Ep. 23 Seven Presentation Game Changers!

Hey there, Mark Brown. So I've been reflecting on doing this for 20 years. Over 20 years, and you have as well. What were those game changers where after you learned this, after you had this idea, this thought, everything was different? Seven game changers. Mark, what are your thoughts?

Listen, I cannot wait to share these because, you know, so many speakers are kind of struggling right now and they're going through the motions. And I'll not forget something you said to me. You said that I could see in two minutes what you couldn't see after seven years. And we'll reveal today some of those game changers for me and for you that have helped us to be unforgettable. Let's do this, man.

And we hope they make you unforgettable too, as well.

Anyone can give a presentation. Few deliver unforgettable presentations. What's the difference? You're about to find out. Welcome. 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 Lacroix.

Stage time. Stage time. Stage time.

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

Oh, Mark, I just love the idea, the concept of game changers, like, that's just like, bam. I think that's what everybody wants. And I had no idea how many game changers I've had along those 20 years. How about you?

Well, for me it's been almost 25. And you're right, every time you invest yourself into building yourself, you're going to find that there are game changers that can really transform how you perform. And the thing is, the funniest thing for me is there have been times I've been employing these game changers, not learning at the time how important they were. But in reflection, I realized, oh, my goodness, this really did change my game. And I know, Darren, a few of those have fallen into your lap as well. Let's talk about some of these. What's the first really major game changer you want to share today?

Yeah, I mean, you and I know that we all start off and a lot of us want to be Tony Robbins. We want to be Zig Ziglar. That's one of the reasons we get into this, which I get. I understand everyone starts kind of in that same vein, if you will. For me, one of the biggest game changers was you've got to live it first. You have to speak from your own experience. And a lot of people don't get that. They don't understand that. And just like me when I started out, a lot of people, they want to. They. They're so blown away by a concept they hear from Tony Robbins, and then they want to tell the world because of how it affected them. And I think sometimes we.

It's not bad.

It's how we get started. A lot of comedians in the comedy world, I see that, too, that they almost. They steal other people's material and don't even realize it's wrong. Number one, somebody took time and effort to make it so good that you wanted to steal it. But at the same time, it's just not you. Here's this. You can't regurgitate and be world class. You can't regurgitate and be world class.

Mark, that is so well said, my friend. And it's true. You start off and you're green, you're new, and you hear something you like. And I confess, I was telling stories I'd heard. I was telling jokes I'd heard. And I may have told you before that one day I went to a conference in Texas, man. I was the opening keynote speaker. I was new at this, and it was great. And I had this really cool joke I wanted to tell. I told a joke, and it landed fairly well. Like, yes, this is good. I'm in the zone. Well, lunchtime comes along, and there's a second speaker at lunch. And this speaker comes on stage and tells the same joke. And I realized that speaker had not been there for the opening session. And they came with the same joke, and it fell flat. And I felt like a turd because I'm like, dude, it just showed that you did not use original material. And you know what? The same thing applies to some wonderful stories we hear now. You and I grew up in the chicken soup ever, right? And we heard these wonderful Chicken Soup for the Soul books. And they were really good books, inspiring stories, but people would kind of tell those stories and kind of make them their own. But look, I've often said this, man. Your audience wants to hear you. Yeah. But they really want to know you. And until you live it, it's really hard to authentically share it. And your life is so rich and full, man. I believe you. I agree with you. You want to live it for first. When you live it, you come at it with authenticity, with genuine truth. And your audience not only hears that, the audience feels that. And the best part is your audience experiences that.

Yeah. I remember in episode 20, two, just last week, Patricia Fripp was talking about, you have to speak about what you know, not what you heard of, not what you'd like to know. And so for if you're an emerging presenter, just getting started or trying to figure out your way, like, don't feel bad if you've ever done it, we've all done it. If any presenter ever tells you they never did, they're probably exaggerating, fribbing or in denial, one of those three. But if we want to grow, if we want that game changer, we've got to realize we have value, we have stories. We might need a coach to help us dig that out. That's normal, that's okay. But we've got to start speaking from our own experience. So I love reminding people, hey, if you want to be a better speaker, go fail more, go make more mistakes. That way you can speak from that experience. That's what the audience wants from you. It's not the speech you give, it's the life you live.

