Giving a "brand new" presentation can be very scary. If you get nervous... congratulations, you're normal! How do you lower the anxiety? How do you approach it?

If you've heard me speak before, you may have heard me say that I'm not a fan of creating a whole new speech. Many people are trained to write a new speech every time they speak. That's not a reality in the professional world. I only have four different keynotes, and all my other presentations are variations of those. In the professional world, it's important to have the ability to incorporate feedback and constantly improve our presentations and perfect the stories we already have.

That being said, on occasion, we're asked to give a new presentation. Such was the case a few months ago when Kimm, a convention chair, asked me to give two sessions at her conference. The first was "live" presentation coaching. I was excited to do that because I find it incredibly transformational for the audience. They see the principals of Own the Stage in action. The second program she asked me to do was on mentoring. Mentoring? I don't have a keynote on mentoring!

My first instinct was to say "no," and then guide Kimm towards one of my other keynotes. I didn't want to take the time to create a brand new presentation during the height of my busy season.

But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It would stretch me. It would be a calculated risk and I'd be able to establish credibility with a "tried and true" program prior to giving the first run of this new one. Mentoring is a subject that I've had a great deal of experience with. I've been on both sides of the mentor/mentee relationship, and I truly believe it essential to achieving any lofty goal in life. So, I decided to push myself.

Before I tell you how I approached it, please read a few of the comments by people in the audience. These are experienced speakers, some of whom have heard me many times before. When I walked off stage, I felt it went really well. But, I didn't realize how well.

"Having heard Darren speak many times,
he has always made me laugh, think and grow.
This time he made me cry, a true testament
to reaching an audience member in the heart. Darren's speech on the power of mentors
touched me deeply and motivated me to thank
some of my mentors. Thank you Darren for
reaching me at such a profound level."

Kay Fittes
Strategies for Women's Growth


"I saw a deeper and more poignant side of you than I've ever seen before. Like many others,
I expect to laugh, learn and be entertained
when you speak. This time, though, I felt your
presentation... you were more open and heartfelt,
and didn't need  humor to reach into my heart.  Clearly, this material was important to you;
for example, at one point, when talking about
Dave McIlhenny, you paused for a long time,
and I FELT it, not because you had scripted it in,
but because you were in the moment and
genuinely affected by your memory of Dave.
That was powerful for me, and encourages me
to be willing to share my most emotional
memories and stories with others."

Mike Davis
Certified Financial Planner


"Wow! Your passion for mentoring truly is
an inspiration! I believe you touched everyone
in the audience today; I have a new appreciation
for the mentors in my life and have a deeper
understanding of their importance."

Maria Austin
Professional Trainer

I guess the risk paid off! Here's my thought process as I approached this new presentation:


#1 Do I believe in the subject? (Yes!)

#2 What stories do I already have, that help me convey the message?

#3 What stories do I have in my story file that I haven't yet told?

#4 What do people already know about mentoring?

#5 What do they need to know?

#6 What did I learn the hard way about being mentored?

#7 What surprised me about the mentoring process?

Important points:

• The risks I took were calculated. They were in front of a "known" friendly audience. (I would not have taken these risks in front of a full-fee keynote client in an unfamiliar industry.) If you are a Toastmaster, you should be taking risks at your club every time you speak!

• Question #2 is crucial. This allows it to not be "completely different." Telling stories you've told before helps with that anxiety. Though I told the same stories, I told them from a different perspective to make different points. Afterwards, people said, "I've heard some of those stories before, but never in that way."

• I took a huge risk and ended the presentation with my mentor's "Feel the Breeze" story (I've never told it before), then I showed a video clip. I honestly didn't know how it would go over. It ended up being powerful. (Whew!)

• I got emotional during the program. I didn't expect it. I was telling a story about one of my mentors who had passed away. If you listen to the program, you'll hear it in my voice. (Live recording: "Mentored to Win: How 7 Mentors Made Me") It's important to know that we should never use the stage as "therapy." In my case, it certainly wasn't intentional and I will be careful the next time I do that keynote.

• The connection with the audience was very deep. Partially because I went very deep and opened myself up completely. (Check out the end of Mike Davis's quote again -- he comments on it.) This is a keynote worth studying!

• The presentation wasn't perfect. Most of audience was visibly moved -- however, several people commented that parts of it didn't flow properly. I'm OK with that. That can be fixed.

Why I do think it was one of my best ever? Simple. Many people have e-mailed me (including Kay, Maria, and Mike) and mentioned that they've gone out and thanked their mentors. This was one of my calls to action! What a success!

It's not what happens during the presentation. It's what happens three days later. That should be your goal as a speaker.

With 2009 coming fast, will you take more "presentation" risks?