This vlog talks about identifying an angle and a perspective for your talk that will help you to stand out when you speak and to have influence.

Here’s the summary if you don’t have the opportunity to watch the video.

Stand out when you speak

I came across a really good phrase from a client the other day. She was saying, you can’t sit on the fence because you’ll get splinters. And apart from the fact that it made me chuckle, it also reminded me that when we stand up and speak in public, we can’t afford to be bland.

We can’t afford sit on the fence. Apart from the fact that we’ll get splinters, we won’t have the impact that we want to if we take a middle course, if we play it safe, if we keep our head below the parapet, if we try to please everybody that’s in our audience.

Now I’m not suggesting for a minute that we’re controversial for the sake of controversy. But I think when we pull a presentation together, we do need to know what it is that we stand for. And I often ask this of my clients.

What do you stand for?

Now sometimes, they know absolutely. And it’s really interesting that you’ll hear them go,

‘well I stand for this!’

And there’s suddenly a whole load of energy behind their voice and their bodies and within their eye contact. When they just tell you what it is that they stand for, what it is that they believe in, what they understand to be important and there’s that real rush of energy, and it’s captivating and it’s inspiring.

And that is the energy that we seek to put into their presentation because that’s the bit that will connect. That’s the bit that will give them their impact and influence.

What if you don’t know what you stand for?

Sometimes, I’ll ask that of clients and they’ll go, and they’ll have a little think about it. And then I’ll say to them,

 ‘tell me what you stand against’ 

And they’ll know. They’ll tell me exactly what they stand against. And usually, that’s a way in to what they stand for. 

The energy and focus to stand out

But either way, when you identify what you stand for and what you stand against, you access that energy within yourself. And you can use that to stand out when you speak.

You identify an angle and a perspective for your talk that will have impact and will have influence. So next time you’re going to give a presentation, ask yourself ‘What is it I stand for within this presentation?’

If you’re struggling with that, identify what it is you stand against, and let that energy in that perspective, drive your talk and allow you to deliver that in a really dynamic way.

I hope that helps. Let me know and get on.

And of course please get in touch with me if you have any questions. I’d be happy to answer them.