The Mass Delusion That Keeps Many Speakers From Soaring!

For a long time I suffered a major delusion – because it was convenient – but it became a real problem. Like others, I thought that good speakers were just “naturally great.”

Steve Jobs was called a “natural communicator!” And we all know the story about President Abraham Lincoln writing the Gettysburg Address on the train and delivering it perfectly without even trying.

But, “naturally great” simply is not true! Steve Jobs, the “natural communicator,” would practice his speeches an hour for every minute he would be on stage. He took that practice from Winston Churchill, who did the same!

I walked into the TED Conference for the first time thinking that the amazing speakers on that stage were fabulously, naturally talented at extemporaneous speaking. But I walked out knowing that they’d spent six months to a year practicing those “ideas worth spreading!”

Believing that others have “natural talent” is delusional, and can get in the way of developing your own “natural talent!”

Imagine how much natural talent you’d have if you worked as hard as Steve Jobs!