Love that.

So if you want to give a better speech, live a better life, live more of a struggle, take some more risks and then report back from that. But now the story's gonna come from a deeper place, so your seeds are gonna be planted more deeply in the hearts and the minds of your audience.

Yeah, I love that. One last thought, Darren. I know in the business world, I've been told several times, hey, you gotta fake it till you make it. The right car, dress the right way, you gotta look the part and that's fine. And some speakers will look the part and they'll look the part for a long time, but after a while, the layers kind of fall off and then empty shells inside. They don't want to see that. I don't say fake it till you make it, fail it till you make it. As you said, make the mistakes, have the experiences, keep track of them. What did I learn here? And then bring that to table. And that makes not just your presentation, but that makes you more appealing. And chances are you will be that much more unforgettable.

Yeah. That's why we see some people say in the Toastmasters world. And this again, if you're listening to this, we're trying to help corporate presenters, professional speakers, entrepreneurs, pastors, but Mark and I come from the Toastmasters world, so sometimes we reference that because that's the world in which we grew up. And there's some people who will put four motivational quotes, none of them theirs, in a seven minute speech.

Yes.

And again you gotta start somewhere. And people say, but Darren, you used a Brian Tracy quote in your championship speech. Yes, but understand the difference, the world class difference. I talked about how I live my life. Then I heard the Brian Tracy quote. So the Brian Tracy quote was a game changer for me. And then how I lived my life after, how my life was different because I applied that quote. It isn't just me using a quote book trying to be profound when it's a quote that everybody else heard. Most other people heard the great quotes. That's why they're great. They're unforgettable, but they're unforgettable. So when the audience hears you say it, you're forgettable or it becomes cliche. Anything to add to that one?

Well, you pointed it very clear. It becomes cliche unless you, you apply how that game changer changes you. So we encourage you live it first and out of that experience, then share your message with authenticity, with genuineness, and that will make you unforgettable.

Yeah, I want to hear how you applied the Tony Robbins story to your life, not just regurgitating it. All right, Mark, let's go to game changer number two. This was mine. This was for me. This is the whole reason I competed in the speech contest. But in the late 90s, I was trying to find story that would launch my career. And I was looking, I was trying, I was looking, I was trying. And my mentor, Dave Fitzgerald. Mark, you know the story. Dave Fitzgerald looked at me and he said, darren, stop trying to find the story that will launch your career and instead take the stories you already have and make them so good someone will pay to hear them. I had to stop and process that because I thought I had to find it. Well, it was a game changer for me to realize I had to take a story and then what do I need to add? What do I need to take it out? What's missing? How can I make this story world class? I didn't know how to do that until, of course, I met Mark Brown. And Mark, you taught me so much about storytelling and taking the stories and making. Making it so much more memorable, in fact, unforgettable. And I remember specifically one of the stories. And I'll let you tell what you gave me for advice. But when I handed you that first version of my world championship speech, you looked at it in two minutes, and in two minutes you could identify right away what was missing. That wasn't even in my sphere of understanding or knowledge. I didn't know. So it took coming to you, for you to give me the game changer. So, Mark.

Well, you know, for me, the whole idea of story, it took me a while to learn this, but in stories you need certain really key features. One is characters. And very often people will tell you stories about the characters in their speeches. They'll say, is a guy, his father, his daughter or his sister and so on. We know kind of who the characters are. But the first thing is that for me was a game changer. Putting a three dimensional person. It's not just my Uncle Joe, but it's my Uncle Joe who was a guy who always, like for the party, he's the guy who drinks too much or he's the guy who tells the funny jokes. So the audience began to see Uncle Joe not just as a name, but it began to frame a person. And the really cool part is they begin to see someone they know who might be like Uncle Joe. And they feel this affinity towards them and all of a sudden they find themselves inside the story. And that was really one key thing. And not only having the characters, but the characters speak. And you know, Darren, how many people say, they said, they say, told me that they talked about the other. Like, whoa, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. You're literally telling me a story, but are you reliving for me a story? And how did that affect you? When I say you got to don't just tell it, but relive it. Don't just give us narration. There's one key component that we talked about and that was adding the dialogue.

