There is no such thing as a natural public speaker or a natural storyteller. It is completely a learned behavior. I remember my first speech, and I was only 12 years old. I was a really shy kid. I mean, I was probably bottom 10% I didn't need any extra counseling, but I was always a quiet, shy kid. And one day my teacher came up to me, Mrs. Stroup, this was a Bruns Avenue Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina.

She kind of pulled me aside, almost whispered to me and said to me, that's what I went by back then. I make a deal with you. Right now. You've got all good grades except for handwriting. You've got a bad grade in handwriting. Your handwriting is not very good.

I'll make it deal with you. How would you like it? If I gave you have a in handwriting all you have to do is give the welcoming speech. To the elementary school graduation ceremony next month. Now, I barely spoke in class much less in front of all the parents and teachers and students. I had no natural ability for that at all.

But I did like the idea of getting an A instead of a bad grade for public speaking. So I said, Sure, Mister, I'll do it. And I started preparing and I wrote and rewrote the speech. And it was all created out. And I got up the day of graduation, and it kind of went like this. Welcome parents, teachers and students of bronze Avenue Elementary School.

On behalf of the students, I would like to welcome you to this graduation was not a very good speech. It didn't exactly get me a standing ovation. But you know what I got through that speech that day. Lions and tigers and bears didn't eat me. I didn't faint. I didn't collapse.

And I learned a very important lesson. If you are just willing to stand up and speak, people will give you things you'll distinguish yourself. things come your way. And I've been speaking ever since and ideally getting a little bit better ever since. Okay, so what did I do there? I just told you a little story.

Why? To make the point I wanted to make the intellectual point that nobody's born, a public speaker are born a natural storyteller. It's a learned skill, but it only takes five seconds to say that point. If you say it quickly, briefly at the abstract level, nobody remembers it. By telling a story. It makes the point, more visual.

It slows it down. It makes it more memorable. There. you're much more likely to have any impact