Why are we listening to you?

This month we’re talking about what makes a great communicator. Skills for sure. Quality of content, absolutely. But there’s a third component that gets overlooked: attitude and intention.

I say this sentence multiple times a week: Every talk you give should be a GIFT, not a performance.

What’s more precious than our time and our attention? We are giving it to you, whether we’re listening to you on a podcast while chopping vegetables, sitting in an overly air-conditioned convention center ballroom for your keynote, or watching you on CNBC.

We are giving you something immeasurably valuable. What are you giving us??

We are living in chaotic times. Do you have a perspective that will help us navigate these next months successfully?

Can you describe an intractable problem in my industry that I thought I was facing alone and show me how others have successfully solved it?

Do you have a framework to help me make tough decisions? Resources that I may not have found on my own? Empathy I can feel from the stage?

What does your audience need, fear, hope for the most right now? How does what YOU are going to say help them address it?

If you are focused on us and our biggest problems with a sincere desire to work with us to solve them, we feel your intention. We see your attitude. We are happy to give you our attention.