Having that conversation, telling the story through dialogue. So the first version of it, when I handed it to you, sounded like this. So I went, so it was about telling my parents I wanted to be a comedian. So in version one, it was. So I went home to tell my parents I wanted to be a comedian. And they were speechless. They didn't know what to say.

Blah. I didn't really go, blah.

But no, I did. Now looking back, this is me. Boring. So what Mark helped me do is bring me to the moment where I actually told my parents. And so instead of me narrating, telling you about the moment, I actually bring you to the moment where it turned into in my final speech. So I went home all excited. Mom, dad, I want to be a comedian.

Hmm.

I was met by silence.

Ouch.

And to me, just even mom, dad. So in narration, I would say I was all excited, but when you deliver the words with emotion behind them, we don't have to say it. The audience is more likely to feel it, which takes it from a good story to a great story, and it becomes more emotional for the listener.

Yeah. There's one other part that you and I talked about, Darren, when you were doing that speech contest back in 2001. And it was a concept that sometimes the best dialogue is non verbal, in that when you can show the audience what happens as opposed to telling them what happened. Well, she did this, or he said that. And there was one point in your speech where you're gonna tell the audience what happened when you're doing this comedy bit and it wasn't going very, very well, and you were telling the audience how everything worked, and you told the audience what the lady did. I said, darren, don't use dialogue. Don't just tell us there. Show us. And the difference for you was a game changer.

Amen.

By the audience reaction. And, you know, kind of. I mean, help us to see that real quick, that little scene there where you had the lady behind you doing the mimic thing. So we can kind of visualize it.

Sure. So if you've ever seen Whose Line is It Anyway? Or an improv show, you know, there's an exercise or a. A game they call it, where someone stands behind someone else and they put their arms behind their back and the person behind them puts their hands in front. So one is telling the story with their hand gestures and the other person is telling it verbally. So this was true when I was bombing one night. I went for my sure fire bit and I brought a woman up from the audience to stand behind me. And I do this bit. The more animated her hands are, the. The better the story is, the funnier it is because the gestures seem incongruous. Big word for me. Incongruous with what I'm doing. So at the same time, it then makes it funny. Well, the worst thing you could do is do nothing. And I say. I describe it as a woman stood there like an ancient statue. She didn't move. I turned her in desperation, looked over my shoulder and said, please do something with your hands.

And.

And she. So when I originally gave it to Mark, she covered my mouth. I told the audience that. Mark's like, no, no, no, no, no, Darren, they'll get that. She covered your mouth when you cover your mouth, you know, So I needed that as well. Since I've learned this from Mark, I'm never the same. It was a game changer. I'm a better storyteller now because of what I learned from Mark and. And because of my animated style. It went with me even better than most because I have this ability and this talent that I've nurtured over 20 years to really take on the emotion of the character. It's just one of my strengths. And for me, it was a game changer.

And a cool thing is a game changer for me. Darren first became a game changer for you, and we're hoping that, we believe that these game changers that we've experienced can also be game changers for our listening audience as well. And to help you, you become unforgettable because these tools have been so helpful to us. And, you know, it's great to want to live it. It's great to be so good at the stories that you have, but sometimes you have all these stories and they get kind of mushed together and they don't really fit and they don't really create the kind of talk you want. Which brings us to game changer number three, Darren. And you spoke about that before in one of our previous podcasts. And it's a good structure and you have cracked the code and gotten some help, some great secrets about having a good structure that changed your game as well.

Yeah. When we first get started, and I know this is in the pastor world too, tell them what you're going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them, which is a structure. It's a very simple, basic structure. And there's nothing wrong with that structure. It's not world class. That's the problem with it. And then I started hearing from a lot of great speaker teachers, mentors, Tell a story, make a point, tell another story, make another point, tell another story, make another point, and that's better. But it's not world class. Why? Because we're not organizing the stories to work together, to unite for one clear, strong message. So again, that's like middle act advice. So in my world, opening act, middle act and headliner. Opening act. Tell them what you're gonna tell them, Middle act, tell a story, make a point. And it wasn't until 2001 when, and I had heard Patricia Fripp say this before, I just wasn't ready for the game changer. But when she put a visual up of her story structure, her world class story structure, I could hear the choirs of angels, Mark. And I instantly got it because I had been a speaker for seven years, so I had a lot of learning. But it didn't all come together as that game changer until I saw her vision visual. And now you and I teach not only Pastors how to create a sermon that sticks based on that structure, with Patricia's permission. But also you and I do a two day event called Unforgettable Presentations. And that's kind of what birthed this podcast that we love this. We have fun with this. And this is like our ninja skill as well as our passion, helping people who get that privilege of the platform.

