he learned one of the most important lessons of communication—listening before you talk.

who I really am and how my story has shaped me.

Who am I? Where do I come from? What am I working toward? What’s important to me? What are the values that guide me? What do I believe? Why do I do the work I do? What are my disappointments and fears? What do I hope to achieve in my life and work?

“Why did you start this company?” “How did you start the company?” “How did it feel to start this company?” “Were you ever afraid you’d fail?” “What were the biggest challenges you faced?” “How did you overcome them?” “What makes your company different from your competitors?”

your perspective, what you believe, what you think needs to be done.

Here’s my thought on that: if you’re going to go through all the trouble of telling the bot what to write—and then keep feeding it more prompts to correct what it gets wrong and edit it to your liking—maybe it’s better, and even quicker, to just write it yourself.

We’re at our best when we talk about the people, places, communities, causes, and companies that we know and care about. As a result, we’re more relaxed. We smile. Our faces light up—because it feels good to share stories that we know and love. We come across as more confident and credible.

Your story is worthy. Your voice matters. You deserve to be on that stage just as much as anyone else.

“I think the starting point for effective speaking, for me at least, and for most people who I find persuasive,” he said, “is do they have a sense of who they are and what they believe?”