This week’s guest is Brant Pinvidic, documentary filmmaker, producer, speaker, and author of The 3-Minute Rule. Brant is an expert at using short form storytelling to capture attention. Rain and Brant discuss the 3-step decision making process, how to use storytelling to feed information to your audience, and how to say less & get more!
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When we were booking guests for Season 4 of the Storytelling Lab, my new friend John Livesay said that I had to interview Brant Pinvidic, and he promised he’d make an introduction.
When I looked up Brant, it made sense why John suggested him.
Brant is a TV producer, a documentary filmmaker, a podcast host, an author, a speaker, a consultant, and an outdoor enthusiast with an active lifestyle.
I am many of those things already and working on the rest, so my interest was sky high.
But I was wondering... how was he successful in all of them?
That was something I was struggling with (and still struggle with, honestly) -- how and when to focus my time and attention on just one thing? And, which thing??
When I had him on the show, Brant made one thing very clear about that:
“You can’t be successful unless you’re great at something. If you want to be successful, you better focus on something, because ‘good’ is not good enough in today’s world. You can be an exceptionally gifted person and you spread those gifts and talents over a few different things, and now you’re an average person on four different projects.”
Brant made his success as a TV producer.
Then, he was able to use that success as a springboard into other ventures, by leveraging the connections he made and the skills he acquired.
You can’t be great at something if you’re doing a bunch of other things at the same time.
Coincidentally, or probably not so coincidentally, Brant helps people understand a similar concept when they are pitching or presenting: you cannot communicate clearly (ie. be great) if you’re talking about a bunch of other things at the same time.
Instead we need to “say less to get more” and FOCUS on what matters most when we sell.
Brant is also an author! In his book, The 3-Minute Rule, Brant teaches us to “ditch the colorful slides and catchy language and follow one simple rule: Convey only what needs to be said, clearly and concisely, in three minutes or less.”
He and I discussed a wide range of storytelling topics, including his 3-step decision making process, how to use storytelling to feed information to your audience, and how to say less to get more!
Some highlights from our conversation:
How to use storytelling to feed information to your audience/clients
The decision making process happens in 3 minutes and 3 steps - conceptualize, contextualize, then actualize
We’re living in a decision by committee world
Why you need to use storytelling techniques to bring in your audience
How to say less and get more
Confidence is not something you develop. You will be naturally confident when your information adds value.
Why you have to start selling differently: you can’t be a used car salesman in 2020
You have to be brutally honest about what you are selling
Incorporate your honest answers into your pitch: trust the process
The major gaps in selling: What most businesses struggle with
Why screens are NOT making us zombies
Why we need to give people “breadcrumb” information: piece by piece
Why the “state and prove” method doesn’t work anymore: it makes your audience doubt you
How to use the “Inform and lead” method instead: focus leads to desire
Why simple stories work the best
Making things sound complex does not make them sound better
Knowing what you do well and sticking to that
Businesses at the highest level have people that do all the necessary skills well
Why Brant decided to make Why I’m Not on Facebook
Why empathy is so important
Why everyone should figure out what makes them happy and do more of that
Why trying to convince yourself to be altruistic is a losing matter
Knowing your through line
Being both a cautionary tale and inspirational story
Being successful: t’s not about juggling, it’s about focus
As always, I hope you enjoy the episode!
Peace and Love,
Rain
Follow Brant on Instagram @brantpinvidic
And visit his website brantpinvidic.com/
For more storytelling tips and tricks,
Follow us on Instagram @sixsecondstories
Visit our website sixsecondstories.com
Hosted by Rain Bennett (@rainbennett | Twitter) (rainbennett.com)
MORE related content:
The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation
Watch Why I'm Not On Facebook
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