When I give speeches at college, I don't tell stories, I talk about what it is to live your dreams and take the path less traveled.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I don't want to spend the rest of my life giving speeches.
If you have to tell a story without speaking, it's sort of like - I come from a dance background, so it's like a ballet where you have to tell a story with just your body. I think that's really interesting to have to tell a story with just your face and your mannerisms, and I'd like to tap into that world.
One of the most difficult speeches to prepare is an address to a graduation class, which is why I don't often do them.
One of the areas I have a little less confidence in is giving any kind of a speech.
In high school I was president of the Student Council, and I ended up doing a lot of speeches. After you do a few in front of different schools, you get really comfortable talking in front of an audience.
When I give a lot of speeches, they're always on the fly. I mean, I know what I'm going to say roughly, but I do not - will not read.
When you make as many speeches and you talk as much as I do and you get away from the text, it's always a possibility to get a few words tangled here and there.
What I like about graduation speeches is that they're an opportunity for someone to make sense of their life and to impart that wisdom to someone else. It's like a sanctioned self-help moment.
Telling stories and having them received is so important. That dialogue is everything. I tell my students all the time that what separates us as human beings is our ability to hold stories. Our narrative history. There is so much power in that. Storytelling is our human industry.
Trust me, I have never written a speech in my life, and if I have my way, I never will.