"But I haven't got to the point yet." · Compelling Communicators

"But I haven't got to the point yet."

That was Guy Howard-Willis in rehearsal. I'd just stopped him mid-talk because we were running out of time.

"The point," I said, "is that you should have wrapped your conclusion by now. The next speaker is ready to walk on."

That was the moment Guy realised this wasn't like any previous engagement.

Guy spoke at TEDxRuakura in 2018. He'd invented the Manta 5 hydro bike, which was just going into production. He's garrulous, charming, comfortable talking to anyone or to a crowd. He'd spent his whole life winging it—and it had worked.

But a TEDx stage isn't a networking event. There's a timeline, other speakers, and a lot of moving parts.

The other challenge: Guy has severe dyslexia. Writing the talk just wasn't working. So we had to change our approach.

𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆.

No writing. No notes. We adjusted the structure through conversation and repetition. It was a lot of work. But once Guy committed to the approach, he put in the effort.

On the day, he wasn't word perfect. But he was himself. He brought all of his enthusiasm, hit every point we wanted to hit, and finished on time.

It was one of the most popular talks of the day.

There's a huge difference between going to a Pink concert and watching someone sing a Pink song at karaoke night. Both might have good vocals. But one has put in the preparation. One has earned the stage.

Charm and wit will get you so far. But when the stakes are high, preparation is what separates amateurs from professionals.

Have you ever tried to wing something important—and realised too late that you couldn't? 😉

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