You’re Not Presenting. You’re Inviting.

There’s a subtle shift that changes everything:

From talking about yourself…
To bring your audience into the experience.

It sounds simple. It’s not.

Because most presenters—especially smart, experienced ones—default to this:

“I worked with a client in Whistler…”
“In my experience…”
“What I’ve seen is…”

It’s natural. You’re establishing credibility.

But here’s the problem:

Your audience isn’t sitting there thinking, “Tell me more about you.”
They’re thinking, “Where do I fit in this?”

Listen to the Difference

“I worked with a client in Whistler…”

vs.

“Imagine you’re working with a client who…”

The second one does something powerful:

It hands the story to the audience.

Now they’re in it.
Now they’re solving it.
Now they care.

Why This Works

When you lead with “I,” your audience becomes an observer.

When you lead with “you,” they become a participant.

And participants pay attention.

This isn’t about removing your expertise.
It’s about delivering it in a way that lands.

Try This Exercise (It’s Revealing)

Record yourself presenting.

Then listen back with one filter:

Count how many times you say:

• “I”
• “We”
• “My client”

Every time you hear one, pause.

That pause?
That’s often where your audience starts to drift.

Not because your story is bad.
Because they don’t yet know why it matters to them.

Don’t Remove Stories. Reposition Them.

Your stories are valuable. Keep them.

Just shift the entry point.

Instead of this:

“I worked with a leader who struggled to get buy-in…”

Try this:

“Imagine you’re presenting to a leadership team, and you can feel they’re not buying it…”

Now they’re inside the tension.

Then you add your expertise:

“That’s exactly what one of my clients was facing…”

See the difference?

You’ve moved from:

• Story as report
  to
• Story as experience

When to Use This (and When Not To)

Use audience-centered framing when:

• You want engagement early
• You’re introducing a problem or scenario
• You need people to feel the situation

Dial it back slightly when:

• You’re establishing credibility with a skeptical audience
• You need to anchor your authority quickly

Even then, keep it tight:

“I see this pattern often. Here’s what it looks like for you…”

Practical Ways to Shift in Real Time

If you’re mid-presentation and realize you’re too “I”-focused, adjust on the spot:

• “What this looks like for you is…”
• “You’ve probably experienced this…”
• “Picture this happening in your next meeting…”
• “Here’s where this shows up for most teams…”

You don’t need to rewrite everything. Just redirect the lens.

A Simple Test

Before you present, ask:

• Does my audience see themselves in this?
• Am I describing… or involving?
• Would they say, “That’s me,” at any point?

Because that’s the goal.

The Shift

Less:
“Here’s what I did.”

More:
“Here’s what this means for you.”

That’s how you move from informative…
to engaging.

And more importantly—
to something your audience actually remembers.