What's really cool is I remember one of your clients had said she had hit the wall and then she found out how to do it. Oh, my gosh, it was such a relief. Yeah. Just understanding how structure can change that. Having our conversation with pastors also, after only a couple of weeks, you're hearing them say, oh, my gosh, we were never taught this in seminary or in school, how to create this kind of structure. So we're helping all kinds of people. Having the right structure and a good structure for us has been a game changer, and we're thrilled to share that with our friends and our clients and those who work with us as well. It's really, really key, you know, Darren, Having a good story, having a good structure, having the idea of really being excellent and giving a presentation that the audience remembers, that's all great. But it made me think of a game changer that we both had to really think about. And I want to classify as number four right now. That's a mindset. A mindset that gets you ready to present, not just, okay, got to give a speech right now. I'm going to forget everything else, I'm going to go on stage and deliver the speech. But it's really much bigger than that. It goes to things like, why do I want to make this speech? Why is this message important? How can I best serve my audience? And the thoughts that goes through our head not just before we present, but before we prepare, as we get ready, when we get to the stage and afterwards, what do we do? What do we provide afterwards that will not only support what we've done before, but really help our audiences to take that and move forward in their own careers as a result of hearing it. It's not just one thing. It really covers a broader spectrum of the speaking experience. How do you handle the whole mindset thing?

Mindset is a challenge for you. If you freak out five minutes before you present, go back to episode number 12. We have a whole episode just on mindset, but we say, skill set without mindset will leave your audience upset. Skill set without mindset will leave them upset. So what do you do? How do you handle that? So I have four questions that I ask myself right before I go on stage. But like you're saying, Mark, you've got to have this mindset before you prepare so that you prepare better after the fact, thinking of what changes you can make for next time to make it even better. What follow up tools or guidelines or handouts or webinars? What follow up experiences could you give to your listeners to continue the growth, to continue the application of that presentation that you gave? So the four questions I asked myself is, number one, am I present? Am I right here, right now with this audience? Number two, what is my intent? What is my intent? And it should be audience focused. Number three, will I have fun? If we want the audience to have fun, then it starts with us. And then the fourth one, who came from Willie Jolly, another episode, one of our mentors, someone who helped us early on, he said, ask yourself this question. How would I give this presentation if I knew it was my last one ever? And these four questions ground us. Get rid of all that noise in the background and laser focus us on that presentation for that audience in that moment, in that situation, under that setting, to deliver the best we can under those circumstances.

You know, Darren, what's really cool is that last one that Willie gave you. If you recall, when you and I got together for your contest speech, I gave you a bit of a challenge. I said, find a child in your life. Think about this. What message? If you were to die tomorrow, what would you tell that child? What advice would you give that child? Because you were trying to pinpoint, laser pinpoint the exact message of your presentation. And when I gave you that little exercise, Darren, don't answer right away. Take two days and really think about this with the mindset of I want to give this child my best. Tell us again what you went through in your, in your mind as you did the exercise.

Well, it forced me to go deeper. It forced me to just write down the cliche ideas that everyone else did. But they were lessons that I learned. But they weren't necessarily the most important lesson, the passion, the one that's connected to my own. Why? So it was good to write them down just to get them out. But when you said, you gotta only pick one, that's when I looked through the three and a half pages and I came to, if I could only give my nephew this one, this message, it would be that you can get whatever you want if you're willing to fail. And so that became the working title of Ouch. Now known as Ouch Speech. But it was because of your question and because of my mindset that I wanna do this right. I don't want any regret. So it forced me to go deeper. And it's not easy. But once you find that message, once you get clear on that you come from a deeper place, you don't worry, oh, I have a pimple today. Who cares? Get out of that. Like, that's like, who cares? No one in the audience is going to notice the pimple unless you're boring and they don't have anything else to focus on. They should be focused on themselves and their own growth and the message they're going to get from you. The pimple is about you. Our message needs to be for them.

