience is less concerned about what you want to do, but more about what they can receive from you. So in that context we don't recommend saying I want to share with you, I want to give you. I want to tell you rather if the audience knows that they receive from us, that's more palatable. But it's not a hard and fast rule, particularly in Toastmasters. I wanted to clarify.

Great, great point. Yes, it is not a hard and fast rule, but if you think of it, we're talking. These are high level, world class techniques. Does it make a difference? Well, obviously not in his case, but it's just that one more idea that would be helpful. But he had so much going for him, his charisma, everything else that it didn't matter. However, for you and your speeches, something like that, it's worth noting that how could we transform it into. So Mark, at the beginning he said, I want to share with you. Just he could go right into it is one option. Or here's an idea. Or this could be helpful for you. Like there's many different. But it's about. For you, for you, for you. So you're just turning it around and framing it differently for us to feel it's about us rather than what I. The speaker wants.

My biggest suggestions for Cyril, if he were to ask us and want to take this to maybe a paid stage, is actually some delivery issues not with his voice, but staging. Can you go to the 420 mark?

I got that one written down too.

I think all three of us do.

Yeah. Four hundred and twenty exactly. Four hundred and twenty.

Do you want to set it up, Mike, or.

Well, I think it's self explanatory. Just listen to what he says and watch what he's doing.

This different. Before the fly in the milk, it felt like I had taken one step forward and 10 steps backwards.

Stop.

He's taking four steps forward. As he says, I took one step forward and 10 steps back.

Congruence between what you say and what you do. Congruence. Yeah.

It's subtle and I don't know if that. A lot of people are looking for that, but it sends a message to the audience. Something doesn't feel right and they don't know what it is.

I love this. This is right in line with some of the things we teach where we set up a character so we can see them and. And know them and feel them succinctly. And so he sets up Nick, who ends up being the hero of the story. But listen, what he says and how he says it, you know, you nailed it. When a description of a character gets a laugh.

He's got the African boy swag, you know, low, deep voice, speaks very slowly. He's like Mufasa but in slow motion.

Nice.

I like that. But I was concerned because I wrote down when he and Alex are in the library, right there is the scene where he drops his ID right at 5:25 on the video. So we now know Alex has that slow motion, faster voice. So at 5:27 we actually get to hear Alex speak. Can you queue that real quick, please? We actually Hear Alex at 5:27.

But Nick was ready. Nick, I have never met anybody with my name.

Okay, pause for a second. We've got the slow motion. But I was wondering. But Nick was ready. He said, I have never met anyone with my name. And deliberately lower his voice for the Mufasa sound to the best of his ability. Just enough of a difference so we can hear a depth to Nick's voice as opposed to similar Voice, it was slower. But these nuances add realism. Because when you say Mufasa, you place in my mind, remember who you are. And if I don't hear it, I feel as if I'm missing something. It's a small detail, but that was my observation, Darren.

Yeah. And I do like Nick's dialogue. And then watch him snatch it. This is also setting up that he looks at his name the opposite. The dichotomy. Here's a big word, mark. The dichotomy, the juxtaposition.

He's on a roll, mark.

Both of them having the same challenge, but Nick looking at it for a completely different perspective.

Gift from my grandfather. And I like it.

Yes.

So he's owning his name. But notice his voice also changes a little bit too. And he speaks quite rapidly.

This is an opportunity for a delivery improvement. Nick's here, and then all of a sudden, Nick's reaching over here to grab. There's not continuity within that scene. It's all over the map. I think he needs to block it. He needs to be himself. And then Nick. And then talking. And Nick snatches it. The back and forth again. He won. It's okay. But we're talking improvement here for you is don't walk all over a scene back and forth. Because something just doesn't feel right.

I was wondering. I wasn't there. Can anyone let me know very quickly, was there a center aisle in the room or were there chairs in the room? As in the true theater style where there was no center aisle. So I guess the question is, was there a center aisle in the room? Yes or no? Can anyone who was there tell us very quickly? I wasn't sure from the video.

I don't remember.

Was there a center aisle in the room?

I don't think there was, but I don't remember.

Yeah. Because he seemed to be avoiding center stage because maybe there was no one there. He felt the need to address both sides. The videos on YouTube. My recommendation is this for all of us. Watch the video with the audio off and look at the movement and always ask was movement can do it? I don't say ask to be critical of our speaker because he's a world champion. I love it. I respect that. But in terms of our educational purposes. And I do the same for myself. I'll watch myself. I shouldn't have moved there. Why am I avoiding? Why am I always on the left side? These kinds of questions help us to adjust how we present on the physical stage, particularly if there are those among us. Now, for the Past two years of being a toastmaster have never really been on a physical stage of that size at any given time. So it's instructive and hopefully informational to help us master the physical stage as well as the virtual stage. And I hope that's helpful.

