I don't know if you ever watched any of the Rocky films – particularly the first one. But we were introduced to not only Rocky but also Mickey. Mick was his trainer. The guy in his corner that challenged and pushed him.
Or maybe you never saw those movies, but you've seen Star Wars. If you saw The Empire Strikes Back, you met Yoda. You know, the green little guy that helped Luke learn to manage the force. He was in his corner, challenge and pushing him.
I could go on. But you likely get where I'm going.
Behind every hero is someone who challenges, pushes and encourages them.
Are you a blogger, presenter, speaker, or trainer?
Most people get on stage, or step into a training room, or sit down to write, and then go about proving their own expertise.
They do it because they want to be helpful. Or they do it out of insecurity.
But either way, the net result is the exact opposite of what they were going for.
In demonstrating their expertise, they made themselves the hero of the story. And the audience isn't feeling encouraged and supported to try new things. Instead, they're more convinced than ever that the speaker, trainer, blogger, or presenter is the expert and the only one that should be doing anything.
It's as if we're getting on stage and saying, “Don't try this at home. What you're about to see is by trained professionals and you're not one of them.”
The hero of the story isn't you!
Here's what we know is the truth. In the end, if you wanted to have a really ineffective speech, presentation, training or blog – you could just do nothing. You could sit back and relax.
But you take the time to put together material, to write, or to speak. And so you likely want results, right?
Then, if that's the case, my strong advice is to shift your paradigm.
Don't be Luke when you can be Yoda. Don't be Rocky when you can be Mick.
Help your audience be the hero of the story.
Be the one that challenges, pushes and encourages them.