In my Excellence in Training presentations I often show the Battle of Sterling clip from the movie Braveheart. After a rousing speech to his fellow countrymen William Wallace is about to go and insult the English commander to ensure there is a fight. His close group of men ask him what he wants them to do and his response is “Just be yourselves.”
That single bit of advice is very fitting for all trainers, speakers and presenters as well. I have seen and heard some of the best presenters in both the law enforcement world and the world of professional speaking. The truly great ones are all very different in their styles and personalities. They have different approaches to presenting their material and different philosophies on how to best engage the audience. The one thing that works for all of them is they are comfortable in just being themselves.
You cannot be Dave Grossman, Gordon Graham, Travis Yates, Bill Westfall, Jeff Chudwin, Chris Butler, John Bostain, Tony Robbins, Larry Wingett, Joe Calloway, Mark Sanborn or W. Mitchell so do not try to be. If you try to be anyone other than yourself you will come across as insincere and lose all credibility with the audience. If you do not have experience in a specific area then let people know that. If you use a quote or line from someone else reference them and give them credit for the material.
Be yourself. Be sincere. Be passionate. Research your material. Be relevant. Be purposeful. If you do that you will be successful. By successful I mean you will make a difference in the lives of the people you have the honor and privilege to teach.
Take care.
Brian Willis
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