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Through You VIP – Mini Story

Hello VIPs and welcome to the mini story this month. Let’s get started.

Stu is the most boring speaker in the world. When he speaks he stands stiffly behind a podium and reads his notes. His voice is flat with no emotion.

What does he stand behind?

He stands behind a podium.

How does he stand behind a podium?

He stands stiffly behind a podium, so not relaxed, stiffly. He stands stiffly behind a podium.

And who stands stiffly behind a podium?

Stu. Stu stands stiffly behind a podium every time he speaks and he just reads his notes.

What is his voice like when he speaks?

His voice is very flat.

Is his voice full of emotion or is his voice very flat?

His voice is very flat. It has no emotion. When he speaks he stands stiffly behind a podium and reads his notes. His voice is flat with no emotion.

Every time he speaks to an audience they fall asleep within three minutes.

So how soon do they fall asleep after he begins?

Within three minutes. Within three minutes the audience always falls asleep.

Who falls asleep?

The audience. The audience always falls asleep.

And how soon do they fall asleep?

Well, within three minutes of the beginning of his speech they always fall asleep.

And why do they always fall asleep?

Because he’s so boring. Because his voice is flat with no emotion.

In fact, one time Stu spoke to 200 people

Well, obviously, Stu’s boss was not happy about this. And his boss talks to him one day and he says “Stu, you must take a speaking class. You must learn public speaking.”

So his boss says what to him?

His boss says “You must take a speaking class.” Who said that to Stu?

His boss. His boss told him that he must take a speaking class. His boss says “You must take a speaking class.” You must learn to speak well.

Now you’ll notice that I’m mixing the present and the past. Don’t panic, perfectly natural.

When we tell stories in English, we can and often do mix the verb tenses. See, when I’m telling the story I say “the boss says you must take a speaking class.” I want you to imagine that it’s kind of happening now, like you’re there at the moment it’s happening.

But then when I ask you a question, I said “what did the boss say”, well that’s in the past, because now I’m asking you about the story, right? It’s as if I’ve already told you that information and now I’m asking you and I’m saying it in the past because I’ve already told you that information. You don’t need to think about that. Don’t analyze it, just accept it. It’s okay. It’s natural. Don’t panic. Okay, let’s continue.

So the boss finally says “You must take a speaking class.” And so Stu joins the Dale Carnegie Speech Course.

Which course does Stu join?

He joins the Dale Carnegie Speech Course; the Dale Carnegie Company.

What course does he join?

The Dale Carnegie Course. The Dale Carnegie Speech Course.

Now, when he joins the class he’s quite surprised because they say never read notes and they tell him never stand behind a podium, ooh. Stu is quite surprised because he always reads notes and he always stands behind a podium. So Stu is quite surprised, but he decides to follow their directions.

Number one, they tell him what?

Never, never read notes. First they say never read notes to the audience.

And, number two, what do they say, never stand behind…? That’s right, number two.

Never stand behind a podium. Never stand behind a podium.

So Stu learns these two rules and he practices in the course. In the course he learns to speak conversationally. He learns to move energetically. He learns to speak enthusiastically.

So does he learn to speak formally in the course?

No, no, no, no, not formally, not stiffly. He learns to speak conversationally; in a relaxed natural way.

So how does he learn to speak first?

Conversationally. He learns to speak to the audience conversationally, as if he’s having a natural relaxed conversation with the audience.

And how does he learn to move?

Energetically. He learns to move energetically.

Does he learn to stand stiffly and formally?

No, no, no, he does not learn to stand stiffly and formally. He learns to move naturally and energetically when speaking to an audience.

And, finally, emotion, how does he learn to speak? Does he learn to speak in a boring way, in a flat way?

No, no, no, he learns to speak enthusiastically. He learns to speak very enthusiastically when talking to an audience.

And so he goes to the class every week, every week, every week, practices, practices, practices and then, finally, at his next conference the audience is enthralled. They are enthralled by him and his speech.

Now, in this situation, “enthralled” means fascinated by, right? It means they are totally focused on him. They’re amazed and fascinated by him; very, very, very, very, very interested in everything he says.

So the audience is totally enthralled with his speech. That’s a good thing. They listen eagerly to every word.

How do they listen to his speech?

They listen eagerly to his speech.

Do they listen passively to his speech?

No, no, no, no, no, they don’t listen passively to his speech. They listen eagerly to his speech and they watch him intently.

Do they watch him with just a little bit of focus and concentration?

No, no, no. No, they don’t.

How do they watch him?

Intently. They watch him intently.

That means with total focus and concentration. It means they’re watching him at every moment, every single thing he does very intently. They put all of their intention and attention on him.

So who watches Stu intently?

The audience at his next conference. The audience at his next conference watch him very intently.

And how do they listen to him?

They listen to him very eagerly. Eagerly; excited to hear what he will say next.

And how do they feel about the speech and about him?

They are enthralled. Totally enthralled; super interested in everything he says. They are enthralled by him. They listen to him eagerly and they watch him very, very intently.

Finally, at the end of his speech, the audience cheers him loudly. Yeah! Woo! They go crazy. Everyone is shouting and screaming. They’re really excited about his speech.

How do they cheer him?

Loudly. They cheer him loudly. They cheer for him loudly.

Who do they cheer for? Who or whom do they cheer for?

They cheer for Stu.

And who cheers for Stu?

The audience at his last speech, his last conference.

And how do they cheer for him?

They cheer for him loudly, very, very loudly.

Of course, Stu is very, very happy about this and his boss is also super happy about his new speaking skills. In fact, he’s so happy that he gives Stu a big promotion and decides to make him a full-time speaker.

And that is the end of our mini story.

Okay, I will see you again. Have a great day, bye-bye.