I’d like you to imagine for a minute that you’re behind the wheel of your car. You’re listening to your favourite song on the radio, and you’re in lost in the words of the song. The droning hum of the tyres on the road is slowly lulling you into a sort of trance, as if you’d been put on “autopilot.”

Suddenly, you’re jerked out of your trance by a blaring horn. You look up just in time to catch a glimpse of a truck careening toward you, just meters from your window.

And then, nothing.

When you open your eyes, you notice the antiseptic smell of the hospital room. Barely able to move, you squint to see the faces hovering over you.

“You were clinically dead for several minutes,” one of the faces tells you. “You’re lucky the medics were able to resuscitate you.”

You feel quite lucky indeed. But when you try to reach out to those faces with your right hand… you realize that your arm isn’t there anymore.

“We had to amputate your arm.”

If faced with this life-changing moment, most people will just shy away and continue life on the sidelines.

But this moment was an opportunity – a unique moment I can share with people.

Instead of hiding, I was proud of my story and I confidently told it.

While I had lost an arm, I gained the confidence to speak to people and realized this does not stop me from connecting, engaging, and inspiring.

So what’s stopping you?

Now, how did you feel when you read that little vignette? Empathetic? Sad? Relieved?

At different points, you probably felt all of those things. But the point is, you most likely felt something.

And I bet that the next time you drive a car, you’re going to be just a little more cautious.

That’s because the words I chose connect, engage, and immerse. In other words, they show, rather than tell.

(By the way, I really was involved in a major car accident that resulted in amputation of my right arm. That’s part of my story… the same way your life experiences will be important parts of your own story.)

I’ve spent the past 7 years mastering the techniques that will allow you to speak confidently in front of people in speeches and talks that truly hit home with your audience.

I’ve learned from feedback which techniques work the best. And I’ve used them to help speakers from all over the world use stories to gain the influence and authority to generate business success, create social change, and much more.