There's a lot of pressure these days to be a specialist. To "stay in your lane." To only talk about your one thing. But people are complex. We have multiple interests, perspectives, and experiences. If you only ever present one narrow slice of yourself, you start to seem shallow. Unreal. And ultimately, less trustworthy. Vincent Van Gogh put it well: "It is good to love many things, for therein lies strength." 𝗜 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. I teach communication. But I regularly draw on lessons from martial arts, filmmaking, and podcasting — all things that fascinate me and give me a library of stories to share. Those other interests don't dilute my expertise. They enrich it. They make me more relatable and more real. And if you ever have to speak on a topic you don't naturally love? Your job is to find a connection to something you do love. If you're talking about climate change but it doesn't energise you, think about your grandchildren and the world they'll inherit. If you're presenting on online advertising but it feels dry, consider how it can change the lives of entrepreneurs and their families. The passion has to come from somewhere. Find it. What's an unexpected interest that's shaped how you communicate? 😉

This morning I did a 1-hour masterclass on TEDx Success. Normally I do what I recommend to others, pick a narrow piece and go deep. But today I decided to ignore my own advice, and cover everything, a little more superficially. The idea being to introduce a number of concepts that make my framework work. I knew it would be too much information for anyone, but since it will be recorded and available to their members, I am confident it will be a resource they can return to regularly. Because there was so much there, I am sure there was something that would hit for pretty much everyone. The initial reactions were all good. I will take that as a win! 😉

Some talks went viral. Some didn't. But after a decade of watching speakers succeed and fail, the patterns are remarkably consistent. And the #1 mistake I see? 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 '𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁' 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. They explain. They summarise. They give information. But they don't take the audience on a journey. They don't make them feel what it was like to be there, to experience the moment, to wrestle with the problem. The best talks don't describe an experience — they recreate it. When a speaker shares a pivotal moment, I don't want them to tell me what happened. I want to see it. I want to feel the tension, the doubt, the breakthrough. That's the difference between a forgettable talk and one that changes how people think. If you're preparing a talk or pitch, ask yourself: Am I explaining my topic? Or am I bringing my audience into the experience of it? One informs. The other transforms. Which are you doing? 😉