I have been given a fascinating assignment.
Henry DeVries invited me to moderate a UCLA masterclass, Speak and Get Paid, interviewing five legends whose expertise spans voice, comedy, business, storytelling, speaking, writing, and publishing. They are:
Arthur Samuel Joseph, an internationally recognised authority on the power of the human voice and author of Vocal Power.
Judy Carter, brilliant comedian, speaker, and author of The New Comedy Bible.
Mark LeBlanc, Hall of Fame speaker, renowned business expert, and past president of the National Speakers Association. Author of Growing Your Business.
Michael Hauge, Hollywood story consultant, lecturer to writers and filmmakers, and author of Storytelling Made Easy.
And Henry DeVries, bestselling author, business journalist, ghostwriter, cofounder of Indie Books International and author of How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett.
Then Henry added an intriguing suggestion:
“I want you to be our James Lipton.”
James Lipton, longtime host of Inside the Actors Studio, was known for the depth of his preparation. He researched his guests extensively and arrived with his famous stack of blue index cards.
What interests me most is that Lipton wasn’t simply interviewing famous actors. He was exploring their craft.
How did they become good?
Who influenced them?
What happened before their success?
What mistakes did they make?
What did they learn that changed the way they worked?
Those are exactly the questions I want to explore with five accomplished professionals.
And as I prepare, I see several parallels between Lipton’s interviewing technique and the advice I give speakers.
Preparation creates connection
Lipton knew his guests.
Professional speakers need to know their audiences.
Who are they? What do they care about? What do they already know? What challenges are they facing? What language do they use?
Never confuse delivering the same presentation with delivering the same words.
Specificity builds credibility
Lipton was famous for asking questions so specific that guests were sometimes astonished he knew the details.
Speakers need the same discipline.
Don’t say, “Early in my career.”
Say, “Three weeks into my first management position…”
Don’t tell us you were nervous. Help us see where you were, who was there, and what happened.
Specificity builds credibility—and creates pictures in the audience’s mind.
Find the moment
A good interviewer does not settle for, “That experience taught me the importance of persistence.”
Neither should a good speaker.
What happened that taught you persistence?
Take us there. Stories live in moments, not summaries.
Prepare, and then listen
Lipton prepared extensively, yet he still listened.
Speakers must do the same.
Rehearse thoroughly enough to be free to be present. Pay attention to the audience. Notice their reactions. Allow yourself to respond to what is happening in the room.
Make your audience the center of your presentation
Perhaps this is the greatest parallel.
Lipton’s research wasn’t designed to make Lipton look intelligent. It helped his guests reveal something worth hearing.
Our presentations should work the same way.
The audience does not need to know everything we know. They need to hear what will be most valuable to them.
That is the approach I will take when I sit down with five legends at UCLA.
My job is not to have all the answers.
My job is to ask questions good enough to uncover them.
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