Executive Speaking Success

Talking about your success can be strangely tricky.

I think a lot of leaders feel this tension.

On one hand, people need to know what you’ve done.

People aren't reading the "newspaper of you." They don't know what you’ve done, what you’ve achieved, or why they should trust you.

But on the other hand, the moment a story starts sounding like:

“Look how amazing I am…” people quietly pull away.

I was thinking about this recently while reflecting on my years doing debate and public speaking in high school.

Now technically, I could tell that story through the lens of results.

The tournaments. The wins. The success.

But, that’s not the part that made the real difference for me.

The part I remember most vividly was our coach, DL Smith.

He was intense, hilarious, unforgettable, and completely committed to us.

If we wanted to stay late and work, he stayed. He believed in us. He pushed us. He cared deeply.

Totally by accident: I had a great coach, and I was coachable.

That was the process. That was the difference. And that’s the lesson:

When you share a success, don’t just tell people the result.

Show them the people, principles, and practices that made the result possible.

That’s what makes your story inspiring instead of self-congratulatory.

That’s what makes people trust you instead of pulling away.

And that’s what helps people see the deeper value you bring as a leader, speaker, and human being.

One framework I love is:

Result → Process → Lesson

It completely changes how success stories reach your audience.

I love BANKSY.

I FAILED on stage and coached 12,000+ leaders.

There are 5 speaking habits with a 0% return:

1. Practicing your talk word for word in the mirror.
2. Memorizing every slide.
3. Recording yourself and then beating yourself up for 45 minutes.
4. Reading every public speaking book ever written.
5. Watching yourself on video and somehow feeling worse afterward.

These 5 habits made a MASSIVE difference:

1. I stopped trying to be a great speaker and started trying to be a great communicator. Completely different thing.

2. I watched 100s of TED Talks not to copy them but to understand WHY the great ones worked. The answer was always neuroscience.

3. I made a fool of myself on stage so many times that failure became less scary and started being data.

4. I gave everything I learned away for free first. The generosity always came back tenfold.

5. I stopped asking "how do I look?" and started asking "how do they feel?" That one question changed everything. (HINT: this one is MASSIVE!)

The first 5 are not wrong.

But the second 5 changed my career.

Which one hits closest to home for you?

PS: The neuroscience behind #2 and #5 is exactly what I broke down in my FREE 7 Keys framework.

Want it?👇

Here you go:
https://info.executivespeakingsuccess.com/7-brain-based-keys-to-speaking-success-7248

IT'S FREE, LEADERS 👇

Here’s the link: https://info.executivespeakingsuccess.com/7-brain-based-keys-to-speaking-success-7248

I just gave away my entire speaking framework for FREE.

Comment 7 KEYS and I'll share it as a link for the next 24 hrs.

- I coached a NASA astronaut. He nailed it.
- I coached a Johnson & Johnson exec. She got a standing ovation.
- I coached Dolph Lundgren. Yes. THAT Dolph Lundgren.

12,000+ leaders coached.

100% of them had no idea their brain was working against them on stage.

In this framework I break down the leading keys and leading brain hacks you need to know.

It’s yours for free 'cause you showed up today. Good job!: https://info.executivespeakingsuccess.com/7-brain-based-keys-to-speaking-success-7248