You know, Darren, that is so true. But there's also something else. Your last line was, our message should be for them. We can't take that too lightly. Let's sit here for a second and think about this. Your message should be for them. I often tell my clients, it's okay to tell your story. Don't think you're being egotistical. It's about you, but it's for them. It's about you, but it's for them. And when your mindset is not one of, I'm going to deliver the greatest speech in the world. I'm going to upstage Tony Robbins. I'm going to be so good, they're going to remember me and forget everybody else. That's a selfish motivation. It's the wrong mindset to have. I said to you, Darren, when you were competing, I said, darren, you have the privilege of 2,000 lives for seven minutes. What will you do with that? And I know whenever I stand to present, you talk to my wife, Andrea. I know it's coming. And I said to my wife, honey, what will I say to these good people? And she always says, oh, honey, you'll be fine. You're gonna be rich. But I go through that ritual with her because deep down, I know I want to serve my audience. It's not about me if I'm thinking about my button or my jacket is not perfectly shined. Get over yourself, okay? You're there to provide a service and to bless the audience. And when you do, when your mindset is upon serving your audience, your performance is different, your presentation is different, your attitude is different. And guess what? Your audience can see it and they can feel it. So the mindset must be, how can I best serve my audience? Be they 20 or 20,000? And I will go to my grave proclaiming that That's a key part of having the right mindset that will make you unforgettable.

So if that's important to you, you're working on that, please go back to episode number 12 where Mark and I do a whole episode just on that. All right, Mark, game changer number five. This was one of my favorite because I didn't even know what it was. I saw it out there in the world and I resonated with it when a presenter would do this, but I didn't really have a label for it, but I just knew, like, ooh, as a visual learner, this works for me in the audience. Well, sometimes we are a better teacher at the learning style that we have. So number five, game changer number five for me was learning illustrations, learning how to create them and how to deliver them in an unforgettable way. So, Mark, you know, I got invited to do the opening for the Toastmasters convention before Patricia Fripp. And they wanted me to talk about open it up. That you know, open up, be a sponge, learn sponge. My word, not theirs, but to be open to the learning from this conference. So I have a favorite illustration that I created which was using my three bowls of water and my magic trick that I got for $12 online. But it made my point sticky. And as I worked on that illustration and worked it out, I found another part of it was actually even better that when I talked about putting your brain in an ego bag and bouncing it up and down in the water and not absorbing anything, that became the stickiest point of the illustration. And then when I did my accredited speaker speech, I used the illustration of if you could go Back to the 8 year old, you. And I had two children's chairs on the stage and I put it on a different side and I used a little bit of music. And I had this little conversation with eight year old Darren. Me personally understanding and realizing the power of illustrations, that was big for me.

I must say two things really here about that. One, you don't realize, Darren, I've known you almost 20 years. Is that right? Oh, my goodness. And your use of illustrations is something that changed for you from my perspective as your coach. And it really has been a game changer for you. That's the first thing I want to tell you right now. You get better and better and better at it. And number two, by being being on stage with eight year old Darren, you've just now spoiled it for everybody else except Mike Rayburn, the hologram king. You have pretty much spoiled it for Everybody else, because you have become so good at finding a tool that works with your style, your personality, and it was a game changer for you. It has increased your value, your impact. And I'm saying, man, I love what you're doing now because you found something that worked for you. That's not really my strong suit. Okay. But I realized when you find something that can be your game changer and you apply it, oh, it's fantastic. I use more props and illustrations. I use props that are small, like a Kleenex or a chair. I've used vcr. That's right, VCR tape as a prop, but it was very effective. Don't be afraid to use aids that support you, but don't overtake you. It could be a prop, an illustration, your visual aids, anything. Ex pastors often do what they call illustrated sermons, and they have people actually come on stage. They do demonstrations that are really effective in bringing forth the message. And my pastor is doing more of those every single week. Now. If it works for you, you. And it can be a game changer. Use it, try, test it, fail, get better, perfect it, and let this game changer be a game changer for you as well.

And I might even bring up, though Mark, that I'm going to disagree with you. Game on.

