around you to laugh. Think about any child between two and four years of age and you’ll see what I mean. Because young children function primarily from their creative right brain, they often make seemingly non-linear associations.

Once we got to school however, they started training us to use our left, linear brain. They helped us learn to focus. They taught us how to organize our thoughts and to think logically. The problem was, most educational systems dismissed right-brain creativity to such an extent that it was di

“Creativity is the ability to see beyond the obvious, shift perspectives, and explore ideas in new ways.” Joan C. King, Ph.D, author of Cellular Wisdom

The worst speaking experience I ever had was in front of 450 witnesses. What made it memorable, for all the wrong reasons, was that I was out of control. It took me forty minutes to cover my first 20 minutes of material. I was all over the place – all spontaneous right-brain creativity with no left-brain organization and discipline to keep it in check. It was a paid booking, too. Ouch!

At that time, I didn’t know anything about right-brain/left-brain integration. All I knew was that I blew it, and I assumed that everyone else knew it, too. I didn’t understand why I blew it any more than I understood why, on another day that same month, I was completely in control and nailed the same keynote. All it took was one disaster to make me vow never to let it happen again.

During the last ten years, I’ve made it my mission to learn more about what it takes to be brilliant in front of an audience. I’ve developed my Story Theater Method for strategic storytelling; I’ve analyzed the dynamic interaction between a speaker and her audience; and I’ve discovered that emotion is the fast lane to the brain. Along the way, I’ve also discovered that the path to brilliance has its foundation in the most complex technology ever invented – the human brain. The study of the brain and how it affects productivity and learning is called brain science.

First of all, it’s not enough to know that your right brain is the creative lobe and your left brain is the organizational lobe. What’s important to understand is the dynamic interaction between the two. When your left and right brain are in balance – working together as a team – you can access what I describe to my students as your genius brain. Did you know that you have a genius brain? It’s true.

Consider this: when you were a child, you came up with outrageous questions, made startling statements and got the adults around you to laugh. Think about any child between two and four years of age and you’ll see what I mean. Because young children function primarily from their creative right brain, they often make seemingly non-linear associations.

Once we got to school however, they started training us to use our left, linear brain. They helped us learn to focus. They taught us how to organize our thoughts and to think logically. The problem was, most educational systems dismissed right-brain creativity to such an extent that it was di

a paid booking, too. Ouch!

At that time, I didn’t know anything about right-brain/left-brain integration. All I knew was that I blew it, and I assumed that everyone else knew it, too. I didn’t understand why I blew it any more than I understood why, on another day that same month, I was completely in control and nailed the same keynote. All it took was one disaster to make me vow never to let it happen again.

During the last ten years, I’ve made it my mission to learn more about what it takes to be brilliant in front of an audience. I’ve developed my Story Theater Method for strategic storytelling; I’ve analyzed the dynamic interaction between a speaker and her audience; and I’ve discovered that emotion is the fast lane to the brain. Along the way, I’ve also discovered that the path to brilliance has its foundation in the most complex technology ever invented – the human brain. The study of the brain and how it affects productivity and learning is called brain science.

First of all, it’s not enough to know that your right brain is the creative lobe and your left brain is the organizational lobe. What’s important to understand is the dynamic interaction between the two. When your left and right brain are in balance – working together as a team – you can access what I describe to my students as your genius brain. Did you know that you have a genius brain? It’s true.

Consider this: when you were a child, you came up with outrageous questions, made startling statements and got the adults around you to laugh. Think about any child between two and four years of age and you’ll see what I mean. Because young children function primarily from their creative right brain, they often make seemingly non-linear associations.

Once we got to school however, they started training us to use our left, linear brain. They helped us learn to focus. They taught us how to organize our thoughts and to think logically. The problem was, most educational systems dismissed right-brain creativity to such an extent that it was di

illiant in front of an audience. I’ve developed my Story Theater Method for strategic storytelling; I’ve analyzed the dynamic interaction between a speaker and her audience; and I’ve discovered that emotion is the fast lane to the brain. Along the way, I’ve also discovered that the path to brilliance has its foundation in the most complex technology ever invented – the human brain. The study of the brain and how it affects productivity and learning is called brain science.

First of all, it’s not enough to know that your right brain is the creative lobe and your left brain is the organizational lobe. What’s important to understand is the dynamic interaction between the two. When your left and right brain are in balance – working together as a team – you can access what I describe to my students as your genius brain. Did you know that you have a genius brain? It’s true.

Consider this: when you were a child, you came up with outrageous questions, made startling statements and got the adults around you to laugh. Think about any child between two and four years of age and you’ll see what I mean. Because young children function primarily from their creative right brain, they often make seemingly non-linear associations.

Once we got to school however, they started training us to use our left, linear brain. They helped us learn to focus. They taught us how to organize our thoughts and to think logically. The problem was, most educational systems dismissed right-brain creativity to such an extent that it was di

s not enough to know that your right brain is the creative lobe and your left brain is the organizational lobe. What’s important to understand is the dynamic interaction between the two. When your left and right brain are in balance – working together as a team – you can access what I describe to my students as your genius brain. Did you know that you have a genius brain? It’s true.

Consider this: when you were a child, you came up with outrageous questions, made startling statements and got the adults around you to laugh. Think about any child between two and four years of age and you’ll see what I mean. Because young children function primarily from their creative right brain, they often make seemingly non-linear associations.

Once we got to school however, they started training us to use our left, linear brain. They helped us learn to focus. They taught us how to organize our thoughts and to think logically. The problem was, most educational systems dismissed right-brain creativity to such an extent that it was di

around you to laugh. Think about any child between two and four years of age and you’ll see what I mean. Because young children function primarily from their creative right brain, they often make seemingly non-linear associations.

Once we got to school however, they started training us to use our left, linear brain. They helped us learn to focus. They taught us how to organize our thoughts and to think logically. The problem was, most educational systems dismissed right-brain creativity to such an extent that it was discouraged. The left-brain ability to memorize, organize and prioritize was rewarded. The right-brain proclivity to daydream, play and draw pictures was de-emphasized. Only now do progressive schools employ innovative approaches to teaching and learning because they understand the need to develop both lobes of the brain in a balanced, whole-brain approach.

What does this have to do with brilliance? And why is it important to us as speakers, trainers, consultants and coaches? It’s important because speakers who stand in front of an audience and deliver practical content in a logical format, while leaving out humor, spontaneity and innovation, are boring. Their presentations are all left-brain logical. Face it – facts alone are interesting, but boring. If you are predictable as a speaker – no surprises, no humor, no new perspectives – you are doomed to be boring. The solution: a healthy balance of right-brain creativity and innovation delivered in a left-brain, linear format. Balance your brain!

Brilliant speakers are compelling because they surprise us with a creative approach to their subject. They see beyond the obvious and use stories, metaphors, analogies, humor, and sometimes magic, to illustrate their points. At the same time, everything they say fits together and makes sense. Seemingly illogical combinations of ingredients and examples all fit together in a fascinating montage that keeps their audience guessing. They use their creative right brain to develop provocative and interesting concepts and approaches to their subject. They then use their logical left brain to edit and organize their material so that it all flows and fits together.

Random creativity without logical structure is pointless. Logical ideas delivered in a predictable fashion are boring. What we should all strive for, in my opinion, is logical creativity.

The speaking failure, that I mentioned earlier, resulted from self-indulgent creativity. I forgot to pay attention. I went off on tangents that made sense only to me. I pushed the pause button on my left brain. It was like a child was let