How Shortcut Content Makes You a Better Speaker
This podcast audio served as the source for the blog post “How to Become a Better Public Speaker by Blogging.”
The transcript was rewritten to produce the blog post, which is the cornerstone of the Shortcut Content system.
Transcript:
Shayla: You are listening to the Shortcut Content Podcast. I’m talking with founder Dave Young today. And, Dave, we’ve talked about it previously before we started recording the podcast, but I want to delve into a little bit about what can happen to you, the transformation that can happen, as you go through this process of opening up about your expertise and your field, and recording that, and talking with someone on that platform.
Dave: We’ve actually identified, because we’ve been doing this for I think around four years now. I don’t really count the days that Shortcut’s been around, but what we’ve really noticed is one of the hidden benefits of creating content by having these conversations, and especially because in the specific technique that we use, we have a recording session once a month, and during that recording session we’ll record around four or five individual conversations. We don’t record a long rambling conversation and then try to find four topics in the middle of that and pull them out of it. No, we record these discreet, distinct conversations around each individual topic, just like we’re doing right now.
What we have found as a hidden benefit to this is that our customers have transformed their public speaking ability. When you’re forced to think in terms of “how am I going to explain this about five minutes?” it makes you a better salesperson, it makes you a better trainer, it makes you better, probably, standing around at a cocktail party you’re more interesting, because you can tell a story in a short amount of time, without going into endless detail and boring the daylights out of people.
Shayla: And I have to imagine it gives you a little more of an ownership of the information that you have. I think when you start to talk sometimes you surprise yourself with, I didn’t even know that I knew that or I didn’t even know that I felt that way.
Dave: Sure, and I think one of the cool things about the service that we use is that if you’re an expert at what you do, and I’ll go ahead and claim that mantle as a content production expert, because I’m living it, right? I started a company that helps you with content, so that must make me an expert. If you are an expert, all you need is a topic, and if somebody says, “Tell me about that topic,” you can talk about that topic for five minutes and explain it in a way that you would explain it to people who maybe aren’t experts in the same topic that you are, but you can do it in a way that makes sense to them.
And that’s what I’m trying to do here. When we started recording this, the only notes I have are “transform your public speaking experience.” That’s it. We didn’t write this out. I’m just telling you what we’ve experienced as a result of watching people for two or three years record in these little five minute chunks, every month, they have transformed from people that weren’t really sure about themselves and their speaking, into people that all you have to do is put a microphone in front of them and ask them a quetsion, and they’re good for five minutes.
Shayla: I think people who are listening may be thinking, “Yeah, that’s easy for you to say, because you’re obviously and expert at it. You’re good at.” But that’s why the other person is on the other end, right, to kind of pick you up when you’re just beginning and saying, I’m going to help guide you, I’m going to help keep you comfortable in this process.
Dave: Exactly. I mean, that’s the role that our hosts take. And often, in the early stages, when we’re working with a new client, and you can attest to this, Shayla, in the early stages, it’s more of a conversation, because they’ll answer a question and then you’ll ask another one. It’s much more back and forth. When they finally really start to take strides and their much better and more comfortable in their speaking skin, often it’s just a matter of opening the door and saying, “tell me about this topic,” and then, five minutes in or so saying, “thank you for telling me about that topic.” And that’s about it.
Shayla: I think the beautiful thing people should know is the editing works wonders, so you don’t have to be perfect.
Dave: No, you don’t have to be perfect. We speak in phrases. We don’t necessarily speak in complete thoughts or complete sentences. When we transcribe and rewrite, of course, the written content needs to be complete sentences, needs to be grammatically correct, and we make sure that all happens, but the audio content, if you’re listening as a podcast, we don’t mind that people don’t speak in complete sentences.
Shayla: So if someone’s listening and is thinking, I’m a little nervous, but I’m intrigued, how do they get hold of you and what does that process look like to begin transforming into that confident public speaker?
Dave: Our process works best if you’re already an expert. So if you can’t bring the expertise to your topic, we probably can’t help you. But if you already are an expert and you’re just looking at ways to prove it and get your content out of your head and on to the written page, just contact me at shortcutcontent.com. Our contact information is there, and I’m happy to have a short conversation with you to discuss ways that we can help.
Shayla: Thanks, Dave.
Dave: Thank you.