Put them on. Put them on. Put them up.

I think your singing is an illustration in a way. Maybe it's not. Maybe you don't define it that way, but I thought it was a great illustration because you talked in your world championship speech about Beauty and the Beast, which is a musical which you brought to life with your illustration of you singing. So we could go back and forth whether it's an illustration or not, but it's something that works for you. I would not sing that's not my. Unless I was trying to show karaoke and how bad, how passion without talent is bad.

But, man, you're so funny.

And if you want to focus on illustrations, if you like illustrations, if you think that might be a game changer for you, go back to episode number 13 where Vince, my pastor and our friend, is. That's his ninja skill set, too. I think that's one of the things I like about him. And we went deep on using a concrete brick and a sledgehammer. I don't want to give that away, but check out episode 13. If illustrations is something that resonates with you, chances are whatever resonates with us personally or our style, chances are that could become, if we develop it, one of our unforgettable Game changer skills have to agree.

Now, Darren, I gotta say one more thing real quick here. I know people tune into our podcast and they hear about un unforgettable presentations and most people think it's about, you know, a 45 minute keynote or a 30 minute speech or a toastmaster speech. We want our friends to understand. We also want to support those who do longer programs, two or three day workups. Because you and I, we do two day programs every year, several times. And one of the game changers for me, venturing into the world of longer.

Workshops, number six, if you're keeping track. Number six.

Number six. That's right. Because my background is keynotes. But thanks to Darren, the student became the teacher and we got to do more two day programs together. And number six is what are the game changers that really helped me to function within a two day workshop environment as opposed to a 35 to 45 minute keynote. And I learned that instructions are the heartbeat of workshops. Not just instructions, but very clear instructions. In a keynote, I don't need to do that, I just do my thing. But in a workshop, it's a different environment. And you are so much more better at this than I am. Tell us your perspective on number six.

Well, since I've done workshops since 1998, I did learn it the hard way. I would explain an exercise and then send the audience off to do it. And I would see half of them confused. What does he mean? What did he say? How do you do that? So I learned it over time, but when I got it, when it finally sunk in that, look, training is different from a 1 hour or 45 minute presentation. Vastly different. And so it was only a couple years ago that the game changer hit me and I realized stories are the heartbeat of a one hour presentation. Instructions are the heartbeat of a two day training, of a one day training, of a half a day training. Because if we're gonna get them to do something, the something is the experience that will give them the aha that we can do, as Ed Tate says, a debrief on the experience. Well, if the experience is the wrong experience or if the experience is confusing, well, then it's because our instructions were not clear. And just like you and I say all the time, Mark, if the audience isn't clear, it doesn't work for them. It doesn't matter how good, how passionate, how energetic we are. The clarity of the message is so important. So for two day training, the clarity of the instruction is actually even more important because they're about to do a exercise or an experience.

And what's cool is we got to learn also from our buddy, fellow world champion, fellow CSP Ed Tate. And that is his ninja skill, the workshop. And having learned from him and getting to work with Darren, the idea of being very clear with instructions, I'll tell you when that became a true game changer for me. It was 2016 when Darren and I were hired to do two days of management training for training for managers in Kiev, Ukraine, in English. For people for whom English was second and third language. It was a wonderful experience. They loved us, we loved them. But the truth of the need for clarity in instruction, that came through in spades there in Kyiv. We had a fantastic time. But having learned that game changer and applied it before we even began to market ourselves internationally was so helpful. And Kyiv was an experience I will not forget, because everyone got it. Everyone got it. And the game changers worked for us. Darren, any memories of Kyiv?

Yeah, I think also in retrospect, the clarity of our instruction was so important. So you and I spent a lot of time going over the workshop, going over each point to get it clearer. Why? Because for several of the executives in front of us, English was not even their first language. So they had to also translate, which muddies the water a little bit. So you and I had to be super clear. But it was so much fun. And seeing the ahas in the audience's mind, that's what you and I love, and that's why we do what we do at this level. It's just. It's fun for us, and it's kind of silly for the rest of my family. They don't get why it's fun for us, but that's okay. They have their place, their skills, we have ours. So, Mark, let's go to game changer number seven. Go ahead.