Hey, Mark and Darren, Christian brings up a really good point.

Yes.

He asked a question. Who is Mufasa? We can't assume that people characters are even though they're legendary Disney movies.

And yeah. And if you said Mufasa from the Disney film the Lion King may have been helpful. Yeah. And again, Christian may not know who that is either, but Mufasa from Lion King would have been more helpful for context because not everyone remembers the names of all the characters. Think of the Lion King and Timon and Pumbaa. But they may not remember Mufasa's name so well. Point well made. Thank you very much for sharing that, Christian. Thank you.

And at 5:58, love the line. Brilliant message. Seeing in Nick what I did not have for myself. Acceptance. Great. And then at 6:11. Yes, at 6:11 we're all different. But he wasn't just different. He was special because he accepted himself. So we're all different. But some people don't accept themselves. I just. I just loved, loved, love that message.

Exactly. I actually have 611 because he accepted himself at 654. He says, you are beautifully you because this is me. He could have said this is me. You are you. But he said you are beautifully you@654. And the adverb beautifully was brilliantly inserted to reinforce the power of our own uniqueness. I wrote down here wisdom when he said that.

Yeah. We teach. I'll show the clip in a second. We teach that intention. You can tell his conviction, his intention and his sincerity. He wanted you to get this. And that is amazing. So check it out. Watch his delivery. Watch his intention.

You are beautifully you. The only.

You love that.

And Darren, and I'm happy to say here he was center stage. Yeah. Which reinforced the power of those words. Also a moment for us as an audience to say. Ah. He is connecting to me directly. Well done there.

Yeah. I want to show the ending because see how he closes versus how Moss closed. But at 6:29, there's one thing that I didn't love. He says, I know that many of you out there have felt uncomfortable with who you are. One on one. This is what we teach. One on one over coffee. How would you say it? And you would never sitting with one person say, I Know that many of you out there, you would rephrase that as you may have felt uncomfortable with who you are. So we don't want to say everyone has, but when you say I know many of you, that's audience language as opposed to one on one connecting language. And then I want to show the ending how you do this. Not officially change my name. I'm just gonna play the ending because watch how powerfully clear. And he doesn't say Mr. Contest Master or Madam Contest Master. He just ends it and gestures. Beautiful.

I haven't had the courage to officially reclaim my name, but here today I think we can make a step in the right direction.

Could have moved there too.

I was born Cyril junior Uche Chukwumere Dim. And this is me, Deanie.

And Darren. One more thought. I don't believe he actually looked at the virtual audience until he addressed them at 7:14 on the video. That's something we must all consider now as virtual. When we're on a live in a hybrid situation, we have to remember the camera is a member of the audience. And I don't know, had he not addressed them, if he would have the camera at all, I don't know. But it's something for all of us to remember.

Nice. Hey, if you're watching this, if you can see how this kind of feedback could help you, we encourage you, we invite you, join us at stagetime. We give this kind of feedback every single week. Those of you who are online who are part of stagetime, Kathy, thank you. Please pop in the chat what you think about stage time. Because look, we love what we do every week we give feedback to this level to help you see what the audience can't see or what you can't see yourself that the audience does see. So if you're interested in joining us. Look, most presenters don't get the level of feedback they need to become unforgettable. We have a team of world class coaches that will show you the adjustments needed to make your story stick. Look, when you're the presenter everyone is raving about, you'll impact more lives and help more people. So are you getting feedback from world class coaches? Look, if you're ready, if enough is enough and you want to be unforgettable, like I'm ready, it's time. I need this. Please join us on our podcast. We rarely pitch, we talk about our book, we talk about that, but look, we're asking you if you're ready. Join us. Just go to darrenlive.com ti darrenlive.com TI and get the special offer that we have because you're listening to this podcast.

Mike Couldn't agree more. It's a joy to be one of the coaches at stage time and as a coach, and I'm a certified coach, I pick up something every week from our coaches and many times our members. We know who our members are who are diving in. And again, if you want to shorten the learning curve, as our friend Craig Valentine says, let our long road be your shortcut. We'll get you there faster.

Sweet Mark. Before you take it home. So thank you for joining us live for the time first, first time ever doing this podcast. Your comments super helpful. Thank you for that and clarifying. Mark Brown we just saw the World Champion of Public Speaking take us home.

We hope and trust that the insights you receive today from our Critique of the 2022 World Champion of Public Speaking will give you an idea of what you can learn when you join us at stage time. Here's why we want you to become good. No. Great no. We want you to be unforgettable. We'll see you next week.

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