Show Notes
As speakers, our goal is to leave our audiences inspired to take action, to accomplish things, and to help them answer big questions.
But that doesn’t mean we necessarily know the answers ourselves. Dan Thurmon can attest to that, and his signature story about his mentor works on a level that everyone in the room can understand.
Not only that, but he adds it into his keynote in a truly unique way.
If you want to know more about finding your purpose, uncovering some important answers, and how to use a bookend approach to create a more powerful speech, you’re going to love this episode.
Find out about:
- How Dan uses his signature story as both the start and end of his speech
- Why fewer words and less time distil the power of your story
- Why understanding the basics is the key to advanced storytelling
- What Dan’s advice is for new and aspiring speakers
- How Dan uses props on stage – from knives to unicycles!
Quotes from the episode:
“If you can preserve the essence and the power of a story in fewer words and less time, that’s always the right answer.”
“In the 60 minute window of a keynote, every six minutes is 10% of your speech. It sounds like a lot of time, six minutes, but it can go away if you don’t use it strategically. It’s amazing how often I see a speaker use the first 6 minutes to get the feel of the audience and warm up into it.”
“New speakers tend to underestimate the learning curve and overestimate their own ability to rock the platform.”
Connect with Dan Thurmon
2 Key Questions
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about the speaking business?
“Never stop trying to get better – always consider yourself a beginner.”
Who is your dream guest for Standing Ovation?
“One is Tim Gard, I’d love to hear you talk with Tim about how he incorporates humor into his stories and how his life becomes his storybook. Knowing Tim well, I know your listeners would learn a lot.
But also Immaculée Ilibagiza – to hear of her story, which is so horrific, and the structure and the intention that she put into making it elegant, beautiful, profound, warm and moving… I’d love to know how she manages to invite people into that tragedy and transform it into something beautiful.”