Now. Game changer number seven is this. Simply put, your story matters. And I don't want to jump away from workshop just right away, Darren, because you and I have also done these workshops for companies in America where they want to tell their story from a corporate perspective. We did one in California several months ago, and we wanted to understand, even in business, your story matters. In Ukraine, we got the participants there, Managers, managers, to tell their stories in English from the platform when they began, kind of closed off. I'm not going to go on stage. I'm not going to speak. But with our support and help, they began to tell their stories in English from their platform. So we've seen it happen in the usa and abroad as well. We speak all over the world. And when people are able to embrace the truth that their story matters, what happens is more of them begins to come out. They speak less of the famous people like Barack Obama, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King. We hear all those stories. But as they begin to share their stories and their experience experiences, we see the audience begin to lean in. That had to hit me first. I mean, when I was competing in 1994 for the first time in Toastmasters, I was going to do this great speech about the power of words and I was going to quote Winston Churchill with, fight them on the fields and fight them. And a dear friend, Mark lavere, the fellow Toastmaster speaker, pulled me aside and gave me this game changing advice. He said, mark, you don't want to hear about Churchill. Your story is important. Your story matters. Tell us more about you and your experience. And that was a huge game changer for me. I went to that contest, the world championship, and I did not win a trophy, but I had gained such an understanding that one year later, and one mentor, David Brooks, world champion 1990 later, I was a different presenter on stage in 95 than I was in 94. And that one truth became a game changer for me. Since then, I won the world title. Thankful for that. But ever since then, I've been telling my stories and teaching people how to tell theirs in more powerful ways. And Darren did just that in 01. Told his story, his experience, his failure, his lesson learned, his life changed. And he has been transforming the world as well because he understands. And we want you to understand that your story matters, Gary.

And you've got a great quote about that, Mark.

Your life tells a story and there's someone out there who needs to hear it, not wants to hear it, who needs to hear it. Your story matters.

Yeah. One of the biggest challenges you and I see out there, especially for emerging presenters, is they don't believe in the value of their own stories and they don't think they have any of their own stories. If you want to see how to do that, you can go check out storytellingwebinar.com it's a free webinar that Mark and I have offered. You can go on anytime. But storytellingwebinar.com go check that out because you will see you have more stories than you ever thought possible right inside you. And a lot of people don't know where to look or they devalue their own value in their own stories. And it's really the fact that they gotta find them. They've got to pull them out and then they've got to work on them. Just like we said in Game Changer number two, make your story so good someone will pay to hear them. And you just, you can't figure that out alone. You've got to find a different teacher, whether it's Mark and me or somebody else. Find a world class teacher, find a world class coach. Stories are so important to create unforgettable.

Presentations, you know, and sadly, Darren, to this day I still have people who talk to me about their speeches and their stories and they say, you know, but Mark, I got a really great, I don't have a great story, man. My life is kind of boring, you know. Yeah, I know. You can see Aaron's face, like he's gritting his teeth. Darren is now shaking the fist of fury because, listen, it's not about being sensational. One of my Mark Brown isms is your story doesn't have to be sensational, it just has to be sincere. And the reason is simply this. Your audience, 99% of your audience is you. And your story will connect with them, it'll resonate with them and they'll say, yes, she knows what my life is like. Yeah, he understands my experience. And because of that commonality, then they will be more ready to listen to you. They'll remember what you said, they'll respond to what you say, they'll do what you ask them to do because they see that you and they are that much more similar. Not all of us are going to cut our arm off in a ravine somewhere or, you know, fly to the moon or. We don't all have these sensations, sensational experiences, but the everyday ones that trip us up, desiring to succeed, having a failure in business, you know, having a bad relationship, all of these things people have used and shared and connected and that's what's important. So don't devalue. As Darren says, do not, please do not devalue your story or your contribution because that's what people need to hear. Your story matters.

