The Most Important Thing You Can Do in the Next 10 Days to Improve Your Speaking
Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book three years ago titled Outliers, also known as Los que Sobresalen in Spanish about
What does it take to achieve world-class excellence?
What does it take to be truly exceptional?
As a musician? as an athlete? and as a speaker?
He examined multiple cases.
Is it talent?
Do Irish people have an innate ability to be great public speakers, while people from Chile will never reach that level?
The answer is no.
Then what leads to excellence?
In programming?
The answer: 10,000 hours of practice.
No matter where you start, no matter how talented a child is in school—it's the kid who practices eight hours a day who eventually plays as a soloist with the world's top orchestras.
Leo Messi wasn’t born with a superior right knee or a better left foot than anyone else.
It was what he chose to do every day after school and every weekend that made him the legend he is today.
The Most Important Commitment You Can Make to Yourself
You can listen to all of this, but if you don’t act, it’s a waste.
So, as you reflect on the €6,000 you’ve mentally invested and wonder, How do I get a return on investment?—consider this:
Every laptop comes with a webcam.
I want each of you to decide that, for the next 10 days, you will dedicate just three minutes a day.
You can count only workdays if you prefer, skipping weekends.
For three minutes each day, start recording yourself.
Explain a product.
Explain your CV.
Explain your vision.
Explain: What is a good life?
One speech I have my students at IESE deliver towards the end of the course is:
"A Value You Would Share with a Child as the Basis for a Good Life."
On Day 10, that’s your challenge—three minutes answering this question:
"What value would you share with a child as the foundation of a good life?"
The Reality of Becoming a Great Speaker
Nothing I say here will turn you into a great speaker.
No amount of watching YouTube videos of Bill Clinton will make you Bill Clinton.
No amount of reading will turn you into a writer.
Only speaking will turn you into a speaker.
Some people have spent over 10,000 hours in meetings and are still terrible at them.
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old who just started yesterday might already be better at running effective meetings.
So, it’s not just about hours.
It’s about:
- Deciding that it’s important.
- Believing that you can improve.
Recording yourself provides instant feedback—you can watch and analyze your progress.
The Pottery Experiment
There was a pottery class in the United States.
The teacher divided the class into two groups:
- One group was graded based on the total weight of pots they created. The more they produced, the higher their grade.
- The other group was graded on a single, perfectly crafted piece.
The first group made five, six, seven pots a day.
They experimented.
They tried random techniques.
They attempted different ideas.
Their hands were on the clay from day one.
The second group?
They read about pottery.
They discussed concepts.
They debated artistic philosophy.
They visited galleries to study great pottery.
They barely touched the clay—until about three days before the course ended.
And in the end?
All the best pots came from the group that focused on quantity.
Your Speaking Practice
If you want to be in the pottery group that produced the best work, turn on your webcam every day.
If you do this for 10 days, you will improve significantly.
If you keep going…
Three minutes a day won’t get you to 10,000 hours quickly, but let’s break it down:
- 10,000 hours = 8 hours a day for 5 years.
- 4 hours a day = 10 years.
- 2 hours a day = 20 years.
But here’s the thing: We will still be alive in 20 years. Even 30 years.
Imagine where you could be if you truly practiced, experimented, and refined your skills.
The Secret of Great Musicians
The greatest musicians don’t just play what they already know when they practice.
They try things they don’t know.
They experiment.
They attempt new techniques.
So, when you record yourself, don’t just deliver a perfect speech—try different things.
No one has to see it. You can delete it instantly.
(Just make sure no one gets hold of your PC while those silly videos are still saved on your desktop!)
The Final Answer
This is a waste of time if you don’t commit.
Dedicate three minutes a day for the next 10 days.
Put these ideas into practice. Experiment.
Because in the end, only doing will make you great.
