How Writing Stories Led to a Podcast Interview

Writing and sharing my stories on Medium and ILLUMINATION has rewarded me over and over. Not only have I discovered some great writing, but I’ve made connections and friends all over the world.

This got the attention of business consultant, professional speaker, and podcaster Tom Antion. Tom recently interviewed me on his podcast.

In this episode, I shared my favorite writing template with Tom and even created a 7-part framework for him live on the show.

Below are some of the highlights from the show as well as my story outline. In the end, you can listen to the podcast without having to leave the story.

Highlights…

Do What You Can

I try to encourage people to look within and just worry about number one and just do what you can do… it makes life so much easier… If we all do what we can do collectively, there’s a lot of good that can happen.

About Persistence

I do lots and lots of interviews and people usually ask me, well, what’s the main thing, Tom, that you can tell our folks about your success? And it was persistence and consistency and consistency to do it.

About Templates

Some people think that templates make you less creative. I think it’s just the opposite. I think they make you more creative because you start coming up with connections and solutions to words and concepts that you wouldn’t normally come up with.

As I mentioned earlier, Tom is a professional speaker. Be sure and catch the ONE template he uses for ALL of his speeches. It’s a gem! You can find it around the 19-minute mark.

 

Below is the acronym I built out for Tom. It’s the word SPEAKER. I’ve added a few comments to the outline that weren’t mentioned in the interview.

SUBJECT

This is obvious but critical. What will your speech be about? Know your topic. Is it specific to a certain time or is it universal?

 

PREPARATION

What do you need to do to prepare for your speech? Create a checklist and work your plan leading up to the speech.

 

EULOGY

This point is specific to Tom because he actually has a product that is centered around giving a eulogy speech. Talk about how to entertain your audience.

 

AUDIENCE 

Know WHO you are presenting to. What do they like, dislike? Understand what will resonate specifically with them.

 

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Have you ever been asked to give a keynote speech? How does that speech differ from other types of speeches you have given?

 

EXIT STRATEGY

Do you have a plan if there are technical issues? What if you have to cut your speech shorter than it is? Think through possible scenarios.

 

ROOM SETUP

Know the room set you will be presenting in. Where will you be in relation to the audience? Check out the sound system, lighting, etc.

As I mentioned to Tom, each one of these points could become its own article. And then bundle them into an e-book, course, or some other paid product.

As promised, you can listen to the podcast below.

 

Daily Doable: If you’re a public speaker and want a quick way to create content for your speech, grab a copy of the ACRONYM Template below.