Do you give your own memorable messages, or do you sound just like everybody else? Here is an interesting lesson from Darren LaCroix, the 2001 world champ of speaking. He tells an interesting story:

Never use someone else’s story. This is a small industry… it won’t take long for the ‘owner’ to find out. After doing my “Ouch!” speech at NSA a few years ago, it was copied by somebody overseas just a couple of months later. One of my mentors happened to be in the audience, and called the speaker on it. At first, he denied it. But later, he admitted it. As speakers, we can be inspired by others — but it’s important that we be original in our own messages, techniques, and stories.

As Darren would say “Ouch!”

You can read the entire article on Darren’s website.

Related posts:

1. Do you leave effective voicemail messages? This week I received two voicemails which I were unable to answer. One was because there was too much background...
2. Do you tell your own stories? This is something that I have heard so many speakers talk about, but I have only recently found out how...
3. Confusing your audience in stories Last night I watched a speaker say something like this: “Do you remember the scene where they tore the page...
4. 10 Myths of Public Speaking 1) I can wing my presentation. No you can’t – the audience will know if you are prepared or not....
5. Workshop: The Joy and Call of Stories Here is a workshop that may interest you. It is being run by two very good friends of mine, and...