CNLP 394: Hannah Brencher on the Future of Digital and Physical Church with Millennials, Being an Online Influencer and Giving A TED Talk at Age 24
Hannah Brencher’s first public speaking event was a TED Talk in NYC when she was 24.
Fast forward a few years, and Hannah reflects on what she’s learned as a communicator, Millennials and their addiction to platform, and the future of what her generation wants in digital and physical interaction.
Welcome to Episode 394 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about how to deliver a talk without using notes.
Guest Links
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Episode Links
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CONVERSATION LINKS
Fighting Forward by Hannah Brencher
TED@New York | Hannah Brencher: Love letters to strangers
The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
A 5 Step Method for Delivering a Talk Without Using Notes by Carey Nieuwhof
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INSIGHTS FROM HANNAH
1. When starting a talk, try leading with a story, not an introduction
There are hundreds of ways to start a talk when public speaking. Most of them start with you giving a brief bio and telling people why you’re a credible voice to be heard.
When speaking at TED, Hannah was given feedback that rather than starting with an introduction, she should jump straight into a story. This worked really well because people understand and crave good stories.
2. Your digital presence should enable your in-person dreams, not the other way around
So many people build their entire lives around getting attention and being the person everyone wants to be online. Hannah has learned that no amount of online followers is enough to leave you fulfilled. She recommends that you prioritize living an analog life you love, and if there’s a way for you to serve people online out of that, then do it.
3. In a culture obsessed with perfection, focus on consistency
Everyone is obsessed with perfection. They want the perfect online presence, the perfect job and the perfect life, but anything near perfect doesn’t come easily. Hannah encourages the next generation (of which she’s a part) to focus on consistency rather than perfection. Because showing up consistently is the fastest way to gain near-perfect results.
Quotes from Episode 394
If you can communicate something powerful to just one person that might change their whole entire life, that's enough. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet Commit yourself to actually being the real deal. Walk your walk before you ever talk about it. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet Every single person that follows you is a human being who has insecurities, worries, fears, doubts, and we treat them like they're a number at the end of the day. And we wonder why we feel so lonely and isolated and depressed. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet It's not about letters. It's not about stationery or stamps. It's about presence. It's about real connection. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet You are the one that knows your stories the best, and people relate to stories. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet Share your story and make it your own. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet I've never gone wrong, as long as I was sharing a story from my heart. @hannahbrencher Click To Tweet With public speaking, you really can't read the audience when you're reading directly from a manuscript. Click To Tweet Don't memorize your talk, understand it. Click To Tweet When people ask you what your talk is about, if you have to give a three-minute answer, you don't know what you're talking about. Click To Tweet If you're not clear on your point, your audience never will be. Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 394
Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?
Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.
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Next Episode: Seth Godin
Legendary marketing expert Seth Godin explains how he learned to think the way he thinks, shares top tips for communicators (and why peeves make bad pets), and why he continues to travel to Algonquin Park in Canada every year to teach kids how to paddle a canoe solo.
Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 395.
This was great to hear. A quotable you didn’t post…thought you would (LOL) “Be more interested than interesting!”
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Carey. I’m empowered by every point you have in this podcast