Page 32 - How To Get Rich

kidding. I wasn’t.
I’d been asked to give the speech by Anthony Robbins, the bestselling
author and self-help guru. I had been paid a great deal of money for the
speech, but I’d never asked how many people I would be speaking in front

of. As I was leaving the office to go to Philadelphia, my secretary told me
I would be speaking at a basketball arena, the Wachovia Center, and that
there would be approximately twenty thousand people there. I said, You’ve
got to be kidding. I’ve never spoken before twenty thousand people
before!
Telling it like it is.
That situation could cause panic in some people. Instead, I thought

about my audience not as a massive group of people just waiting to judge
me, but as individuals who might be there because they’re interested in
something. Then I started thinking about what people are interested in and
the kinds of questions people like to ask me.
I was ready. I suddenly had a gut feeling that we were all in for a great
time.

Leaving an ashen-faced Tony in the car, I hopped out, ready to embrace
the experience. Somehow the audience picked up on my energy and got
much more than a speech. They got give-and-take that no one who was
there will soon forget. We had a hilarious time, and we walked away
having learned a few things as well.
Tony Robbins turned out to be a terrific guy. Until I met him, I didn’t
believe in him or trust him, but that was only because I was getting my

information secondhand. Having gotten to know him and his wife, I now
wholeheartedly endorse him—he is out to do good and help people. His
seminars are absolutely a happening, and after our successful experience
in Philadelphia, I agreed to make ten more appearances.
All in all, it was a valuable lesson in public speaking: Think about your

audience first. The rest will fall into place.
Granted, having useful information to convey will help, too. But tuning
in topeople is the first step. I’m good at that, and I don’t have to try too
hard. Even in my office, with a few people around, the conversation will
never be one-sided. I like to involve everyone and hear what they have to
say.
So: Involve your audience. They will appreciate being included.