Yeah, Mark, two quick examples that go perfectly with your quote that you have a story to tell and someone needs to hear it. So, for example, number one, I was doing a storytelling workshop with Craig Valentine in Australia and sometimes people put us on a pedestal much higher than we deserve. And this one gentleman, he was a engineer and he came to us and he said, but, you know, I haven't won the world championship, why would anyone listen to me? And we're like, wait a minute, if you're Going to speak how to present better in technical talks. Any technical engineer would rather hear it from you than from me. Because even though I have a plastic piece of Lucite back there, I've never lived in their world. So this gentleman had a perspective unique to a specific audience that they really want to hear it more from him because they know he knows the same challenges he went up to when he's talking to managers or people in the front line, like it's a different challenge. So I can't relate to that. So there's an audience out there for you and your story. Another quick example. We talked to Vince about this, but Vince, who's a guy who grew up not knowing God, not even understanding the idea or concept, just wasn't in his world. And his dad was a con artist and was ended up being caught on America's Most Wanted. His dad was a gambler. And so he ended up coming to Vegas and he realized his goal was to reach people who were far from God. Well, they could relate more to his story than my story. Growing up with June and Ward Cleaver in the Catholic world because we have different stories. But some people need to hear mine. When I talk to people now because I consider myself more a follower of Christ now than a Catholic. When I can talk to Catholics because of my background more than Vince could. But Vince can reach people who are farther from God and didn't know it. And they could resonate with his life story because of what it was compared to theirs. So there's that relatable thing. So people with similar experiences are going to relate more to your story than other people's stories. Mark, anything else on number seven?

Man, that is so powerful. I'm gonna let it sit right there. I am so thrilled we get to discuss these game changers. And I would encourage everyone to think about what has changed your game. What can you share with your audience that changed your game that could change their game as well?

Aaron, if you love game changers, if you're looking for a game changer to get to the next level, Mark and I are doing an event coming up in Las Vegas. You can join us live or virtual called Stage Time Live Game Changers. We're bringing in seven game changing coaches. So Mark and me and five other coaches that each have their ninja skill set. Ford Sakes, Kevin Burke, Ed Tate, Jennifer Le, Mark Eaton, who is another episode like seven foot four.com check it out. He was an NBA all star player, but he does a great keynote on four commitments and we're Gonna sit down with him after he does his keynote. Mark, you don't even know this. We're gonna sit down with him and have a conversation about how his game changing happened along the way to get it to where it is now. So again, stagetimelive.com check it out. Join Mark and me live or virtually in Las Vegas. Cause we. Two days, one time a year, two days. We get all the stagetown faculty together. And now we're adding Jennifer Lear and Mark Eaton to that mix for this event specifically. So join us. We would love to have you live or virtually connected to us in Las Vegas. Two days. That will be a game changer in your career.

Darren, this has been a real thrill for me and I can't wait to join you for that event with those game changers.

I always learn from it too. That's why I love surrounding myself with these coaches. I walk away and I'm taking notes. Watch Ed Tate. Ed Tate will take more notes than any of us.

Yeah, he does. And he really is the master of the workshop. I mean, Jennifer Lear, former Las Vegas headliner Kevin Burke, Las Vegas headliner Mark Eaton, NBA all star. Man, I'm going to be learning probably more than I'm sharing at that event.

Well, think about it too. Jennifer Lear owns a stage speakers bureau. Like most presenters who want to do this for a living, how cool would it be to sit down and listen to somebody who's in control of the clients and hiring the speakers that she puts in front of those clients? You know, I sponge as much from her as I can. In fact, I'm building a whole new website based on some of the recommendations she gave me. So she's a game changer for me.

Oh, definitely. I mean, for sakes, a business guru and a business game changer. Yeah. We invite you to really think about what will it take for you to be a game changer. And when you forget these game changers and begin to apply them, you can truly be unforgettable. Darren, it's been great hanging out with you today, man. I'm telling you, I want to read.

We have any keepers? Keepers from today.

I love this one. It's not the speech you give, it's the life you live. It's not the speech you give, it's the life you live. That's really, really key for me. One of them is also from Fitzgerald. Stop trying to find that game changing story, but take the ones you have and make them so good, somebody will pay to hear them. That, to me, was game changing advice. Another one is this Skill set without mindset leaves your audience upset. Skill set without mindset leaves your audience upset. These are key keepers for me from this episode and I would encourage you to remember one more thing. Your story matters. So tell your story. Somebody needs to hear it.

All right, we'll see you on stage or online. Thank you, Mark Brown.

Thank you, buddy. God bless.

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