Public Speaking Lessons From the First Knight
I recently watched the movie First Knight.
One of the key characters, Lancelot [played by Richard Gere], is a skilled swordsman who travels from town-to-town, dueling all challengers in sword fights to win money.
Everywhere he goes, he wins these battles.
At one stop, a townsman asks "Lancelot, will you teach me your secrets so I can be like you.
" Lancelot replied, "Do you really want to know my secrets, my good man?" The man said, "I do.
I'll do whatever it takes.
" After a long pause, Lancelot said, "There are 3 keys to winning: 1) Know your opponent.
2) Fight with confidence.
3) Have no concern of whether you live or die.
" With that, the townsman turned and walked away.
What does this have to do with storytelling? More than you might think.
Lancelot's three keys parallel three keys to presenting before any audience: 1) Know your audience.
Far too often, people walk into presentations not knowing anything about the people they're about to speak to.
Whether you're in a one-on-one sales situation, you're a keynote speaker, or a trainer, when you know your audience, you dramatically increase your odds of connecting and giving points that last long beyond your presentation.
Additionally, just like in sword fighting, if you know where your audience may 'strike,' you can be prepared.
You'll be ready if they disagree with you and challenge you.
For example, if you're a financial advisor telling a story about a deceased client whose family was saved because she owned life insurance, you may get people who say that you're just using that story to manipulate their emotions, or that your client's story is unusual and not likely to happen to them.
Having responses prepared will help you deal with those types of encounters.
2) Speak with confidence.
Much like the swordsman, when you show confidence, you let the audience know that you believe in what you're doing, and that you can accomplish what you came to do.
How do you build confidence? There are two keys: - Only speak about subjects for which you have great passion and knowledge.
- Prepare.
Prepare.
Prepare.
This means practice, get feedback, and make adjustments.
This preparation will help you internalize your message.
When you know your presentation 'cold,' you are more likely to be 'in the moment' during your talk - you'll be able to handle the unexpected question, adjust the length of your speech when the meeting planner changes the amount of time you have to speak, or your audience simply isn't responding to you.
Preparation builds confidence.
3) No one has ever died from giving a speech.
When you're giving a story, you don't have to quite go as far as Lancelot's admonition to 'not care whether you live or die.
' However, if you're willing to go before an audience and not care about the outcome, you can make a deep connection.
What does this mean? Many presenters step before an audience with an agenda - perhaps it's to win a contract with a prospective client; to win a speech contest; or, to persuade people to their way of thinking about a controversial subject.
In each of these cases, there is an element of 'competition'.
If the client doesn't sign the contract, the judges don't award the speaker the winning trophy, or the audience doesn't change their minds about that controversial subject, the speaker often feels as if s/he has lost.
The ego is too involved in the outcome.
What if instead, you gave your presentation or shared your story with the mindset that you can't lose what you don't have? In the examples above, the presenter didn't have the contract, the trophy, or the agreement of the audience before giving the presentation.
If she was able to achieve any of these three positive outcomes, she would've gained something.
If not, she's no worse off than before she spoke.
Adopting this mindset can dramatically improve your impact on an audience.
They sense that you're there to share a message, and not worried about an outcome.
They'll be more relaxed because they'll sense your sincerity, and that you have their interest at heart.
Every time you stand before an audience, you're not involved in a sword duel.
The audience wants you to succeed and walk away with something of value.
Adopt the three keys of Sir Lancelot, and your message will give them what they want.
One of the key characters, Lancelot [played by Richard Gere], is a skilled swordsman who travels from town-to-town, dueling all challengers in sword fights to win money.
Everywhere he goes, he wins these battles.
At one stop, a townsman asks "Lancelot, will you teach me your secrets so I can be like you.
" Lancelot replied, "Do you really want to know my secrets, my good man?" The man said, "I do.
I'll do whatever it takes.
" After a long pause, Lancelot said, "There are 3 keys to winning: 1) Know your opponent.
2) Fight with confidence.
3) Have no concern of whether you live or die.
" With that, the townsman turned and walked away.
What does this have to do with storytelling? More than you might think.
Lancelot's three keys parallel three keys to presenting before any audience: 1) Know your audience.
Far too often, people walk into presentations not knowing anything about the people they're about to speak to.
Whether you're in a one-on-one sales situation, you're a keynote speaker, or a trainer, when you know your audience, you dramatically increase your odds of connecting and giving points that last long beyond your presentation.
Additionally, just like in sword fighting, if you know where your audience may 'strike,' you can be prepared.
You'll be ready if they disagree with you and challenge you.
For example, if you're a financial advisor telling a story about a deceased client whose family was saved because she owned life insurance, you may get people who say that you're just using that story to manipulate their emotions, or that your client's story is unusual and not likely to happen to them.
Having responses prepared will help you deal with those types of encounters.
2) Speak with confidence.
Much like the swordsman, when you show confidence, you let the audience know that you believe in what you're doing, and that you can accomplish what you came to do.
How do you build confidence? There are two keys: - Only speak about subjects for which you have great passion and knowledge.
- Prepare.
Prepare.
Prepare.
This means practice, get feedback, and make adjustments.
This preparation will help you internalize your message.
When you know your presentation 'cold,' you are more likely to be 'in the moment' during your talk - you'll be able to handle the unexpected question, adjust the length of your speech when the meeting planner changes the amount of time you have to speak, or your audience simply isn't responding to you.
Preparation builds confidence.
3) No one has ever died from giving a speech.
When you're giving a story, you don't have to quite go as far as Lancelot's admonition to 'not care whether you live or die.
' However, if you're willing to go before an audience and not care about the outcome, you can make a deep connection.
What does this mean? Many presenters step before an audience with an agenda - perhaps it's to win a contract with a prospective client; to win a speech contest; or, to persuade people to their way of thinking about a controversial subject.
In each of these cases, there is an element of 'competition'.
If the client doesn't sign the contract, the judges don't award the speaker the winning trophy, or the audience doesn't change their minds about that controversial subject, the speaker often feels as if s/he has lost.
The ego is too involved in the outcome.
What if instead, you gave your presentation or shared your story with the mindset that you can't lose what you don't have? In the examples above, the presenter didn't have the contract, the trophy, or the agreement of the audience before giving the presentation.
If she was able to achieve any of these three positive outcomes, she would've gained something.
If not, she's no worse off than before she spoke.
Adopting this mindset can dramatically improve your impact on an audience.
They sense that you're there to share a message, and not worried about an outcome.
They'll be more relaxed because they'll sense your sincerity, and that you have their interest at heart.
Every time you stand before an audience, you're not involved in a sword duel.
The audience wants you to succeed and walk away with something of value.
Adopt the three keys of Sir Lancelot, and your message will give them what they want.
