facial expressions, your arm gestures, it’s about how much you get wrapped up in your
own story and what energy you communicate to other people. A story told with little or
no energy is boring to listen to, because it lacks any sense of excitement, humor, or
purpose. A story told with a great deal of energy is easy to get wrapped up in and can
capture the imagination of anyone who’s listening to it.
When you combine these three elements, you are able to tell powerful, exciting stories no
matter what they’re about. When a person displays these three elements when they’re
speaking, some people call it “charisma.”
Look at films of some of the most charismatic world leaders, and you’ll always see these
three elements present when they address their audience. When President Kennedy gave
a speech, he spoke with confidence. When President Regan gave a speech, he spoke with
conviction. When Hitler gave a speech, he spoke with energy. You’ll see all three
elements in the speeches of these men, and when you do, you’ll understand how they
were able to lead and influence so many people.
Here’s a little exercise for you to try out. Think of the most boring and mundane story
you can, and then practice it in front of a mirror. Incorporate these three elements into
how you tell the story and look at the difference. You may find yourself adding more and
more details to the story to help you find how to place these elements into your technique,
and that’s okay. When it’s all over, you’ll see the difference.
Example: I woke up this morning and ate a bowl of cereal.
Boring story, huh? Now try telling it with Confidence, Conviction, and Energy, and see
what happens.
Example: Man, I woke up this morning soooooo hungry! My alarm clock didn’t go off,
so I must have slept until noon, which is really, really late for me, but I was up all night
watching a James Bond Marathon on TBS. So when I went to get something to eat, I
found out my roommate had eaten all the cereal, and there was nothing left to eat in my
place because we only have week-old Chinese food leftovers in the fridge (don’t ask me
why). So I went to my neighbor next door, and I guess she likes to sleep in late too
because when she opened the door she was wearing this really skimpy nightgown! When
I asked her if I could borrow some cereal, she totally thought it was a lame pick-up line
or something and started coming onto me! Now, usually I’d be into it because my
neighbor is an incredibly beautiful woman, but the thing is, I was so hungry I couldn’t
think straight! So here’s this beautiful, scantily clad woman coming onto me, and all I
can think about is Captain Crunch! Unbelievable, right? The thing is, though, she has a
boyfriend and I don’t mess around with girls who are in relationships, so I told her “No, I
really just want some cereal. I’m really hungry!” So she invites me in to have breakfast
with her, so we’re sitting there, eating cereal, laughing about how she thought I came
over to hit on her, when her boyfriend walks in and sees us sitting in our pajamas eating
breakfast! He thinks we spent the night together and were having an affair! So we try to
explain what happened and he looks like he’s going to rip my throat out, so I go back to
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