Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.

I first saw these words when I was a little girl. In fact, I remember the moment so clearly. I was sitting in my aunt’s closet helping her fold laundry and a t-shirt that said “Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.” on it appeared. I was in first grade so I was really into reading any word that came my way. As I sat there trying to read the t-shirt my aunt began to explain what it meant. It was all about presentations and how you present yourself as a speaker. Even though I was just six years old I remember that moment and her explanation of what made a speaker become a leader. There was something intriguing about giving a presentation and from that moment I decided that I wanted to do whatever it was my aunt was doing to get t-shirts like that. Speaking seemed like something fun. I remember as a little girl playing in my basement pretending to give these great speeches that everyone in the world applauded at. I thought that someday, I would speak professionally to a group of people.

Did I think it would actually happen? Of course. My family has always said that I can make anything happen that I want to. Did I think I would be 21 and giving a presentation to an entire Human Resources department? No, not exactly; I never thought that at such a young age I would have an experience like this. That is where I am, though, and I am very excited that tomorrow I do have an opportunity to give a presentation to the Human Resources department. Tomorrow 60 people will have their eyes focused on me and what I have to say. Scary? Yeah, it would be ridiculous to say that there aren’t nerves involved. Am I ready for my presentation? Yes, I have practiced to anyone who would listen I believe every great speaker is nervous. Nerves mean practice and practice leads to perfection. I do believe that the key to a presentation is not looking at it as a scary event, but rather an opportunity to show your strengths.

To this day, I still look to that t-shirt for wisdom. I even wrote a little note to myself so that I would be reminded tomorrow morning of the ultimate goal of my presentation: Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone. What does this mean?

Be Bright: I am young. True. I am a girl. True. To this day, I still believe that being a young woman even today is more of a challenge than being a male. Does this mean I am not smart or not talented? No. I want my presentation to show that I am bright. I want to be fresh, exciting, and show my personality. I want people tomorrow to know who Erica Abel is. I think of the great speakers I have watched and they truly are bright. You can see it in their eyes. They have personality and they have brains and it shows. Great speakers inspire me to be better and I want my speaking abilities to reach people on that level too.

Be Brief: No one likes a long presentation. Great speakers know when to cut it. They know what information to include and what not to include. They are brief. They give the facts that the audience cares about, and ignore irrelevant content.

Be Gone: Then they are gone. Simple as that. They end on a strong note that leaves the audience impacted and captivated.

True, I am giving a presentation to a group of 60 HR people, not a stadium full of people. But, this is a great opportunity and I am forever grateful to that t-shirt I folded back in first grade.

Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.