Should I make my speech a formal presentation or an informal presentation? Folks, I'm here to tell you there is no such thing as a formal presentation or an informal presentation or a PowerPoint presentation, or a financial presentation. There are only two types of presentations in the entire world. You know what they are? That's right. It's either good or it's bad.

From the audience's perspective. The only thing they're ever thinking is, wow, this TJ, he's really boring. I'm not really gonna pay attention. Let me check my email or James over here. He's interesting. Let me pay attention.

This is useful. That's the only thing going on in your audience's mind. So great speakers adopt the mindset of their audience, not the mindset of the speaker. You've got to put yourself metaphor. In the chairs of your audience so you can experiences as they do. So here's the big problem.

When I hear someone asked you about formal versus informal, one, somebody tells themselves Oh, now giving a formal speech. They tend to make their speech awful. They tend to throw away examples, humor, case studies, interesting stories. They tend to stop moving naturally. They tend to literally stiffen up. Stand behind a lectern, or read a whole bunch of boring bullet points on a PowerPoint slide.

Now, I'm not anti PowerPoint. I use it all the time. But I don't use it in a so called formal way. I use it in an interesting, memorable way. So everything you do for your audience needs to be looked at from the standpoint of is this interesting, useful and memorable to the Rockies? Yes, I understand.

If you're with three friends having a beer, you may use curse words are certain language you wouldn't use in a boardroom setting. But beyond that, the things that make you interesting and informal conversation will also make you interesting as a speaker so don't throw it away, just because you now have to give a formal speech.